Social Worker
What you'd do
This Community Living Center Social Worker provides veterans with high quality case management, psychosocial support, advocacy, and linkage with appropriate VA and community service providers/agencies as needed for Chillicothe, OH VA Healthcare System. The incumbent has clinical involvement in patient care by providing clinical case consultation to complex patient/family/community inquiries about services or patient care issues provided by the VA.
Major duties
VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties included but not limited to: Psychosocial Assessment - The social worker will develop an assessment of the Veteran, family, economic, community, and psychosocial support systems. The assessments must reflect a high level of skill in gathering, analyzing, interpreting, and documenting data that is pertinent and directly related to patient health care planning, treatment, education and case management. RAI/MDS Assessment - The social worker completes assigned sections of the Minimum Data Set on each Veteran admitted to the Community Living Center. The outcomes of these assessments are incorporated into the Veteran's plan of care. The social worker is responsible for facilitating the computerized RAI/MDS list and staying current with the assessments as assigned by the MDS Coordinator/designee. Treatment Planning/Goal Setting - The incumbent is responsible for contributing to the treatment plan, and setting achievable treatment goals with the Veteran/family in collaboration with the CLC interdisciplinary treatment team members. The social worker will include psychosocial problems in the interdisciplinary treatment plan and will attend weekly interdisciplinary care planning meetings. Referral to service providers - Throughout the course of treatment on the CLC, the social worker is the subject matter expert on VA and/or community resources. The social worker will collaborate with other service providers in reassessing the Veteran's needs for non-institutional, institutional services/programs and entitlements. Resource Development - The social worker is responsible for developing a resource file of VA and community social service programs and will refer the Veteran to needed services. Advocacy - Social worker will act as an advocate when it serves the best interest of the Veteran/family. When appropriate and feasible, social worker will educate and encourage the Veteran/family to advocate for themselves, thus fostering a sense of independence and empowerment. Crisis Intervention - Incumbent is experienced in making rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans. Social worker has access to multiple resource directories in addition to previously developed resources to meet the demands of a crisis. In the event of a medical or psychiatric emergency, staff will follow the protocol of the Community Living Center. Education/Health promotion and prevention - Social worker provide education related to VA and community resources, entitlements, Advance Directives/Living Will and will refer Veterans/families to the appropriate interdisciplinary team member for identified health education needs. Use of Government Vehicle to Transport Veterans: This position may requires the ability to accompany and transport Veterans to appointments and other community resources as needed, whether medical, housing, or other treatment plan goal appointments through the use of a government vehicle. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 7:30 am to 4:00 pm. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized. Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized. Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Ad-hoc only telework is authorized as determined by the needs of the agency. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 93630-0/93629-0 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.
What you need to qualify
Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency - Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Education - Have a master's degree in social work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Graduates of schools of social work that are in candidacy status do not meet this requirement until the School of Social Work is fully accredited. A doctoral degree in social work may not be substituted for the master's degree in social work. Verification of the degree can be made by going to http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work. License - You must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. Exception: VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations. This exception only applies at the GS-9 grade level. For the GS-11 grade level and above, the candidate must be licensed or certified. At the time of appointment, the supervisor, chief social work or social work executive will provide the unlicensed/uncertified social worker with the written requirements for licensure or certification, including the time by which the license or certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed or certified by the deadline.] (a) For appointments at the GS-9 grade level, VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed or certified at the independent, master's level within three years of their appointment as a social worker. Most states require two years of post-MSW experience as a prerequisite to taking the licensure/certification exam, and VHA gives social workers one additional year to pass the licensure/certification exam. In states such as California, Washington, and others where the prerequisites for licensure exceed two years, social workers must become licensed at the independent, master's level within one year of meeting the full state prerequisites for licensure. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Grade Determinations: For GS-9 Experience, Education, and Licensure: None beyond the basic requirements. In addition to the experience above, you must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Ability to work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills. Ability to assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, and to formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the Veterans problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed. Ability to implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups to achieve treatment goals. This requires judgment and skill in utilizing supportive, problem solving, or crisis intervention techniques. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies. Fundamental knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures. This includes acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses/injuries; common medications and their effects/side effects; and medical terminology. For GS-11 Experience and Licensure: Requires completion of a minimum of one year of post-MSW experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the field of health care or other social work-related settings, (VA or non-VA experience) and licensure or certification in a state at the independent practice level. Examples of specialized experience include but are not limited to: Providing social work case management; acting as an patient/family member/caregiver advocate with community service providers/agencies; assessing the psychosocial functioning and needs of patients and their family members. In collaboration with the patient, family, and interdisciplinary treatment teams, identifying strengths, weaknesses, coping skills and psychosocial acuity. Maintaining a current network of internal and external resources to educate the patient and/or family members/caregivers and assist with appropriate referrals OR Education: In addition to meeting basic requirements, a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required one year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting. AND In addition to the experience above, you must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services. Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational and other diversified backgrounds. Knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities and treatment procedures (i.e. acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology) to formulate a treatment plan. Skill in independently implementing different treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, and social problems to achieve treatment goals. Ability to provide consultation services to new social workers, social work graduate students, and other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment. Driver's License: Applicants must possess a current, valid driver's license.. You may be required to provide your license at the time of interview. A clean driving record report from the DMV and validation of your driver's license will be required during the online onboarding process. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-9 to GS-11. Physical Requirements: The work is sometimes sedentary. Typically, the employee will sit to perform administrative work. However, other position duties include but are not limited to, long periods of walking; standing; bending; crouching, reaching and lifting of a variety of moderately heavy items, carrying of light items such as papers, books, small parts; or driving an automobile, etc. No special physical demands are required to perform the work.
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