Social Worker
What you'd do
The Social Worker in the Mental Health Patient Care Center, applies advanced skills to evaluate and address complex psychosocial issues in Veterans receiving outpatient psychiatric care. Responsibilities include psychosocial assessments, discharge planning, treatment development, completing Advance Directives, providing supportive counseling and psychotherapy, and linking Veterans with VA and community resources and benefits to promote independence and well-being.
Major duties
VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Major duties include but are not limited to: Provide comprehensive mental health assessments for Veterans, utilizing knowledge of medical and psychiatric terminology, diagnostic categories, and thorough chart review. Review assessments completed by colleagues, gather missing information from providers, patients, and medical records to ensure accurate and complete documentation. Demonstrate proficiency in Mental Health Suite treatment planning software and maintain familiarity with updates and changes within the system. Maintain thorough knowledge of VISTA/CPRS systems, ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of clinical records while staying current with system modifications. Deliver clinical and case-management services through face-to-face interactions, telephone, and video technology to support Veterans' mental health needs. Conduct outreach via phone calls and written correspondence to engage new patients, reschedule canceled appointments, and follow up with no-shows. Provide psychoeducation, emotional support, and counseling to address psychiatric and psychosocial concerns, developing collaborative treatment plans with other providers. Offer social work consultation to primary care and mental health teams to develop and coordinate individualized treatment plans, ensuring seamless continuity of care. Communicate evaluation findings and treatment recommendations effectively to multidisciplinary team members to optimize Veteran care. Develop and coordinate community resources to support Veterans and their families, enhancing access to supportive services. Lead staff development initiatives and patient education efforts related to mental health treatment modalities and recovery strategies. Participate in ongoing research, program evaluations, and committee assignments as directed by the service manager to support continuous improvement. Maintain accurate documentation of training activities, participate in continuing education, and adhere to VA policies, NASW Code of Ethics, and state licensure requirements. Ensure compliance with confidentiality laws, safeguarding Veterans' personal information and adhering to all ethical and legal standards. Document clinical encounters, assessments, and treatment plans in accordance with VA and Joint Commission standards, ensuring timely and accurate records. Utilize measurement-based treatment approaches and contemporary modalities recognized as effective within mental health practices. Perform other delegated duties within the outpatient psychiatry department as assigned by the Clinical Coordinator to support clinic operations. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. EDRP Authorized: This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply. 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) 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). Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized. Telework: Not Available Functional Statement #: 24684-F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): 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: Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g this part). 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 www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work. Licensure: Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-0185 series in VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. Current state requirements may be found by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/. Failure to Obtain License or Certification: In all cases, social workers must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure or certification starting from the date of their appointment. Failure to become licensed or certified within the prescribed amount of time will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. Loss of Licensure or Certification: Once licensed or certified, social workers must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Grade Determinations: Social Worker, GS-9 Experience, Education, and Licensure: None beyond the basic requirements. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): 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. Social Worker, GS-11 Experience and Licensure. Appointment to the GS-11 grade level 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. NOTE: For appointment licensure or certification at this level please refer to paragraph 3c. 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. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): 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. Preferred Experience: Geriatric Social Work Experience 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: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.
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