The selected Senior Social Worker will be assigned to the Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Programs/Domiciliary within the OVAHCS and associated Outpatient Clinics. Residential care is critical in the spectrum of treatment levels provided to Veterans in the Mental Health Service Line at OVAHCS. The program serves Veterans with complex substance use disorders, co-occurring mental health diagnoses, and/or those Veteran with complex psychosocial issues related to homelessness.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. 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. Education: Must 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. Licensure: 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/. (NOTE: For those who have a Florida LCSW license, you must be registered with the state as a "Qualified Supervisor" in order to provide supervision for licensure or specialty certification. All others must meet the requirements of their state of licensure to be able to provide supervision for licensure.) Applicants with Puerto Rico LSW must be an active member of the College of Social Work Professionals of Puerto Rico (CPTSPR) and must provide CPTSPR active membership certification. For additional information, please visit Membership - CPTSPR. English Language: Must be proficient in spoken and written English 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). All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure or certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all of the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: Such employees in an occupation that requires a licensure or certification, may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all of the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. If an employee who was retained in an occupation listed in 38 U.S.C. § 7401 (3) under this provision leaves that occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation. Grade Determinations: Senior Social Worker, GS-12 Experience/Education: The candidate must have at least two years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure and should be in a specialized area of social work practice of which, one year must be equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Senior social workers have experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment. Senior social workers are experts in their specialized area of practice. Senior social workers may have certification or other post-masters training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship or equivalent supervised professional experience in a specialty. Licensure/Certification: Senior social workers must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level which included an advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless they are grandfathered by the state in which they are licensed to practice at the advanced practice level (except for licenses issued in California, which administers its own clinical examination for advanced practice) and they must be able to provide supervision for licensure. Preferred Experience: Those candidates who have the following are highly preferred. Experience with MHRRTP admissions and policies. At least (2) years of specialized experience in residential care. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: The position requires performance of work which involves light physical effort, such as that involved in lifting light files, bending, standing, reaching, operating office equipment such as telephone, copier, fax machine, scanner, etc. The physical demands of the work requires use of fingers; moderate walking and standing; near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; far vision correctable in on eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; hearing aid permitted; clear speech; emotional stability; moderate duty.
Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The selected Senior Social Worker will be a member of an interdisciplinary team that thoroughly assesses the needs of the Veterans, as well as monitors progress throughout participation in programming. The selected must be able to complete assessments, have clinical understanding of complex diverse populations, have strong crisis intervention skills, and work independently with little oversight and supervision. The selected must have clinical knowledge of co-occurring disorders and serious mental illness, inclusive of the challenges of treating those with Axis II disorders that will not ameliorate with short term treatment or medication. The selected functions on an independent basis during weekends to provide services related to admissions (CSREs and Safety Planning), Psychosocial assessments, and crisis intervention related to deterioration of psychological functioning or need for medical detoxification. Some of the duties include, but are not limited to: Conducts full bio-psychosocial assessments utilizing evidence-based diagnostic interviews of the Veteran with specific examination of current coping skills, emotion regulation, and support networks in place. Has advanced practice level knowledge and skills needed to implement the clinical and psychosocial interventions needed to serve a Veteran population experiencing complex substance use disorders, and co-occurring mental health diagnoses. Complies with all existent directives during the provision of screening assessment processes, admissions, and MHRRTP clinical service provision. Responsible for processing all Interfacility Consults received from outside of VISN 8, utilizing National Templates, ensuring completion of the MHRRTP Screening Assessment template, medical clearance template, and Screening Result template. Must possess the knowledge and skills above and beyond the full performance level given the complex nature of the psychological and medical needs of this population, coupled with skills and experience to treat this population independently. Will be the sole clinical provider on-site during weekend hours, and responsible to respond independently to any psychological crisis occurring within the residential facility. Has specialized knowledge and experience related to the National MH RRTP policies and requirements associated with Suicide Prevention. Responsible for the completion of consults and ensure that there is open communication between the sending and receiving facilities, knowledge of bed occupancy levels in the VISN and refer them out to those facilities contingent on available open beds, communicating with various facilities to assist with admission/placement. Responsible to assist Veterans, independently, with any Veteran experiencing crisis or suicidal ideation during screenings assessment process and obtain immediate assistance for that Veteran in the state to which they reside. Routinely and frequently use specialized outcome measures, such as the Measurement-Based Care screenings to measure the effectiveness of treatment and treatment outcomes. Utilizes outcome evaluations to further treatment and designs system changes based on empirical findings and in consultation with other specialty team members. Other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: The primary tour of duty will include either a Saturday or Sunday, work schedule will be 8am to 4:30pm. The selectee may also be required to work various shifts on a permanent or temporary basis, based on the needs of the service and patient care. (Will include weekends with either Fri-Sat off, or Sun-Mon off) 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) 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: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: Senior Social Worker - Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment (MHRRT) Program Clinical Team, GS-12, 82633F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.