The social worker works as a member of a BHIP (Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program) team, providing care to this population. BHIP is an interprofessional team-based approach that provides Veteran-centered, recovery-oriented, and evidence-based services to Veterans who require a higher level of mental health care than can be provided in the primary care setting. The social worker functions as a care coordinator. This is an open continuous announcement until February 24, 2025. Qualified applicants will be considered and referred as vacancies become available. 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. 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. 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. Grandfathering Provision. 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). 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. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. 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. 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following 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. 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. Physical Requirements: Must be in overall good health, able to sit at a desk working at a computer, engage in light to moderate physical activity including sitting, walking, bending, and carry supplies. The social worker must be able to perform light and sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands, exercise patience, and control emotions with reasonable accommodation if necessary. Position requires walking throughout the clinic or Medical Center, standing for extended periods of time that involves sitting at a computer to interact with Veterans, staff, and interdisciplinary teams. The position requires close visual acuity to perform activities such as preparing and analyzing data, viewing a computer screen, and periods of extensive reading. The position will require repetitive motion of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers. ["Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Social Work: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Social-Worker-Career-Flyer.pdf Duties include, but are not limited to: Conducts brief assessments that may include assessing high risk factors, including suicidal and homicidal ideation, acute needs for VHA or community-based services, and to determine care coordination and treatment needs of Veterans. Provides consultation/education to Veterans and families on VA resources (including self management tools), community resources, Advance Directives, VA benefits, and options for community care as appropriate. Provides care coordination (including care management or case management) to Veterans and families, as needed, throughout the continuum of care including within and across services/departments/sections to facilitate continuity of care for Veterans. Serves as the mental health treatment coordinator for their assigned BHIP team, thereby serving as the primary clinical resource/point-of-contact for Veterans and other team/staff members. Leads daily team huddles and leads treatment planning process meetings with other BHIP team members. Coordinates care including serving as an advocate on behalf of the Veterans on BHIP teams, including serving as an effective liaison between VA and community resources (including education and bidirectional communication) to ensure timely delivery of comprehensive and seamless mental health services. Provides patient, family, and caregiver education, both in individual and group formats. Participates in program planning and development, advising the supervisor of shifting trends with care coordination needs and caseloads and identifying the need for making recommendations on program procedures and/or policy changes based upon work experiences. Monitors the efficiency, effectiveness, timeliness, quality of services offered within the program area. Other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade). 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: Available on a an ad-hoc basis. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 92637-A Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized"]
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.
