Senior Social Worker (HUD-VASH, SUD)

01Basic Requirements

United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

02Education

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.

03Licensure

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/. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).

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). Grandfathering Provision: The following is the standard grandfathering policy for all title 38 hybrid qualification standards.

Please carefully review the qualification standard to determine the specific education and/or licensure/certification/registration requirements that apply to this occupation. 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. NOTE: If social workers covered under the grandfathering provision of the 1991 Federal law regarding licensure or certification of VHA social workers leave the GS-0185 social work series, they lose the grandfathering protection.

If they choose to return at a later date to the GS-0185 series, they must be licensed or certified to qualify for employment as a social worker.

04Grade 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations. This includes individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial and/or case management. Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.

Knowledge in developing and implementing methods for measuring effectiveness of social work practice and services in the specialty area, utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services and to design system changes. Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients in the service delivery area, as well as role modeling effective social work practice skills.

Ability to expand clinical knowledge in the social work profession, and to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area. References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39, Social Worker Qualification Standard, GS-0185, Veterans Health Administration, dated September 10, 2019. Driver's License: Candidate must have a current state issued driver's license. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12.

The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12.

05Physical Requirements

See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 Employee Occupational Health Service

VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Screening and Assessment: Demonstrates the ability to independently conduct a psychosocial assessment with a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds.

The assessment includes documentation of identified behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and/or intimate partner violence, as well as strengths, limitations, coping skills, and internal/external supports and service needs to optimize the Veteran's functional status. Develops the assessment in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the Veteran, available family/friends/caregivers and collateral sources such as CPRS, HOMES, and agencies with appropriate ROI's.

Identifies family/caregiver stressors and provides specific interventions. Time frames and requirements for assessments are completed within time frames as outlined by program and Social Work Service policy, and accreditation agencies such as Joint Commission and CARF. Referrals/linkage to services: Responsible for determining Veteran needs and for making appropriate referrals to community and governmental agencies. The incumbent will coordinate the care of these services to ensure Veteran needs are met.

Counseling/Therapeutic Interventions: Provide a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities for Veterans who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical and social problems. Incumbent will provide individual, group, and family counseling. Provide differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical scope of practice.

Case Management/Care Coordination: Organizes and conducts individual and group case management and SUD treatment, to include early interventions and supportive follow-up to ensure stability in home visits and facility-based contacts. Provides SUD support to the HUD-VASH team as a functional member of this team, to include consultation, interventions, or accompanying other case managers on home visits, when indicated by suspicion of HUD-VASH participant SUD use.

Serve as a member of a multi-disciplinary homeless program treatment team. Develop partnerships with community agencies, especially those serving homeless and SUD Veterans, with regular contact and communication. Provide liaison services with other programs referring homeless Veterans to HUD-VASH to ensure continuity of care and promote successful transition of Veterans from one program to another. Provide consultative services to HUD-VASH, as needed.

Participate in policy making, goal setting, and treatment service planning discussions with other members of the HUD-VASH and Homeless programs. Responsible for the collections of statistical data and for reviewing the data to improve performance and delivery of services to homeless Veterans. Provides recovery-oriented treatment with the goal of establishing the Veteran independently in the community at the Veteran's highest level of functioning and quality of life.

Program Development: Implement methods for measuring effectiveness of SUD services in HUD-VASH, utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services and to design system changes. Work Schedule: 8:00am - 4:30pm Monday - Friday Telework: This position is eligible for telework on an Ad- Hoc Basis per agency policy EDRP Authorized: (Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.) Contact [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more