Social Worker-Geriatric and Extended Care

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.

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. 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. 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/. 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).

02Grade 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: (a) Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services. (b) Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, educational, and other backgrounds. (c) 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. (d) 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. (e) 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.

03Preferred Experience

Experience with medical and geriatric social work; experience with Geriatric and Extended Care/purchased care programs; experience managing and tracking consults, excellent customer service skills. 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.

04Physical Requirements

See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.

VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU FUNCTIONS OF POSITION Clinical Functions: The incumbent is a member of an interdisciplinary team and is primarily responsible for assessment and completion of the psychosocial assessment as well as completion of the psychosocial portion of the interdisciplinary care plan. The incumbent is also responsible for active participation in interdisciplinary treatment team meetings, cultural transformation, and resident centered care planning.

Must have skill and expertise to establish and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans in GEC programs and/or their families. The incumbent is able to work with Veterans and their families who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral, and psychosocial problems. Must complete thorough psychosocial assessments to determine the psychosocial functioning and home health needs of Veterans and/or their families.

The incumbent must be able to utilize this assessment in facilitating the Veteran's maximum use of treatment for attainment of the highest level of independence that is possible and practicable. Must actively participate as a member of the interdisciplinary treatment team and actively participate through collaboration with Veterans and family as well as interdisciplinary treatment team members in the development and implementation of a resident centered treatment plan.

Must possess a working knowledge and experience in use of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures, including acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses, common medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology. Must facilitate discharge planning through collaboration with Veterans and their families as well as interdisciplinary treatment team members to ensure that appropriate discharge plans are executed in a timely manner.

Must serve as a liaison between Veterans and/or their families and VA and community resources in order to ensure thorough delivery of services. This involves coordination of Veteran and family involvement in the development of treatment plans, coordination of Veteran involvement in Home Health Aide care, and coordination of family involvement by triaging telephone calls and reports from Home Health Agencies.

Must possess knowledge and ability to implement treatment modalities, provide counseling and/or supportive groups for Veterans and families. Must provide consultation and education to Veterans and their families regarding community resources, VA benefits and specialty programs, and advance directives.

This includes the incumbent's knowledge of the process for accessing and/or coordinating community-based services, including information and referral for additional services from other VA programs, other government programs, and community programs.

Must be available to provide consultation to other treatment team and staff members regarding psychosocial needs of Veterans and/or their families and the impact of the identified psychosocial problems on the Veteran's health care planning, compliance with treatment, and discharge planning. Must maintain knowledge of Veteran's benefits and services, community resources, and process for making appropriate referrals to community and other governmental programs or agencies.

Administrative Functions: Is responsible for supporting the mission, policies, and procedures of the Department of Veterans Affairs , the Veterans Administration Health Care System (VA HCS), the appropriate Health Systems Administration (HSA), and the facility. Is willing to serve on committees, work groups, and task forces at the facility as deemed appropriate by the supervisor and Chief of Social Work Services.

Is mindful of keeping their supervisor apprised of problems and recommended solutions to problems encountered in the incumbent's area of responsibility. Is responsible for furthering one's own professional growth through continuing education and for ensuring continuing education appropriate to the area of assignment. Is able to demonstrate knowledge and skill in the use of software applications for drafting documents and data management as well as other computer systems in use by the VHA.

Is able to maintain a level of productivity and quality consistent with the complexity of the assignment and consistent with Social Work standards, Joint Commission standards, and facility standards. Meets the expected productivity standards for the position. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized