Senior Social Worker

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. 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/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.

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. (1) 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: (2) 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. (3) 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. (4) 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. (5) 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 GS0185 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. 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 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.

Preferred criteria: Driver License: The incumbent of this position must possess an appropriate valid CA driver's license to operate sanctioned vehicles in the transporting of patients and/or equipment. Basic Life Support (BLS) or Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) Maintains certification in BLS or ACLS on a quarterly basis. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Major duties include but are not limited to: Serves as the Health Care System's liaison and case manager for the Grant and Per Diem (GPD) and Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) programs. Acts as the primary contact between community-based GPD grant recipients and the National GPD Program Office.

Assembles and coordinates an interdisciplinary team of subject matter experts (social, medical, fiscal, safety, security, and dietetics) to conduct program site inspections and re-inspections, documenting deficiencies and monitoring corrective action timelines. Monitors clinical care and compliance of community-based programs receiving per diem funding against the terms of the grant recipient's original grant application, intervening and developing plans of correction as needed.

Establishes and maintains an accurate billing system consistent with sound fiscal principles, forwarding per diem payment vouchers monthly to the national GPD Program office. Verifies Veteran eligibility and status for participation in the Homeless GPD Program, maintains admission and discharge records for billing, and reviews and approves or disapproves readmissions and extensions of care.

Provides direct case management and advocacy for Veterans at GPD Program sites, using individual and group work, casework, and community outreach to resolve barriers to Veteran independence. Coordinates and tracks Veterans' mental health, substance use disorder, and primary care services across admission to and discharge from GPD beds, linking and referring Veterans to VA Health Care System, VA Regional Office, Vet Center, and community resources.

Engages in community outreach with agencies and organizations to identify resources for homeless Veterans and to share information about VA benefits and the Homeless GPD Program, while complying with conflict-of-interest laws and standards of conduct. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm PST Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 00975F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized