Senior Social Worker

01Basic Requirements

English Proficiency Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Citizenship Must be a citizen of the United States. Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).

02Education

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.

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 SW Licensure Summary by State https://www.aswb.org/licenses/how-to-get-a-license/licensing-requirements-by-state-or-province/. Loss of Licensure or Certification.

Once licensed or certified, social workers must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. 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 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.

04Grade Determinations

Senior Social Worker,GS-12 (Above the Full Performance Level) GS 12 Education and Experience. 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.

GS 12 Licensure: 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. GS 12 Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

In addition to the experience above, the candidate 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. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. This vacancy is a GS-12 position, which is above the Full Performance Level.

05Preferred Experience

BHIP experience is preferred but not required. Hiring manager will consider all minimally qualified candidates. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://department.va.gov/employees/va-qualifications-standards/This vacancy is being announced above the full performance level at a GS-12 Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019

The Oklahoma City VA Health Care System, Mental Health Service, is currently recruiting for (1) Senior Social Worker to help care for our Veterans at the Broadway Community Based Outpatient Clinic. This is a multi-disciplinary position and selections can be made from the following, Staff Psychologist, Senior Social Worker, and Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional This social work position requires a high level of advanced practice skills and clinical judgment as this individual function within the Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) in the Ambulatory Mental Health Clinic (AMHC).

The social worker will participate in weekly BHIP team meetings/huddles and identifying complex cases for clinical staffing, listen to monthly BHIP technical assistance calls, interface with mental and non- mental health providers for BHIP model implementation.

This position may assist with processing and placing consults and assessing patients in crisis including front-line suicide assessment and prevention, assessing, and arranging for treatment of patients who require referral to acute and sub-specialty mental health units (substance abuse, TRS, Into VA, ICMHRS, PRRC, etc.), and treating a wide variety of mental health diagnosis as well as personality disorders and other mental disorders.

Services provided include individual and group psychotherapy, and psychoeducational classes, triage/consults, assessment, crisis intervention, advocacy, and coordination of linkages to other appropriate VA or community service providers/agencies/resources as needed by the client. Other duties include but are not limited to: May perform consult/triage duties as scheduled by the Program Manager.

In addition to scheduled and unscheduled walk-in appointments for Veterans referred from Primary Care Mental Health staff, physicians in specialized clinics, other medical clinics (i.e., Alzheimer's clinic, C&L), incumbent responds to appropriate requests to perform initial assessments/open access visits of veterans.

Following interviews with the Veteran, incumbent independently performs assessments, diagnoses, arranges for medication assessments or further medical evaluations with psychiatrists, coordinates care, makes referrals to VA or community resources, and recommends further treatment either within the AMHC or to other specialty clinics/inpatient units in the VA Medical center.

Completes a comprehensive intake/ psychosocial assessment of the veteran in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the Veteran, family members and significant others as appropriate. Based upon the psychosocial assessment, the social worker will use advanced level of professional judgment and practice skills to make DSM - 5 diagnosis. Responsible for carrying a caseload of complex individual therapy cases for Veterans with mental health disorders, co-occurring disorders and psychosocial needs.

Less complex cases are treated through psycho-educational classes. Provides psychoeducational classes for veterans as agreed upon by the social worker and the Mental Health Clinic Program Manager. These classes typically utilize cognitive behavioral treatment approaches to treat less-complex cases of depression, anxiety, anger, etc. Incumbent may also participate in creating class topics and in program planning for additional groups as well as implementing new groups as needed.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00.a.m - 4:30 p.m. Compressed/Flexible: Not available Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance.

Learn more 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)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: Situational Ad Hoc Basis According to Agency Policy Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 54127-A Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized