Senior Social Worker (Palliative Care Coordinator/Community Living Center)

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. BASIC REQUIREMENTS. The basic requirements for employment as a VHA social worker are prescribed by statute in 38 U.S.C. § 7402(b)(9), as amended by section 205 of Public Law 106-419, enacted November 1, 2000. To qualify for appointment as a social worker in VHA, all applicants must meet the following: Citizenship.

Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g this part). 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/. 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. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services. English Language Proficiency.

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

01Grade Determinations

Senior Social Worker, GS-12 (1) 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. (2) 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. (3) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) 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. (b) Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. (c) 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. (d) 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. (e) 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. (4) Assignments.

For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Senior social workers are licensed or certified to independently practice social work at an advanced level.

Senior social workers typically practice in a major program area such as but not limited to: Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center or Polytrauma Network Site; a Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Center, or a national VHA referral center, such as a national Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or a national Transplant Center, or other program areas of equivalent scope and complexity.

The senior social worker may be assigned administrative responsibility for clinical program development and is accountable for 10 clinical program effectiveness and modification of service patterns. Assignments include clinical settings where they have limited access to onsite supervision such as CBOCs or satellite outpatient clinics.

The senior social worker collaborates with the other members of the treatment team in the provision of comprehensive health care services to Veterans, ensures equity of access, service, and benefits to this population, ensures the care provided is of the highest quality. The senior social worker provides leadership, direction, orientation, coaching, in-service training, staff development, and continuing education programs for assigned social work staff.

They serve on committees, work groups, and task forces at the facility, VISN and national level, or in the community as deemed appropriate by the supervisor, Social Work Executive or Chief of Social Work Services. This assignment is to be relatively few in number based on the size of the facility/service and applying sound position management.

This assignment must represent substantial additional responsibility over and above that required at the full performance grade level and cannot be used as the full performance level of this occupation. 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-12 Physical Requirements: Light Lifting (15 lbs. and under); Light Carrying (15 lbs. and under); Both hands required; Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; Near vision correctable at 13" to 16"; Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; Hearing (aid permitted); emotional and mental stability.

Major Duties: The Senior Social Worker is assigned to the Community Living Center (CLC) and as the Hospice/Palliative Care (HPC) Program Coordinator. The position requires advanced clinical skills in assessing and addressing the complex psychosocial needs of Veterans, their families, and caregivers. The incumbent provides comprehensive psychosocial assessments, short-term solution focused counseling, supportive counseling, crisis intervention, treatment planning, resource coordination, and discharge planning.

Services frequently involve Veterans experiencing a crisis, serious illness, functional decline, or complex barriers to care. Referrals originate from interdisciplinary team members, Veterans, family members, caregivers, significant others, and community professionals. Veterans and their support people may also request assistance directly. The incumbent manages, plans, implements, monitors, and evaluates social work services within the assigned programs and service areas.

The incumbent establishes annual program goals, reports outcomes regularly and at the end of each fiscal year and provides additional reports as requested. The incumbent develops a systematic process for reviewing and evaluating the effectiveness of social work services in accordance with applicable VA, Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN), VA Central Office (VACO), and local facility policies and procedures. The position's duties are as follows: Hospice/Palliative Care Program Coordinator: 40%.

Community Living Center Clinical Social Worker: 60%. The incumbent provides coverage in other areas of the medical center as needed. Provides education to Veterans and families related to VA benefits and services, community resources, entitlements, and completion of Advanced Directives and Living Wills. Refers Veteran and families to the appropriate interdisciplinary team member for identified health needs.

Develops and maintains a system for identifying Veterans served by the facility and community who may benefit from hospice or palliative care services. Serves as the point of contact for inquiries concerning the HPC Program, including inquiries from Veterans, families, community hospitals, nursing homes, Veterans Service Organizations, and congressional offices. Prepares HPC Program reports for the Office of Geriatrics and Extended Care, VACO, and other stakeholders.

• Develops referral procedures among the HPC Program, VA facilities, community hospitals, and community agencies.
• Facilitates appropriate and timely transfers between care settings.
• Establishes program performance standards and continuously monitors services to determine whether the program meets the needs of Veterans and the medical center.
• Develop program policies and procedures to support compliance with applicable regulatory standards.

Identifies and evaluates local, state, and national community resources that support continuity of care and improve Veterans' quality of life. Explores and evaluates community placement options, including assisted living facilities, nursing homes, housing resources, and state Veterans homes. Develops and implements outreach activities for Veterans with palliative care needs who may benefit from services but do not currently receive their health care through VA.

Ensures that the HPC Program uses an interdisciplinary approach and is integrated with inpatient and outpatient medical services. Manages daily program operations, evaluates program effectiveness, and modifies service delivery approaches to improve services and customer satisfaction. Serves as the social work member of the interdisciplinary Palliative Care Consult Team (PCCT), providing clinical services to Veterans with complex and frequently changing care needs.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 07:30am - 4:00pm Telework: ADHOC Virtual: This is NOT a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 00000000 GS-0185-12 Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional