---

Veterans Health Administration is Hiring a Social Worker Near Martinsburg, WV

Qualifications:

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:

• 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. 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. Exception. VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations. This exception only applies at the GS-9 grade level.Failure to Obtain License or Certification or Loss of Licensure or Certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment.
• Physical Requirements. See below.
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).

Grade 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 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:

1. 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.
2. Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.

Assignments. 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 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.

Example of GS-11 Specialized Experience. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

1. Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services.
2. Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational and other diversified backgrounds. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.

References: September 10, 2019 VA HANDBOOK 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39 II-G39-5

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.

Physical Requirements: Light lifting under 15 pounds, Near vision correctable at 13' to 16' to Jaeger 1 to 4; Other (specify): Clear Speech; Hearing (aid permitted).

Responsibilities:

• Duties Include but are not limited to:
• Interviews veterans to establish facts about the veteran's situation; Interprets and explains VA's treatment and benefit programs.
• Reviews all referral data from social workers, case managers, managed care staff and discharge planners to identify patients' needs.
• Makes a clinical assessment identifying the veteran's needs and strengths.
• Assesses high risk factors, acuity, and need for VHA services and community services.
• Evaluates the veteran's situation, including the veteran's reaction and ability to deal with it, and arrives at a reasoned conclusion; uses professional judgment and advanced practice skills to make psychosocial diagnoses.
• Assesses at-risk factors and develops a preliminary disposition plan involving the veteran and family or significant others; makes independent professional decisions and recommendations for agency action.
• Assures the transfer of health care, to the appropriate VHA and community resources.
• Develops psychosocial treatment plans in coordination with other social workers, case manager, managed care staff and discharge planners.
• Responsible for clinical social work practice, including promotion of Social Work services as a key component of treatment.
• Evaluates his/her practice through participation in professional peer review, case conferences, research studies, or other organized means.
• Makes adjustments to the psychosocial treatment plan and interventions based on changing needs and response to interventions.
• Initiates and effects changes in methods and interventions to promote efficient practice and improve patient outcomes.
• Communicates confidence in the veteran's ability and worth, helping the veteran address problems utilizing large support systems as appropriate.
• Provides clinical services to veterans and family members/ significant others in support of the veteran's treatment.
• Provides individual and group counseling services, including psychotherapy.
• Assists and encourages veterans and significant others in facing problems, and arriving at plans for using resources to resolve problems.
• Receives and completes requests for services (consults) for interdisciplinary team members and from other Social Workers.
• Provides onsite collaboration, coordination, and consultation to Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, Case Managers, Social Workers and interdisciplinary team members.
• Monitors veteran's progress, maintains comprehensive documentation, ensures expert diagnosis and treatment of clinical disorders.
• Documents the medical records, including psychosocial assessments, diagnostics, treatment, progress notes, clinical orders, follow up, and referral.
• Explains veteran's treatment and progress to third parties.
• Manages the quality control and evaluation of the professional services provided.
• Identifies consistent qualities of successful treatment and of failed treatment.
• Directs/coordinates clinical and psychosocial services and is accountable for the overall effectiveness of the services provided.
• Provides case management services to those veterans at high social or medical risk, serving as the liaison to other treatment programs.
• Provides orientation and on-going training to Social Workers and interdisciplinary team members.
• Conducts staff development programs for Social Workers and takes responsibility for providing opportunities to help staff acquire new knowledge in contemporary treatment modalities.
• Serves as a mentor to other Social Workers, and also serves as field instructor for social work students.
• Provides day-to-day direction for lower-level Social Workers and for Social Work associates.
• Supervises Social Work graduate students and provides a training experience for them in Social Work.
• Provides reports to the school of social work field liaison on the student's progress.
• Participates in the school of social work's field instructor training programs, and the affiliation process.
• Provides training to students, residents, interns, and fellows from other disciplines.
• Conducts formal workshops and classes for staff.
• Offers patient and family/significant other educational services.
• Teaches health education classes.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am-4:30pm (may vary depending on facility needs)
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 00000
EDRP Authorized: This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Job Summary