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Veterans Health Administration is Hiring a Senior Social Worker - HCHV Near Fresno, CA

Qualifications:

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.
• 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.
• English Language Proficiency: Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j, this part.

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 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.

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:

(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.

References: VA handbook 5005 Part II Appendix G39

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12.

Physical Requirements: This position requires light lifting and light carrying. Hearing (Aid permitted) is also required. This position involves periodically transporting patients and requires a valid driver's license to operate a motor vehicle.

Responsibilities:

The Health Care for Homeless Veterans is located in Social Work Service­ Homeless Program Department, VA Central California Health Care System, Fresno, CA.

The central goal of HCHV programs is to reduce homelessness among Veterans by engaging and connecting homeless Veterans with healthcare and other needed services. HCHV programs target chronically homeless Veterans, especially those with serious mental health diagnoses and/or substance use disorders, and provide outreach, case management and community based residential services to ensure that Veterans have access to programs that provide quality housing and services that meet the needs of these special populations.

HCHV staff conduct outreach to identify homeless Veterans encountered in encampments, shelters, drop-in centers, and other community locations. The intent of outreach is to provide Veterans with information on resources such as housing assistance, medical and psychiatric inpatient and outpatient treatment programs, other community-based residential programs or social services and encourage Veterans to participate in the assessment of and engagement with these services. HCHV works to lower barriers and maintain easy access for Veterans to receive services in VA and the community.

The goal of HCHV case management is to reach and engage all homeless Veterans who are disconnected or under-connected to critical medical and mental health services, community support and most importantly appropriate housing interventions with a significant emphasis on those Veterans who are unsheltered and most vulnerable.

HCHV is the lead program within the national Homeless Program Office for VA's Coordinated Entry Initiative which provides guidance to V AMCs regarding their roles and responsibilities in each of their local Continuums of Care (CoC) and CoC's coordinated entry systems.

Work Schedule: 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #:570-2403
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Contact V21CCOEEDRP@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

This is an open continuous announcement with applicants being referred to the hiring manager every three weeks.

Job Summary