Social Worker (Outpatient Mental Health)

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.

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.
• 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. For the GS-11 grade level and above, the candidate must be licensed or certified. At the time of appointment, the supervisor, chief social work or social work executive will provide the unlicensed/uncertified social worker with the written requirements for licensure or certification, including the time by which the license or certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed or certified by the deadline.
• 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:

GS-9 Entry Level Social Worker

Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

(a) Ability to work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills.
(b) Ability to assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, and to formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the Veterans problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed.
(c) Ability to implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups to achieve treatment goals. This requires judgment and skill in utilizing supportive, problem solving, or crisis intervention techniques.
(d) Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies.
(e) Fundamental knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures. This includes acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses/injuries; common medications and their effects/side effects; and medical terminology.

GS-11 Full Performance Social Worker

Experience and Licensure. Appointment to the GS-11 grade level requires completion of a minimum of one year of post-MSW experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the field of health care or other social work-related settings, (VA or non-VA experience) and licensure or certification in a state at the independent practice level.

OR

Education. In addition to meeting basic requirements, a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required one year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

(a) Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services.
(b) 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.
(c) 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.
(d) 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.
(e) 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: VA handbook 5005 Part II Appendix G39The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11.The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-09 to GS-11.

Physical Requirements: This position requires light lifting, light carrying, use of fingers, both legs requires, depth perception, ability to distinguish basic colors and shades, and Hearing (aid permitted). Driving is required for this position.

Responsibilities:

Outpatient Mental Health: The purpose of this assignment is to provide the full range of comprehensive and professional social work services to Veterans and their families at an of four Outpatient Mental Health Clinics providing an array of both general and comprehensive services to address a broad spectrum of problems and complex mental health diagnoses encountered in a typical outpatient setting. The Social Worker provides psychosocial assessments and clinical case management services at a basic level to eligible Veterans and their family members to meet biological, psychological, social, and environmental needs. The incumbent is required to interact not only with the patient but also family, significant others, community agencies, and other interdisciplinary staff. Other services include, but are not limited to, crisis intervention which may entail coordinating inpatient psychiatric admissions, coordinating welfare checks with local law enforcement departments and mandated reporting to community agencies as needed. The incumbent may be trained to support and/or provide direct clinical services using other technologies, such as, Telemental health. Services are timely, comprehensive, and effectively coordinated with services provided by other health professionals. Incumbent provides individual, group, and family psychotherapy and case management interventions used in the treatment of Veterans with polytrauma injuries, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, visual impairment, PTSD, substance use and addictions and other serious disorders.

Major duties include but not limited to:

• With guidance from the social work supervisor, the social worker will develop an assessment of the veteran in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the veteran, family members and significant others. Psychosocial assessments are conducted for individuals from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds. The goal of the assessment is to highlight the veteran's strengths, limitations, and internal/external supports and service needs in order to optimize the veteran's functional status. The incumbent demonstrates an understanding of the range of treatment and skills needed for all adult patients including geriatric patients related to their physical limitations, psychological needs and age associated illnesses and conditions.
• It is the responsibility of the social worker, working within the interdisciplinary treatment team to develop a treatment plan with the veteran based on this assessment. The initial assessment will be completed as specified by the policy for the assigned work area. An initial patient assessment is required as well as reassessments as defined in policy.
• It is the responsibility of every social worker doing an intake, a social assessment, a psychosocial diagnosis or any information-gathering process with a patient to be especially attentive to risk factors, and to verbally and/or in writing call attention to treatment staff of such factors and ensure they are addressed.
• The incumbent assesses the safety of the home situation of veterans through interviews with veterans and their family or friends and reports abuse and neglect or other unsafe situations to Adult Protective Services or Child Protective Services as appropriate.
• The social worker is responsible for developing the treatment plan, and setting achievable treatment goals with the veteran/family. The treatment plan will be completed and updated as needed (e.g., if there is a change in the patient's condition or needs).
• Throughout the course of treatment the social worker is the subject matter expert on VA and/or community resources. The social worker will collaborate with other service providers in reassessing the veteran's needs. The social worker is responsible for educating the veteran and/or caregiver of the available services and assisting them in establishing the appropriate referrals based on the veteran's preference or that of his/her surrogate decision-maker.
• The social worker is responsible for using the current social work resource file of VA and community social service programs and enhancing the content to the benefit of veterans. The social worker will refer the veteran to needed services. General knowledge of veterans' benefits and services relating to special programs, service connected compensation, non-service connected pension.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM.
Telework: May be available at supervisory discretion.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 640-00933F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized to highly qualified applicant.
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.