Social Worker

Description:

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. Program 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.

Requirements:

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. Current state requirements may be found by going to SW Licensure Summary by State.
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations : Social Worker (Program Coordinator), GS-12

Experience and Education. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency. Candidate may have certification or other post-master's degree training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship, or equivalent supervised professional experience.

Licensure/Certification . Individuals assigned as social worker program coordinator must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and 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:

• Advanced knowledge and mastery of and experience with the disease processes, courses of treatment, medications, and risk factors associated with psychiatric disorders in general, and particularly those of the seriously and chronically mentally ill. Ability to determine priority for services and provide specialized treatment services, including coordinating and collaborating with other teams within and outside of the VA for optimal patient benefit.
• Advanced knowledge of the co-morbidities associated with mental health conditions, in terms of characteristics of those co-occurring conditions, their impact upon patient and family, and their treatment (within scope of practice).
• Working understanding of the dynamics of a range of psychiatric conditions and dual diagnoses, and their impact on psychosocial functioning as it relates to both men and women.
• Demonstrated advanced knowledge of and skill in the application of specialized assessment and treatment services to Veterans with psychiatric conditions.
• Mastery of and sound judgment and flexibility in the use of a wide range of mental health treatment skills, including the more difficult therapeutic techniques and evidenced-based interventions.
• Experience in making objective and accurate psychosocial assessments, formulating sound and workable treatment plans, and making appropriate clinical interventions for Veterans.
• Advanced knowledge and expert skill 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. Ability to coordinate the delivery of specialized psychosocial services and programs. Ability to collaboratively design system changes based on empirical findings.
• Ability to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the specialty population or specialty treatment program.

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. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.