Summary 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. Responsibilities Provides professional, independent, specialized mental health treatment to veterans in crisis, veterans with SMI, veterans who are diagnosed with substance use disorders, &/or veterans who are experiencing a wide range of complex medical, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral, & psychosocial problems. Provides brief individual, group & family psychotherapy interventions used in the treatment of veterans' mental health needs. Utilizes increased depth & breadth of practice skills. Receives & completes requests for services (consults) from interdisciplinary team members & from other social workers on complex, difficult cases, using advanced practice skills & expertise. Utilizes crisis intervention techniques with Veterans who are in an acute crisis by implementing the Suicide Prevention & Management of Suicidal Behavior policy. Utilizes a range of specialized interventions & treatment modalities in treatment or with specialized Veteran populations, including individual, group, &/or family counseling or psychotherapy. Utilizes advanced skill level psychosocial &/or case management interventions used in the treatment of veterans with multiple co-occurring conditions. Utilizes advanced & expert skill in a range of specialized evidence-based interventions & treatment modalities used for treatment of substance use disorders, suicidal crises, & other co-morbid mental health conditions. Employs Social Work methods & techniques to maintain a therapeutic relationship that will help the Veteran work toward the best way of achieving their goals. Incorporates complex multiple causation in differential diagnoses & treatment within approved clinical privileges. Conducts psychosocial assessments & treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational, & other diversified backgrounds. Assesses the psychosocial functioning & needs of Veterans & family members, identifying the Veteran's strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, & psychosocial acuity. Interviews Veterans & their family members/significant others to establish facts about the Veteran's situation, presenting problems & their causes, & the impact of such problems on the Veteran's functioning & health as part of a comprehensive psychosocial assessment. Reviews data, subjective & objective, & makes a clinical assessment identifying strengths, needs, abilities, & preferences. Uses clinical training, insight, & experience to interpret data & identify viable treatment options. Assess & documents identified behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect, exploitation &/or intimate partner violence. Implements Measurement Based Care (MBC) for measuring effectiveness of clinical practice & services to monitor & track treatment progress. Analyzes MBC data & develop performance improvement project to improve treatment services. Develops treatment plans in coordination with RRTP & Acute Psychiatric Unit team members, including goals for treatment. Tailors treatment plans to individual Veterans needs to include but not limited to differential diagnoses, maladaptive coping skills, available or lack of resources/support, &/or on-going need for psychological support. Utilizes community resources to make referrals to the community & other government agencies as appropriate, & coordinates services. Establishes effective working relationships with VA staff & community-based agencies. Acts as a community & family liaison by initiating and maintaining necessary contact with the patient, his/her family, VA Healthcare System service programs & personnel, mental health agencies, & other related resource agencies. Concludes the appropriate action, even in instances where actions can have serious impact on the life of the veteran. Uses expertise in the professional development of colleagues through mentorship & teaching. Demonstrates leadership in developing & expanding professional intervention strategies, particularly in developing appropriate programming on the acute psychiatric unit in collaboration with providers of other disciplines. Establishes & maintains ongoing education programs for Veterans, community agencies, students, & staff to facilitate understanding of social work interventions specific to the Veteran/Military population. Advocates on behalf of the veteran to ensure that services & benefits are obtained in a timely manner & in keeping with the VA's goal for excellence in customer service. Work Schedule: Mon - Fri, 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: May be available at the supervisors discretion & in accordance with VA policy. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 60017-O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized. EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact Jillana.Martinez@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. You may be required to serve a probationary period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications *** This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT & will remain open until Dec. 26, 2024. The initial cutoff date for referral of eligible applications will be October 10, 2024. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as needed basis until positions are filled. *** 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 http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/. Different states have different levels of licensure or certification, making it difficult for VHA staff to determine the independent practice level. Each state, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia completed surveys identifying the level of licensure or certification allowing independent practice. Copies of the surveys are on file in the VHA Office of Care Management and Social Work Services, and a summary spreadsheet of the levels of licensure or certification is available to social work professional standards board members for purposes of determining whether the social worker's level of licensure or certification meets the VHA qualification standards. All states except California use a series of licensure exams administered by the ASWB. Information can be found at https://www.aswb.org/. The ASWB is the association of boards that regulates social work. ASWB develops and maintains the social work licensing examination used across the country and is a central resource for information on the legal regulation of social work. The ASWB offers three examinations. The master's examination is generally used by states for the independent practice level of licensure or certification, while the advanced generalist and the clinical examinations are used for the advanced practice level of licensure or certification. Differences between the master's and the advanced exams demonstrate the expectation that advanced practice social workers will have a more sophisticated knowledge of practice theory and its application. Grade Determination: 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 (KSAs). 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. Assignments. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), & variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. 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 & complexity. May be assigned administrative responsibility for clinical program development & is accountable for clinical program effectiveness & 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, & benefits to this population, ensures the care provided is of the highest quality. Provides leadership, direction, orientation, coaching, in-service training, staff development, & continuing education programs for assigned social work staff. They serve on committees, work groups, & task forces at the facility, VISN & national level, or in the community as deemed appropriate by the supervisor, Social Work Executive or Chief of Social Work Services. Preferred Experience: VA Experience Preferred. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: Must be in overall good health, able to sit at a desk working at a computer, engage in light to moderate physical activity including sitting, walking, bending, and carrying supplies. Social Worker must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands, exercise patience, and control emotions, with reasonable accommodation, if necessary, without endangering the health and safety of the social worker or others. This position also requires close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading; and repetitive motions of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers. Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.