Summary

The Veterans Administration Maryland Health Care System (VAMHCS) is a multi-site medical system with an academic teaching mission that includes medical centers - rehabilitation facilities - and community based outpatient clinics. Services include primary health care - medicine - surgery - mental health and substance abuse treatment - home health care and geriatrics/long term care - respite - hospice - palliative care - and emergency care.

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
• English Language Proficiency
• Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written
• English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f)
• 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/
• Grade Determinations: Social Worker - GS-9: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: Ability to utilize a Veteran centric approach when providing interventions and counseling for Veterans - their family members - caregivers - and survivors
• 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
• 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
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients - staff - and representatives of community agencies
• 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
• Social Worker - GS-11: 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
• 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: Knowledge of community resources - how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services - and ability to coordinate services
• Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic - educational - and other 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
• 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
• 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
• Preferred Experience: The incumbent uses initiative and resourcefulness in deviating from traditional methods or trends and patterns to develop new methods - criteria - and proposed new policies
• 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-11
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-09 to GS-11.

Duties

• VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU VA Careers - Licensed Clinical Social Worker: https://youtube.com/embed/U_xC25QsN0w Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Major Duties include but are not limited to: The social worker will develop a psychosocial assessment of the veteran in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team - the veteran - family members and significant others
• Must have an understanding of the problems of advancing age and respect for the diversification of the aging veteran population - being sensitive to human growth and development - age-appropriate needs and concerns of the geriatric veteran - and be able to provide current and advanced techniques to the treatment of this veteran population
• Responsible for contributing to the development of the treatment plan and setting achievable treatment goals with the veteran and family members/caregiver
• The Social Worker will collaborate with other service providers in reassessing the veteran's needs
• Responsible for educating the veteran and family members/caregivers of the available services and assisting them in establishing the appropriate referrals based on veteran's preference or that of the surrogate decision-maker
• Responsible for developing knowledge regarding VA and community social service programs and utilizing this knowledge to the benefit of veterans
• Educate and encourage the veteran to advocate on his/her own behalf - thus fostering a sense of independence and empowerment
• Experienced in making rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans
• Complete an assessment and review the progress notes from the other providers to accurately determine the strengths and limitations of each client
• Assist veteran and their family members/caregiver in planning for timely discharge/aftercare by offering appropriate and viable discharge/aftercare options to the veteran and appropriate family members/caregiver
• Enter all veteran/family contacts in the electronic record using appropriate formats and templates
• Collaborate in the performance improvement processes and comply with performance measures as required by the VA for their specific population and/or program
• Participate in activities that obtain feedback from clients and work to enhance services as needed
• Attend all appropriate staff meetings (interdisciplinary treatment team meetings - Social Work staff meetings - Social Work supervision meetings - and other committees and workgroups - as appropriate) and perform other duties as required
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8am - 4:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• When setting pay - a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade)
• Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
• Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child
• Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Ad-Hoc Telework is available as determined by the agency policy
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 26794-F - 26795-F Permanent Change of Station (PCS):Not Authorized