This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) - a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval - award amount (up to $200 -000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.
Qualifications
Basic Requirements:
1
United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
2
English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f)
3
Education: Candidates must 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
4
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/
Grandfathering Provision: 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: 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: 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
Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice
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
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
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
The full performance level of this vacancy is 12
The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12
References: VA Handbook 5005 - Part II - Appendix G39 - Dated September 10 - 2019
Physical Requirements: The physical demands of this position involve primarily walking - talking - driving - use of the telephone - etc
Strenuous physical activity is not required although the incumbent is expected to withstand pressure and stress as part of their daily activities
Light lifting and carrying - under 15 pounds
Hearing aid permitted as needed.
Duties
The Veterans Justice Outreach (VJO) Case Manager is a Social Worker serving the San Francisco VA Medical Center's VJO Program-an initiative aimed at providing support and treatment services to Veterans involved in the criminal justice system
The goal of the VJO program is to divert justice-involved Veterans from incarceration - linking them to secure housing and appropriate treatments upon release - and helping them avoid future re-incarceration
As a member of the VJO team - the VJO Case Manager provides a range of social work services to Veterans who are incarcerated - under court supervision - or re-entering the community after justice-system involvement
These services include evaluation/consultation - assessment - referral - short-term clinical case management - advocacy and service coordination - and linkage with VA and community services
The incumbent has working knowledge and experience in the use of medical - mental health - and substance abuse treatment modalities
The incumbent is able to complete a comprehensive psychosocial assessment to identify strengths - needs - social support systems - disabilities - and barriers to accessing treatment and housing
The incumbent must be skilled in working collaboratively to help justice-involved Veterans adopt attitudes and behaviors adaptive to community living
The incumbent must also provide individual - group - and family psychotherapy and advanced-level case management interventions to treat justice-involved Veterans with an array of serious conditions - including but not limited to polytrauma injuries - spinal cord injuries - traumatic brain injuries - visual impairment - post-traumatic stress disorder - addictions - and homelessness
The incumbent is responsible for direct - on-site outreach to justice-involved Veterans and can work effectively with justice system partners - city/county agencies - and other community collaborators to coordinate care for incarcerated and court-supervised Veterans - helping them achieve stable - independent - healthy - productive lifestyles
The incumbent has general knowledge about the needs of the Veteran population and about Veterans' benefits and services - including special programs - service-connected compensation - non-service-connected pensions - and benefits that are available on the federal and state levels - and through city/county social services
The incumbent is familiar with the needs of the incarcerated and justice-involved population - as well as the homeless population
The incumbent is aware of and responsive to the special challenges involved in working with incarcerated Veterans who have co-morbid physical - mental health - and substance abuse diagnoses
The incumbent is sensitive to the needs of justice-involved Veterans and their families - realizing that justice involvement carries stigma and creates added stress for Veterans and their loved ones
The incumbent also has knowledge of jail culture - of its impact on Veterans - and of how a criminal history can affect the perceptions and behaviors of both the Veteran and the community
Other duties as assigned
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am-4:30pm or as determined by supervisor
Telework: Not available at this time
Virtual: This is not a virtual position
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
Contact v21ccoedrp@va.gov - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
About Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.
