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.

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
• 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/
• English Language Proficiency Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f)
• 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: (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
• Preferred Experience: Candidate with strong clinical experience in mental health and addiction treatment who can provide comprehensive - evidence based interventions for Veterans with chronic pain
• The ideal applicant will excel in interdisciplinary collaboration and demonstrate proficiency in crisis management - care coordination - and trauma informed practices within a pain clinic setting 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.

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Engages Veteran/Family/Caregiver and significant others in assessments - counseling activities - Whole Health discussions - and collaborative goal-setting
• Communicates program expectations - processes - and treatment goals clearly to Veteran/Family/Caregiver
• Coordinates with interdisciplinary team members - VA providers - and community partners to support continuity of care
• Participates as a consultant and provider in the Anesthesia Pain Clinic - collaborating with Pain Clinic providers to support Veteran-centered pain care
• Coordinates continuity of care with Pain Management - Opioid Safety - PMOP partners - and community resources to ensure integrated and consistent pain-care delivery
• Supports ongoing interdisciplinary communication to align treatment goals - intervention strategies - and Veteran-centered care plans
• Participates in outreach activities to enhance Veteran engagement in pain-management services and increase access to care
• Identifies and connects Veteran/Family/Caregiver with appropriate VA - community - and government resources to support chronic pain recovery
• Coordinates services with external agencies to address housing - legal - employment - financial - and social support needs
• Connects Veteran/Family/Caregiver to Whole Health wellness programs - and complementary integrative health services supporting pain management
• Serves as an expert on medical and psychiatric issues and the unique needs of this Veteran population - including common psychiatric diagnoses - relevant medications - and VA/community resources for psychiatric treatment
• Documents assessments utilizing the using the Clinical Intervention Note for brief assessments or - when applicable - completing the Comprehensive Psychosocial Assessments for referred Veterans and collaborate with the Veteran/Family/Caregiver - and interdisciplinary team
• Engages Veteran/Family/Caregiver and significant others in assessment and goal-setting whenever possible
• Exercises independent clinical judgment when developing - adjusting - and monitoring treatment plans - ensuring clinical decisions reflect interdisciplinary input and Veteran preferences
• Incorporates complex multiple causation into psychosocial and - within scope of practice - DSM-based diagnostic formulations
• Facilitates Family/Caregiver/Team conferences to ensure communication remains current and aligned with shared goals of care
• Documents all contacts and interventions in the EHR using appropriate templates - ensuring compliance with VHA - facility - and accrediting body standards - comprehensive and ongoing assessments - safety plans - and required screenings
• Monitors and reviews each Veteran's VA Pain Management Agreement (\"pain contract\")
• Applies a social work person-in-situation framework
• Educates Veteran/Family/Caregiver regarding VA services - Whole Health offerings - community supports - entitlements - and health-related resources
• Educates and provides consultation to Veteran/Family/Caregiver regarding benefits and services related to special programs
• Serves as a practicum instructor or preceptor for social work trainees - providing supervision and structured learning experiences
• Conducts suicide-risk assessment and safety planning - participate in high-risk case reviews
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday
• 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact joshua.titensor@va.gov - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
• Learn more 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 Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 613500 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized