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. 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. 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. 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 tohttp://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/. Exception. VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations. This exception only applies at the GS-9 grade level. For the GS-11 grade level and above, the candidate must be licensed or certified. At the time of appointment, the supervisor, chief social work or social work executive will provide the unlicensed/uncertified social worker with the written requirements for licensure or certification, including the time by which the license or certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed or certified by the deadline. 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. 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: (a) Ability to work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills. (b) 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. (c) 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. (d) Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies. (e) 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. Examples GS-9 level experience include: identifying behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect or exploitation; providing education on advance directives and advanced care planning; providing social work case management; acting as an advocate with appropriate VA and community service providers/agencies when it serves the best interest of the Veteran and family members/caregiver; assessing the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members identifying the Veteran's strengths, weaknesses, coping skills and psychosocial acuity, in collaboration with the Veteran, family, and interdisciplinary treatment teams; maintaining a current network of internal and external resources to educate the Veteran and/or family members/caregivers and assist with the appropriate referrals. OR 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: (a) Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services. (b) Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational and other diversified backgrounds. (c) 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. (d) 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. (e) 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. References: VA Handbook 5005/120 Part II Appendix G39 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS 9. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS 9 to GS 11. Physical Requirements: Must be able to meet the physical demands of the position, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. They must have good manual dexterity, must be able to express or exchange ideals by means of spoken and written word. Must be able to view and read information on computer screens. ["The primary duties of the incumbent are to provide direct clinical care, including case management and care coordination, for Veterans admitted to the Cheyenne VA Medical Center who are followed by the Hospice and Palliative Care team, which includes Veterans admitted to the inpatient acute care or the Community Living Center (CLC). The incumbent is an integral member of the interdisciplinary Palliative Care Consult Team, which provides palliative and supportive services for Veterans in the last phases of life, including education regarding decedent affairs and bereavement support. The goal of Hospice and Palliative Care is to allow the Veteran to achieve the best possible quality of life through relief of suffering, control of symptoms, and restoration of functional capacity while remaining sensitive to personal, cultural, and religious values, beliefs, and practices. The incumbent has a critical role in providing comprehensive care of the psychological, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of the Veteran and Veteran's caregivers. Services will be provided in inpatient settings, to include the medical, surgical and CLC at the Cheyenne VAMC. Services provided and coordinated by the incumbent include psychotherapy or counseling pertaining to end of life needs, advanced care planning, promoting coping with symptoms and loss of functioning, assisting families with adjusting to Veteran's end of life needs, and coordinating inpatient and community HPC and other needed services. As a secondary duty, the incumbent will also provide assistance to The Inpatient Medical Social Worker in times of high census on inpatient units to ensure timely discharge. The primary duties of the incumbent are to provide direct clinical care, including care coordination and discharge planning, for Veterans admitted to the Cheyenne VA Medical Center. Services include provision of assessment, case management, clinical social work intervention, advocacy, bereavement counseling and coordination of linkages to appropriate VA or community hospice service agencies. Major duties and responsibilities of the position include: Screening/Assessment - In conjunction with the interdisciplinary treatment team, The Inpatient Medical / Hospice Social Worker screens and assesses the veteran's psychosocial needs and barriers in order to facilitate his or her discharge from the hospital. Treatment Planning/Goal Setting - From screening/assessment information, The Inpatient Medical / Hospice Social Worker determines realistic discharge goals that consider such factors as a) the appropriate level of discharge care, b) the setting conducive to providing such care, c) the need for post-discharge interventions to enhance caregiver support to allow for the least restrictive level of care, d) transportation options/barriers and e) the steps to obtaining resources (VA or community) that make the transition from the inpatient setting successful. Advance Directive Screening and completion - The Inpatient Medical / Hospice Social Worker will screen Veterans while in the acute care setting to identify need to provide education and offer assistance with completing an advance directive. Referral to service providers - To facilitate the continuity of a veteran's recovery, the Inpatient Medical / Surgical Social will arrange referrals to needed VA and/or community resources (e.g., home health care, assisted living facilities, extended care facilities/nursing homes, services available through area agencies on aging, community support groups, hospice care, community-based extended care). Crisis Intervention - The Medical Social Worker will assess and intervene in any medical or psychiatric crises presented by the veteran and participate in developing crisis management and safety plans to minimize the event of future crises. Supportive counseling - The Inpatient Medical / Hospice Social Worker will provide the hospitalized veteran and his or her family/caregivers with time-limited, supportive counseling. With the intent of assisting the veteran and his or her family/caregivers in coping with the psychosocial impact of chronic and disabling illnesses, the onset of catastrophic illness, bereavement issues, domestic violence and organ donation, The Inpatient Medical / Hospice Social Worker will evaluate the need for more specialized mental health care and refer to appropriate VA or community resources. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am- 4:00pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: PD565540/Social Worker - Inpatient Medical / Hospice Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact Martha Kimmel at 307-433-3744 or martha.kimmel@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator, for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]
Providing Health Care for Veterans: The Veterans Health Administration is America’s largest integrated health care system, providing care at 1,255 health care facilities, including 170 medical centers and 1,074 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics), serving 9 million enrolled Veterans each year.
