The social worker serves as a primary point of contact with the partnering local Public Housing Authority, provides comprehensive social work services to homeless Veterans and their families enrolled in the HUD-VASH program, and ensures the Veteran's care is appropriately coordinated with the VA Medical Facility, community health or mental health providers, and agencies that serve homeless populations. They act as a liaison between VA and community resources. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/31/2023 Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship. Education. Possess 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 Licensure. Possess a full & unrestricted license or certification by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. Exception. VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations. VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed or certified at the independent, master's level within three years of their appointment as a social worker. English Language Proficiency. Social Workers must be proficient in spoken & written English. Grade Determinations: GS-9: Basic requirements as described above. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Ability to work with Veterans & family members from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, & other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills. Ability to assess the psychosocial functioning & needs of Veterans & their family members, & to formulate & implement a treatment plan, identifying the Veterans problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, & assistance needed. Ability to implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, & groups to achieve treatment goals. This requires judgment & skill in utilizing supportive, problem solving, or crisis intervention techniques. Ability to establish & maintain effective working relationships & communicate with clients, staff, & representatives of community agencies. Fundamental knowledge of medical & mental health diagnoses, disabilities, & treatment procedures. This includes acute, chronic, & traumatic illnesses/injuries; common medications & their effects/side effects; & medical terminology. GS-11: Completion of a minimum of 1 year of post-MSW degree experience in the field of health care social work (VA or non-VA experience); OR, a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required 1 year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community & other governmental agencies for services, & ability to coordinate services. Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments & treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational & other diversified backgrounds. Knowledge of medical & mental health diagnoses, disabilities & treatment procedures (i.e. acute, chronic & traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications & their effects/side effects, & medical terminology) to formulate a treatment plan. Skill in independently implementing different treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, & groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, & social problems to achieve treatment goals. Ability to provide consultation services to new social workers, social work graduate students, & other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients & the impact of psychosocial problems on health care & compliance with treatment. Preferred Experience: 1) Experience working within a multidisciplinary program 2) Experience coordinating & accessing resources 3) Experience with homeless or at-risk homeless population 4) One year post-MSW experience providing psychotherapy & case management services 5) One year post-MSW experience coordinating services with community providers References: VA Handbook 5005, Appendix G39. 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-9 to GS-11. 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, & carrying supplies. Social Worker must be able to perform primarily light & sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands, exercise patience, & control emotions, with reasonable accommodation, if necessary, without endangering the health & safety of the social worker or others. Position requires walking throughout the clinic and/or Medical Center, standing for extended periods of time, & involves sitting at a computer & in counsel & consultation with Veterans & interdisciplinary teams. Position will require considerable travel into the community to meet with community agencies & partners who provide assistance & support to the HUD-VASH Program & its Veterans. This position also requires close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing & analyzing data & figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading; & repetitive motions of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers. ["https://www.youtube.com/embed/LM35k1p_3Tc This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT & will remain open until December 31, 2023. The initial cutoff date for referral of eligible applications will be June 27, 2023. 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. Responsible for providing clinical case management & clinical services for a caseload of Veterans in the Housing & Urban Development - Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program. Responsible for reviewing agreements between Veteran participants & landlords, Public Housing Authorities, & the VA in establishing appropriate referral sites for HUD-VASH placements. Performs site visits to HUD-VASH Veteran's apartments to ensure they are residing in safe environments in compliance with local housing codes. Verifies the Veteran's status, eligibility for VA medical care, & eligibility for program participation. Responsible for ensuring homeless Veterans who meet criteria for chronic homelessness are considered as primary participants for program acceptance. Responsible for collecting & submitting HUD-VASH Program participant data as outlined by NEPEC evaluation procedures. Responsible for providing HUD-VASH clinical services. Clinical services are defined as the provision of services by VA clinical staff to homeless Veterans & includes all activities to provide appropriate treatment & maintain Veterans in HUD approved stable housing. Coordinates care including serving as an advocate on behalf of the Veterans to ensure comprehensive service delivery &, linking & referring Veterans to the VA Medical Center, VA Regional Offices and/or community agencies. Complies with criminal conflict of interest laws & Executive Branch Standards of conduct to avoid conflicts of interest while serving as a HUD-VASH Clinician. Actively participates in HUD-VASH conference calls & attends training offered by the HUD-VASH Program. Responsible for following local policy & SOPs for the HUD-VASH Program. This includes following policies & documentation requirements as required for CARF & JCAHO accreditation. Actively participates in program planning & development, advising the HUD-VASH Supervisor of shifting trends with caseloads & identifying the need for & making recommendations on program procedure or policy changes based upon work experiences. Performs accountability functions: Appropriately documents all contacts with patients/families in the electronic medical record; Completes statistical & other reports in accordance with VA Medical Center & respective professional discipline service policies. Works with VA Medical Center multi-disciplinary teams & community agencies to strive for developing more effective & efficient ways of delivering healthcare services to HUD-VASH Program veterans. Conduct psychosocial assessments to determine needs of Veterans& family members. Actively participates in the treatment planning process with other disciplines. Participates in discharge planning with other disciplines & will be responsible for ensuring that discharge plans are executed in a manner that is timely & appropriate, with appropriate warm hand offs when transferring patient care. Provides individual, family, & group counseling as appropriate. Provides consultation/education to Veterans & families on community resources, advance directives, & VA benefits. Acts as liaison between the Veteran, VA, & community resources, to include marketing & public relation duties as needed relevant to the homeless program. Provides clinical case management to HUD-VASH Veterans & their families, as needed, throughout the continuum of care. Address Advance Directives & organ donation in accordance with the standards of their work area. Provides wellness/prevention education& facilitate Patient/family support groups as appropriate. Maintains data & statistical compilations to comply with JCAHO, CARF, VA & medical center policy & procedures. Assists HUD-VASH Veterans & their families in coping & dealing with the loss & grief experiences in disability, terminal illness, & death. Documents social work interventions & activities in patient's clinical record utilizing CPRS & ensure appropriate hand off when transferring of patient care. Maintains familiarity & responsibility for all performance measures relating to the HUD-VASH Program. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm (Nights/weekends may be required occasionally) Telework: Yes - as determined by program needs Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 55807-O, 55808-O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]
The Veterans Health Administration is America’s largest integrated health care system, providing care at 1,298 health care facilities, including 171 medical centers and 1,113 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics), serving 9 million enrolled Veterans each year.
