Senior Social Worker - VJP Specialist

Qualifications

• Basic Requirements:
  • United States Citizenship
  • English Language Proficiency
  • Education: Master's degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited school
  • Licensure: Advanced practice clinical licensure
• Experience/Education:
  • At least two years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure
  • One year of experience equivalent to GS-11 grade level
  • Knowledge in developing and implementing methods for measuring effectiveness of social work practice and services in the specialty area
  • Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients in the service delivery area
  • Ability to expand clinical knowledge in the social work profession and write policies, procedures, and practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area

Skills and Abilities (KSAs)

• Skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations
• 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
• Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients in the service delivery area
• Ability to expand clinical knowledge in the social work profession and write policies, procedures, and practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area

Preferred Experience

• VA Healthcare System experience
• Experience working with the court system

Physical Requirements

• Light lifting (under 15 lbs.)
• Moderate carrying (15-44 lbs.)
• Use of fingers
• Walking
• Standing
• Operation of motor vehicle
• Near vision correctable at 13"" to 16"" to Jaeger 1 to 4
• Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other
• Both eyes
• Hearing (aid may be permitted)
• Emotional/mental stability
• Environmental factors include outside and inside, dry atmospheric conditions, working closely with others, and working alone.

Duties

• Engages regularly with judges, court personnel, correctional administrators, and other justice-system stakeholders to develop, review, and maintain policies and procedures that support justice-involved Veterans
• Conducts proactive outreach within correctional facilities and treatment court programs, identifying and interviewing justice-involved Veterans to complete comprehensive needs assessments
• Treatment-matching assessment provides an initial determination of the needs of the Veteran seen by the VJP Specialist and develops an initial plan
• Coordinates referrals, service linkages, and care planning to ensure continuity of care during transitions back to the community, including release from jail or prison
• Serves as a case manager for justice-involved Veterans in treatment courts or recently released from correctional institutions, facilitating access to VA health care, mental health services, benefits, and community-based resources to support stable, independent reintegration
• Performs duties across varying security levels while adhering to VA safety protocols in challenging environments that may involve psychiatric crises, acute medical issues, or high-risk behaviors
• Systems intervention is intended to improve VA, criminal justice, and non-VA community programs' services to Veterans involved in criminal justice
• This includes educating all stakeholders about the population and developing and negotiating strategies to better serve Veterans involved in the criminal justice system
• This position requires documenting all patient interactions, preparing reports per VAHCS policy, participating in treatment planning, and serving as a social work expert across teams

Total Rewards

• 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
• 37-50 days of annual paid time off 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
• 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
• 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
• 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 only
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized