Social Worker

About the role

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.

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
  • Master's degree in social work (MSW) from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
  • Licensure: Must have license or certification by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level
• Grade Determinations: GS-09 Experience: None beyond the basic requirements listed above Candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
• KSAs:
  • Ability to utilize a Veteran centric approach when providing interventions and counseling for Veterans - their family members - caregivers - and survivors
  • Absorb and 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
  • Implement treatment modalities in working with individuals - families - and groups to achieve treatment goals
  • Establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients - staff - and representatives of community agencies
  • Fundamental knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses - disabilities - and treatment procedures
• GS-11 Experience/Education: Candidates must possess at least one year of post-MSW experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the field of health care or other social work-related settingsor a Doctoral degree
• Preferred Experience: Experience working with individuals and/or Veterans experiencing homelessness - including familiarity with resources available to Veterans and homeless individuals - as well as knowledge of HUD and housing rules and regulations

Skills

Knowledge of community resources - how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services - and ability to coordinate services

Independent conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic - cultural - ethnic - educational and other diversified backgrounds

Formulate a treatment plan

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

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

Knowledge of Veterans' benefits and services related to special programs - unemployability - service-connected compensation - and non-service-connected pensions

Education on VA resources - entitlements - Advance Directives/Living Will - and refers Veterans/families to appropriate team members for health education

Discharge planning with other disciplines - ensuring timely and appropriate execution of discharge plans

Identifies and prioritizes high-risk patients - offers case management - risk assessments - and safety planning per agency policies

Assists patients and their loved ones with coping with loss - grief - disability - terminal illness - and death

Collects and submits HUD-VASH participant data as required by directives - SOPs - or agency policies

Rotates as Social Worker of the Day to provide clinic coverage for HUD-VASH Veterans

Collaborates in performance improvement initiatives such as peer reviews and complies with VA performance measures/metrics

Completes all mandatory training requirements promptly and pursues ongoing professional development through continuing education relevant to their role

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• 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: Not Available
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position

Pay

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

Schedule

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday - 07:30 a.m- 4:00 p.m

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

The social worker is responsible for providing case management services for a caseload of Veterans in the HUD-VASH Program - with frequency based on their needs and acuity level

Responsible for reviewing agreements between Section 8 - landlords - Public Housing Authorities - contracted agencies - and the VA to establish suitable referral sites for HUD-VASH placements

Performs residential site visits of HUD-VASH housing to ensure Veterans live in safe environments that comply with local housing codes and regulations

Verifies Veteran's status - eligibility for VA medical care - and participation eligibility in the HUD-VASH program

Routine travel for home visits is required - utilizing a government-issued vehicle for work-related travel

Establishes and maintains positive relationships with employees - volunteers - VA staff - and external community agencies

Provides comprehensive biopsychosocial and Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) assessments - integrating findings into care plans with the interdisciplinary team - Veteran - family - and significant others

Highlights the Veteran's strengths - limitations - supports - and service needs to optimize functional status and support safe home living

Congnates with community-based services - including referrals for additional VA programs and other government/community agencies

Provides education on VA resources - entitlements - Advance Directives/Living Will - and refers Veterans/families to appropriate team members for health education

Participates in discharge planning with other disciplines - ensuring timely and appropriate execution of discharge plans

Independently identifies and prioritizes high-risk patients - offers case management - risk assessments - and safety planning per agency policies

Assists patients and their loved ones with coping with loss - grief - disability - terminal illness - and death

Collects and submits HUD-VASH participant data as required by directives - SOPs - or agency policies

Rotates as Social Worker of the Day to provide clinic coverage for HUD-VASH Veterans

Collaborates in performance improvement initiatives such as peer reviews and complies with VA performance measures/metrics

Completes all mandatory training requirements promptly and pursues ongoing professional development through continuing education relevant to their role

Duties

Case management services for a caseload of Veterans in the HUD-VASH Program

Reviewing agreements between Section 8 - landlords - Public Housing Authorities - contracted agencies - and the VA to establish suitable referral sites for HUD-VASH placements

Performing residential site visits of HUD-VASH housing to ensure Veterans live in safe environments that comply with local housing codes and regulations

Verifying Veteran's status - eligibility for VA medical care - and participation eligibility in the HUD-VASH program

Routine travel for home visits is required - utilizing a government-issued vehicle for work-related travel

Establishing and maintaining positive relationships with employees - volunteers - VA staff - and external community agencies

Providing comprehensive biopsychosocial and Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) assessments - integrating findings into care plans with the interdisciplinary team - Veteran - family - and significant others

Highlighting the Veteran's strengths - limitations - supports - and service needs to optimize functional status and support safe home living

Conducting community-based services - including referrals for additional VA programs and other government/community agencies

Providing education on VA resources - entitlements - Advance Directives/Living Will - and refers Veterans/families to appropriate team members for health education

Participating in discharge planning with other disciplines - ensuring timely and appropriate execution of discharge plans

Independently identifying and prioritizing high-risk patients - offering case management - risk assessments - and safety planning per agency policies

Assisting patients and their loved ones with coping with loss - grief - disability - terminal illness - and death

Collecting and submitting HUD-VASH participant data as required by directives - SOPs - or agency policies

Rotating as Social Worker of the Day to provide clinic coverage for HUD-VASH Veterans

Collaborating in performance improvement initiatives such as peer reviews and complies with VA performance measures/metrics

Completing all mandatory training requirements promptly and pursuing ongoing professional development through continuing education relevant to their role