Social Worker (HUD/VASH)

About the role

This position is located at the Sarasota VA Clinic within the Social Work Service of the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System. The duties and responsibilities are carried throughout the Healthcare Center - including all clinical and other patient care areas involved with the services.

Responsibilities

• Provides case-appropriate professional social work services to Veterans and their families in compliance with VA and VHA policies, including participation in the HUD-VASH program.
• Completes psychosocial assessments for individuals from diverse socioeconomic, cultural, and educational backgrounds.
• Affirms the psychosocial functioning and needs of patients and their families and formulates treatment plans identifying strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed.
• Utilizes individual, group, and family counseling skills to address basic emotional, medical, and social problems, with guidance from the social work supervisor for more complex cases.
• Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with clients, staff, and community agency representatives while communicating clearly both verbally and in writing.
• Provides case-appropriate professional social work services for Veterans and families/significant others in compliance with VA, VISN, station, and Social Work policies and memorandums.
• Casework, group work, case management, and/or community organization social work methods will be utilized in the delivery of the services.
• Independently performs case finding functions and outreach, identifying and screening patients for psychosocial needs.
• Independently implements treatment modalities, provides counseling or psychotherapy for individuals, families and groups in the outpatient mental health clinic.
• Independently assesses the psychosocial functioning and needs of individuals and families from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds and is able to formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the patient's problems, strengths, needs, abilities, preferences, weaknesses, coping skills and assistance needed, in collaboration with the patient, family and interdisciplinary treatment team.
• Establishes and maintains effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans and their families.
• Independently works with patients and families who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical and social problems utilizing individual, group and family counseling and therapy skills.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Requirements

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States.
• Non-citizens may only be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.
• English Language Proficiency: You must be proficient in spoken and written English as required 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 to http://www.cswe.org.
• 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/ExceptionVHA.
• The 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.

Qualifications

Experience:

• Experience - Education - and Licensure: None beyond the basic requirements.

Skills

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to utilize a Veteran-centric approach when providing interventions and counseling for Veterans, their family members, caregivers, and survivors.
• 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.
• Ability to implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups to achieve treatment goals, requiring judgment and skill in utilizing supportive, problem-solving, or crisis intervention techniques.
• Ability to 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, including acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology.
• Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services.
• Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, educational, and other backgrounds.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Benefits

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

• 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:
• Ability to utilize a Veteran-centric approach when providing interventions and counseling for Veterans, their family members, caregivers, and survivors.
• 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.
• Ability to implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups to achieve treatment goals, requiring judgment and skill in utilizing supportive, problem-solving, or crisis intervention techniques.
• Ability to 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.
• Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services.
• Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, educational, and other backgrounds.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Pay

Competitive salary and regular salary increases. 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). 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: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 21590F20033F. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU. Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional.