Social Worker

Summary

The VA Eastern Oklahoma Health Care System is currently recruiting for one (1) Social Worker to join the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) to deliver primary care services to Veteran patients and their family members to meet biological, psychological, social, and environmental needs.

Duties

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The PACT Social Worker provides clinical psychosocial and case management services to eligible Veterans and their family members to meet biological, psychological, social, and environmental needs. Major duties and responsibilities of the position: The incumbent interviews Veterans and family members/significant others to establish facts about the Veteran's situation, presenting problems, causes, contributing factors, and the impact of such problems on the Veteran's functioning and health as part of a comprehensive psychosocial assessment. Interprets and explains VA's treatment and referral to services and programs. Reviews all data, subjective and objective, and makes a clinical assessment identifying needs and strengths. Effectively uses professional skill, objectivity, and insight. Uses advanced clinical training, insight, and experience to interpret data and to identify viable treatment options. Assesses high risk factors, acuity; and need for services of veterans. Evaluates the client's situation, including the Veteran's social, medical, and personal barriers, and arrives at a reasoned conclusion. Based on the psychosocial assessment; use professional judgment and advanced practice skills to make a psychosocial diagnosis. Performs insightful assessment of serious and complicated cases involving psychiatric illness, catastrophic medical conditions, dementia, and other high-risk diagnoses. Make independent professional decisions and recommendations to treatment team for action. Develops psychosocial treatment plans in coordination with interdisciplinary team members, including goals for psychosocial clinical treatment. Using known available resources and the initial assessment of the Veteran's likelihood to accept differing types of assistance, the incumbent makes initial and continuing decisions regarding use of VA and non-VA services and referrals. Provides independent consultation and makes recommendations to interdisciplinary team on course of treatment. The incumbent coordinates screening of patients for specific medical treatments, mental health issues, and specialty clinics and programs. The incumbent adjusts the psychosocial treatment plan and interventions based on changing needs and response to interventions. Evaluates his/her practice on an ongoing basis through participation in professional peer review, case conferences, research studies, or other organized means. The incumbent is active in and accepts responsibility for the development and maintenance of professional standards of treatment. Provides clinical services to Veterans and family members/significant others in support of the Veteran's treatment; gives advice, guidance, emotional support, and other assistance. Assists and encourages Veterans and significant others in facing problems, thinking them through, evaluating the situation realistically, considering alternative courses of action, and arriving at plans for using resources to resolve problems. Receives and completes requests for services (consults) from interdisciplinary team members and from other Primary Care Providers and Social Workers. Also provides consultation to Social Workers, other Primary Care Providers, and interdisciplinary team members. The incumbent is responsible for the development and maintenance of professional standards of practice and educating others about them. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm 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 (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade). 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: Ad Hoc, as determined by the agency policy. Functional Statement #: 52962A, 52963A

Qualifications

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. Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. Basic Requirements: Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Proficiency Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Education: 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. 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 SW Licensure Summary by State https://www.aswb.org/licenses/how-to-get-a-license/licensing-requirements-by-state-or-province/. **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. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. GS-09 Social Worker: 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 the following KSAs: (1) Ability to utilize a Veteran centric approach when providing interventions and counseling for Veterans, their family members, caregivers, and survivors. (2) 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. (3) 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. (4) Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies. (5) 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. GS-11 Social Worker: Experience and Licensure: Appointment to the GS-11 grade level requires completion of a minimum of one year of post-MSW experience equivalent to