Summary The Primary Aligned Care Team (PACT) Social Worker provides Medical Social Work services to the Veteran population enrolled at the WCHCS. Services include provision of high-quality case management, clinical treatment, advocacy, and coordination of linkages to other appropriate VA or community service providers and/or agencies as needed by the client. This is accomplished in collaboration with other members of the interdisciplinary treatment team. Responsibilities Assesses the psychosocial functioning & needs of Veterans & family members to formulate & implement a treatment plan. Completes thorough assessments to determine the presenting problem, to determine in-home factors impacting the problem, & to determine obstacles to treatment &/or follow through with recommended treatments. Facilitates action for community placements through collaboration with Veterans & their families as well as interdisciplinary treatment team members to ensure that appropriate community placements are completed in a timely manner. Implements treatment modalities to achieve treatment goals using judgement & skills in utilizing supportive, problem solving, or crisis intervention techniques. Exercises a high level of skill in assessing & treating the complicated psychosocial problems of Veterans. Completes assessments of psychosocial problems often at a time when the Veteran is experiencing crisis & include the provision of short-term, solution focused counseling with Veterans &/or their families. Establishes & maintains effective working relationships & communicates with Veterans, staff, & other parties as appropriate. Independently works with Veterans & their families who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral, & psychosocial problems. Actively participates as a member of the interdisciplinary treatment team & actively participate through collaboration with Veterans & family as well as interdisciplinary treatment team members. Utilizes knowledge of community resources, makes referrals to the community & other government agencies as appropriate, & coordinates services. Acts as liaison between Veterans &/or their families, WCHCS, & community resources to ensure thorough delivery of services. Provides consultation & education to Veterans & their families regarding community resources, VA benefits & specialty programs, & advance directives. Independently conducts psychosocial assessments & treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational, & other diversified backgrounds. Possesses a high level of skill & expertise to establish & maintain effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans in the Primary Care Clinic &/or their families. Independently completes thorough psychosocial assessments to determine the psychosocial functioning & needs of Veterans &/or their families. Utilizes knowledge of medical & mental health diagnoses, disabilities, & treatment procedures to formulate a treatment plan. Possesses a working knowledge & experience in use of medical & mental health diagnoses, disabilities, & treatment procedures. Provides case management with members of the outpatient interdisciplinary team & home & community-based services is provided to coordinate a collaborative effort to meet the agreed upon goals for a Veteran's treatment needs. Independently implements different treatment modalities in working with Veterans, families, & groups. Knowledge & ability to independently implement treatment modalities, provide educational classes, &/or supportive groups for Veterans & families. Possesses skills & knowledge to provide case management services to Veterans & their families throughout the continuum of care. Provides consultation, education, & advocacy. Provides consultation to other treatment team & staff members regarding psychosocial needs of Veterans &/or their families. Responsible for furthering one's own professional growth through continuing education & for ensuring continuing education appropriate to the area of assignment. Demonstrates ability to communicate effectively, both orally & in writing with people from varied backgrounds. Responsible for supporting the mission, policies, & procedures of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the appropriate Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN), & the facility. Serves on committees, work groups, & task forces at the facility. Keeps their supervisor apprised of problems & recommended solutions to problems. Provides assistance with the orientation & learning of less experienced social workers & to serve as a preceptor for social work students. Demonstrates knowledge & skill in the use of software applications for drafting documents, data management, & other computer systems. Maintains a level of productivity & quality consistent with the complexity of the assignment & consistent with Joint Commission & facility standards. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30 am to 4 pm Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 52908-A, 52909-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. You may be required to serve a probationary period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. 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. 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. English Language Proficiency. Candidates will not be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. chapters 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who are not proficient in written and spoken English. See Chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part. 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/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work. 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 tohttp://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/. Exception. 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. For the GS-11 grade level and above, the candidate must be licensed or certified. For appointments at the GS-9 grade level, 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. Grandfathering Provision. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date 09-10-2019 of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure or certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. Grade Determinations: Social Worker, GS-9 Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements. AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Ability to work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills. 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. This requires 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. This includes acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses/injuries; common medications and their effects/side effects; and medical terminology. Social Worker, GS-11 Experience and/or Education. Appointment to the GS-11 grade level requires completion of a minimum of one year of post-MSW experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the field of health care or other social work-related settings, (VA or non- VA experience).OREducation. In addition to meeting basic requirements, a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required one year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting. AND 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.NOTE: For appointment licensure or certification at this level please refer to paragraph 3c. AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 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, cultural, ethnic, educational and other diversified 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. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/120 PART II 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, and carrying supplies. Social Worker must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands, exercise patience, and control emotions, with reasonable accommodation, if necessary, without endangering the health and safety of the social worker or others. This position also requires close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading; and repetitive motions of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers. Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.