CAREER CENTER

This Social Worker is assigned to Homeless Programs at VA Puget Sound Health Care System located in Seattle, Washington with responsibility to provide direct services for Veterans, their families and caregivers. VA Puget Sound Health Care System (VAPSHCS) is a Complexity Level 1a Facility and provides extensive primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary care in outpatient, inpatient, residential, and community settings. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. 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: Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g this part). English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized 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/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work. (COPY OF TRANSCRIPT WITH CONFERRED DATE REQUIRED) Licensure/Certification. Senior social workers must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level which included an advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless they are grandfathered by the state in which they are licensed to practice at the advanced practice level (except for licenses issued in California, which administers its own clinical examination for advanced practice) and they must be able to provide supervision for licensure. (COPY OF ADVANCE PRACTICE LICENSE REQUIRED FOR GS-12) 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). Grade Determinations: Senior Social Worker, GS-12 Experience/Education. The candidate must have at least two years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure and should be in a specialized area of social work practice of which, one year must be equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Senior social workers have experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment. Senior social workers are experts in their specialized area of practice. Senior social workers may have certification or other post-masters training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship or equivalent supervised professional experience in a specialty. Licensure/Certification. Senior social workers must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level which included an advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless they are grandfathered by the state in which they are licensed to practice at the advanced practice level (except for licenses issued in California, which administers its own clinical examination for advanced practice) and they must be able to provide supervision for licensure. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs (a) Skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations. This includes individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial and/or case management. (b) Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. (c) Knowledge in developing and implementing methods for measuring effectiveness of social work practice and services in the specialty area, utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services and to design system changes. (d) Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients in the service delivery area, as well as role modeling effective social work practice skills. (e) Ability to expand clinical knowledge in the social work profession, and to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area. References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39, September 10, 2019 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Moderate lifting and carrying(15-44 lbs.), pushing, operation of a motor vehicle, ability to distinguish basic colors, and hearing (aid may be permitted). Environmental factors include working outside and inside, working closely with others, and working alone. ["The Senior Social Worker serves as an Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Outreach Senior Social Worker for the VA Puget Sound Community Housing and Outreach Services (CHOS) program. The Senior Social Worker provides leadership within King County assigned as a subject matter expert for VA and community homeless programs, while actively participating in local plans to end Veteran homelessness while conducting and leading coordination of outreach services to Veterans experiencing homelessness in King County in addition to carrying an HCHV case load. The HCHV Outreach Senior Social Worker functions as the Department's liaison for coordinating outreach efforts with local community partners; including ensuring linkages to VA services and the local SPC for those Veterans who are experiencing literal street homelessness and are at high risk for suicide and participating in case conferencing and other pertinent community meetings, as needed. Functions and duties include, but are not limited to: Participate in the case conferencing process as a representative of CHOS with the Continuum of Care (CoC) coordinated entry system to help inform and facilitate referrals to VA programs. Provide support to CHOS teams, to include participation in outreach activities and provide expert subject matter consultation on interventions for Veterans experiencing homelessness. Serve as a member of a multidisciplinary homeless program treatment team to link team discussions with the community's case conferencing discussions, ensuring continuity of care for Veterans experiencing homelessness and other complex physical and mental illnesses, including risk for suicide. Provide assessment functions in the service provision for Veterans experiencing homelessness in an outreach capacity. Provide clinical services, case management, and appropriate clinical documentation for Veterans experiencing homelessness encountered through the community's coordinated entry system or other service access points. Work with staff members within CHOS to identify Veterans and make appropriate referrals and/or warm hand-offs to internal and external housing interventions. Ensure timely and accurate data entry into VA data systems (such as HOMES) and review the data to improve performance and delivery of services to Veterans experiencing homelessness. Document all Veteran care in the electronic health record in accordance with facility policy, VHA Directive, and program-specific SOPs. Ensure compliance with standards and expectations of Joint Commission, CARF, and other relevant accrediting bodies. Provide supervision to students, interns, or unlicensed Social Workers as requested. Maintain familiarity and responsibility for all HCHV performance measures. Assist in development and maintenance of operational plans and strategic goals related to these measures. Take responsibility for improving professional competencies by participating training programs and continuing education. Offer case management services to Veterans in the community, to include Veteran's homes, in public spaces, and/or in community partner agencies to Veterans to ensure Veterans reside in environments that foster independence and safety in the community. Verify Veterans status, eligibility for VA health care, and eligibility for HCHV program participation Accept referrals for screening and admission to HUD-VASH. Referrals may be received from the local CoC, local coordinated entry systems, community partners, other VA programs or locations, the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans (NCCHV), or other sources. Assess Veterans through comprehensive biopsychosocial assessments and regular reassessments to determine clinical needs and acuity status. Collaboratively develop a treatment plan (or housing stability plan) with each Veteran served and in consultation with the multidisciplinary team. Monitor progress and review and update the Electronic Health Record regularly for each episode of care. Provide a full range of services within the Social Work Scope of Practice based on Veteran needs, acuity level, and preferences for care. Provide consultation and psychoeducation to Veterans and Veteran families on topics including community resources, Advance Directives, VA benefits, budgeting, activities of daily living, and recovery goals. Follows Social Work ethical practices, as outline in the National Association of Social Worker's Code of Ethics. Work Schedule: 8AM - 4:30PM, Monday - Friday Telework: Available (Ad-hoc) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 00000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact Stacy Hermann @ V20CompensationTeam@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]

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