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. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. . 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. 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 to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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). Preferred Experience:GS-12 Experience practicing working with behavioral health populations Experience in working with interdisciplinary teams Experience working with SUD patients/veterans Experience working with the homeless population Experience doing community-based outreach Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade level. Senior Social Worker, GS-12 Experience and 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. Individuals assigned as social worker program coordinator must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level and must be able to provide supervision for licensure. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate 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 grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Light lifting/Carrying (under 15 pounds); Reaching above shoulder; Use of fingers; Both hands required; Walking/standing (6 hour); Repeated bending (.25 hours); Climbing, legs only (1 hour) both legs required; ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; Both eyes required; depth perception; Ability to distinguish basic colors; Ability to distinguish shades of colors; hearing (aid may be permitted); Mental and emotional stability; Cognitive stability Environmental Factors: Outside, excessive heat; constant noise; dust; slippery or uneven walking surfaces; working around moving objects or moving vehicles; Working with hands in water; Working closely with others; Working alone; Protracted or irregular hours of work. ["Provides direct Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and outreach services for Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Grantees. Provides training for other members of the multidisciplinary treatment team in areas related to SUD assessment, anger management, and life skills and SUD with co-occurring disorders. Independently conducts intake and needs assessment of homeless Veterans and their significant others. Identifies symptoms leading to clinical diagnoses of SUD. Administers structured interviews and assessments with a wide variety of patient populations, particularly Homeless Veteran populations with SUD who are also Seriously Mentally Ill (SMI) Veterans, Women Veterans, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF/OIF) Veterans, elderly Veterans and/or Veterans with families. Develops comprehensive treatment plans with the Veteran that addresses the factors that contributed to homelessness, including SUD and other co-occurring factors within a recovery model framework. Works with the Veteran to realize the Veteran's treatment goals and reassesses and revises goals as indicated by the Veteran's engagement in treatment. Will provides appropriate clinical documentation for all contacts with or about Veterans. Organizes and conducts individual and group case management and SUD treatment, to include early interventions and supportive follow-up to ensure stability in home visits and facility-base contacts. Provides SUD support to the SSVF Grantee as a functional member of this team, to include consultation, intervention, or accompanying other case managers on home visits, when indicated by suspicion of SSVF participant SUD use. Develops partnerships with community agencies, especially those serving homeless and SUD Veterans, with regular contact and communication. Provides recovery-oriented treatment with the goal of establishing the Veteran independently in the community at the Veteran's highest level of functioning and quality of life. Conduct and participates in outreach activities including field interviews, assessments and referrals for homeless veterans contacted in the community, shelters, and \"on the streets\" with the SSVF Grantee. Establishes, implements, and maintains referral and screening procedures for potential SSVF veteran participants that meet national policy as well as the needs of medical center behavioral health services and residential program. Provides services and oversight of the funded program(s) as defined in the program rules, regulations, and directives including verification of veteran status and eligibility for participation in the program, maintaining admission and discharge dates of participants for billing purposes, reviewing and approving/disapproving readmissions to and extensions of care, and collecting and submitting participant information as outlined by NEPEC evaluations procedures. Participates in program planning and development, advising the supervisor of shifting trends with caseloads and identifying the need for and making recommendations on program procedure or policy changes based upon work experiences. Works with and serves as VA Health Care System SUD & Homeless multi-disciplinary teams and community agencies to strive for developing more effective and efficient ways of delivering healthcare services to program veterans. May be required to work weekends, holidays and complete other duties as assigned. Provides case management at program sites as described in the program rules, regulations, and directives. Utilizes various treatment modalities of individual and group work, casework, community organization, and community outreach activities to alleviate or remove problems that interfere with the program participants' ability to achieve independence. Coordinates care including serving as an advocate on behalf of the veterans to ensure comprehensive service delivery and linking and referring veterans to the VA Health Care System, VA Regional Offices and/or community agencies. Complies with criminal conflict of interest laws and Executive Branch Standards of conduct so as to avoid conflicts of interest while serving as the Program Manager/Liaison. Participates in the orientation/teaching of graduate social work/nursing students, students of other disciplines, and Health Care System personnel. Maintains responsibility for improving professional skills, participating in planning and executing specific staff development projects, attending seminars and institutes, and participating in training programs of other disciplines as requested. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. may be required to work weekends, holidays Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Recruitment Incentives: Authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact VISN17EDRP2@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]
The Veterans Health Administration is America’s largest integrated health care system, providing care at 1,298 health care facilities, including 171 medical centers and 1,113 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics), serving 9 million enrolled Veterans each year. The VA Martinsburg Healthcare System offers a wide range of health, support, and facility services for Veterans at 8 locations serving western Maryland, south-central Pennsylvania, northwest Virginia, and West Virginia’s eastern panhandle. Primary Care services are offered at the following locations. Martinsburg WV, Hagerstown MD, Cumberland MD, Franklin WV, Harrisonburg VA, Petersburg WV and Winchester VA.
OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise – "To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan" – by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans.
Physicians interested in caring for our America's Veterans and their families, email Nicole.Carey@va.gov or call 304-620-4354.