Summary

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. Program 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.

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:

• 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 https://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the 4 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/
• Different states have different levels of licensure or certification - making it difficult for VHA staff to determine the independent practice level
• Each state - Puerto Rico - and the District of Columbia completed surveys identifying the level of licensure or certification allowing independent practice
• Copies of the surveys are on file in the VHA Office of Care Management and Social Work Services - and a summary spreadsheet of the levels of licensure or certification is available to social work professional standards board members for purposes of determining whether the social worker's level of licensure or certification meets the VHA qualification standards
• All states except California use a series of licensure exams administered by the ASWB
• Information can be found at https://www.aswb.org/
• The ASWB is the association of boards that regulates social work
• ASWB develops and maintains the social work licensing examination used across the country and is a central resource for information on the legal regulation of social work
• The ASWB offers three examinations
• The master's examination is generally used by states for the independent practice level of licensure or certification - while the advanced generalist and the clinical examinations are used for the advanced practice level of licensure or certification
• Differences between the master's and the advanced exams demonstrate the expectation that advanced practice social workers will have a more sophisticated knowledge of practice theory and its application
• 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: GS-12 Senior Social Worker 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
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 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
• Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice
• 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
• 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
• 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
• Preferred experience: Experience working with populations with SUD and co-occurring disorders
• experience using evidence based treatments including Motivational Interviewing and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this position is GS-12
• Physical Requirements: This position is mostly sedentary and requires walking - kneeling - bending - standing - and light lifting.

Duties

• Addiction Recovery Treatment Service (ARTS) Senior Social Worker: The ARTS Senior Social Worker works in the Mental Health Service - and will be based in the ARTS-Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
• They will provide assessment - treatment - care coordination and outreach to Veterans with highly complex substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health problems located in the San Francisco - CA region
• Major duties of the Senior Social Worker ARTS-IOP include but are not limited to: The incumbent will work within the interdisciplinary Addictions Recovery Treatment Service (ARTS) and be based in the ARTS-IOP
• The incumbent provides evidence based individual and group therapies in both face-to-face and virtual encounters
• they also conduct psychosocial assessments - makes diagnoses - develop case formulations and contribute to interdisciplinary treatment plans
• The incumbent provides care coordination and case management - which may include advocacy - coordination of linkages to other appropriate VA or community service providers - housing programs or agencies as needed by the patient and determined by a comprehensive treatment plan
• The incumbent will also develop and maintain relationships with community organizations - housing programs - and community and VA residential programs to better help Veterans enrolled in Mental Health and Addictions Recovery Treatment Service (ARTS)
• The incumbent works with the ARTS-IOP team to liaison with and provide strong internal customer service to providers in other clinics within ARTS and the Mental Health Service - as well as with providers across the VA Healthcare System
• The incumbent will participate in team meetings - assist with program development and quality improvement efforts - and contribute to a supportive team culture that approaches challenges from a growth mindset and strives for excellence in patient care
• The ARTS-IOP is enriched by participation of trainees from multiple health care disciplines
• The incumbent may have the opportunity to provide clinical supervision and training of Social Work trainees in collaboration with the Mental Health Social Work Service
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday - 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 662-07318F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact V21CCOEEDRP@va.gov - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
• Learn more