at Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration in Chicago, Illinois, United States
Job Description
Summary The Senior Social Worker in this position is responsible for the monitoring and coordination of services provided by the VA Community Nursing Home (CNH)Program. The VA CNH Program is vital in providing safe intermediate and skilled care for Veterans who are approved and funded for care in nursing homes that have established contracts/agreements with the VA. The Senior Social Worker is responsible for the oversight of these services as well as the case management of the Veterans who reside there. Responsibilities Duties Include: The Senior Social Worker provides case management at nursing homes with VA contracts or Veteran Care Agreements. The Senior Social Worker utilizes various treatment modalities of individual, group work, casework, community organization, and community outreach activities to alleviate or resolve problems that interfere with the funded Veterans’ adjustment and optimal functioning in VA community nursing homes. The Senior Social Worker monitors the clinical care and assesses the compliance of the facilities receiving per diem funding for Veterans’ care as described in the Integrated Veteran Care (IVC) Field Guidebook. The Senior Social Worker provides services and oversight of the VA Community nursing home facilities, assisting the Veteran, family/responsible party, and contract facility staff in developing realistic and understandable treatment, discharge and after care plans and goals, which are based upon the medical/surgical/psychiatric needs of the Veteran and his/her level of functioning, age, preferences, strengths, weaknesses, and abilities. The Senior Social Worker participates in the orientation/teaching of graduate social work students, students of other disciplines, and medical center personnel on the biopsychosocial needs of the Veteran and the impact of psychosocial problems on healthcare and adherence to the treatment plan. The Senior Social Worker performs accountability functions: 1) documents all veteran/family contacts in the electronic record using appropriate format and templates per IVC Field Guidebook policy 2) completes statistical, administrative, staffing studies and all other reports in accordance with VA Medical Center and respective professional discipline service policies, including falls with injuries, complaints, re-hospitalizations, new onset or worsening pressure sores and Sentinel Events such as unexpected deaths, elopements or patient abuse. VA Careers – Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz\ua\UU Work Schedule: 8am – 4:30pm, Mon – Friday Telework: Yes Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 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 Basic Requirements: The basic requirements for employment as a VHA social worker are prescribed by statute in 38 U.S.C. 7402(b)(9), as amended by section 205 of Public Law 106-419, enacted November 1, 2000. To qualify for appointment as a social worker in VHA, all applicants must meet the following: 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 Master 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/. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. 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. In addition to the experience above, candidates 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 References: September 10, 2019, VA HANDBOOK 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39 The full performance level of this vacancy is a GS-12. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services. 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.
