Social Worker

Description:

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 a complete review of the EDRP application.

Requirements:

Applicants pending the completion of education or licensure requirements may be referred, tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.
BASIC REQUIREMENTS: The requirements for VHA social workers are prescribed by statute in 38 U.S.C. § 7402(b)(9), amended by section 205 of Public Law 106-419, November 1, 2000. To qualify for appointment as a social worker in VHA, all applicants must meet the following:

• 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). A doctoral degree in social work may not be substituted for a 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's of social work.
• Licensure: Persons hired or reassigned to social work positions in VHA must be licensed 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/.
  • Exception: 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. At the time of appointment, the supervisor will provide the unlicensed social worker with the written requirements for licensure or certification, including the time by which the license must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed by the deadline.
• GS-9 grade level: VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed at the independent, master's level within three years of their appointment. A social worker who does not yet have a license that allows independent practice must be supervised by a licensed independent practitioner of the same discipline who is a VA staff member and who has access to the electronic health record. Information can be found at https://www.aswb.org/.
• Failure to Obtain License or Certification: Failure to become licensed within the prescribed time will result in removal from the Social Worker series and may result in termination of employment.
• Loss of Licensure or Certification: Once licensed, social workers must maintain a full, valid, unrestricted independent license to remain qualified for employment.
• 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: In addition to the above for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.
GS-9:

• Experience, Education, and Licensure: None beyond the basic requirements.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
  • In addition to the above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
    • Work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills.
    • Assess the psychosocial functioning needs of Veterans and their family members to formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed.
    • 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.
    • 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.
• [Entry Level] Assignments: Individuals assigned as GS-9 grade level social workers are considered to be at the entry level and are closely supervised, as they are not yet functioning at the independent practice level conferred by independent licensure. Social workers at the GS-9 entry level are typically assigned to program areas that do not require specialized knowledge or experience. Duties may include but are not limited to: identifying behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect or exploitation providing education, social work case management; acting as an advocate of the Veteran and family members/caregiver; identifying the strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, psychosocial acuity, and assist with the appropriate referrals. GS-9 social workers provide psychosocial services in the assigned area under supervision.

GS-11:

• Experience and Licensure:
  • 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) and licensure in a state at the independent practice level.
• Education: 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.
• 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.
    • Independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds.
    • Medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, 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.
    • Independently implementing different treatment modalities working with individuals, families, groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, and social problems to achieve treatment goals.
    • Provide consultation services to new social workers, social work graduate students, other staff about the needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment.
• [Full Performance Level] Assignments: This is the full performance level. Social workers at this level are licensed to independently practice social work. Incumbents are assigned to all program areas, including but not limited to mental health, rehabilitation, and geriatrics. Provide professional, independent social work services in the assigned area. Duties include but are not limited to: assessing and documenting symptoms of abuse, neglect, exploitation or intimate partner violence maintain Veteran privacy and confidentiality per policy; acts as an advocate with VA and community service providers when it serves the best interest of the Veteran and family members/caregiver. Independently formulate and implement a treatment plan including achievable goals identifying the needs, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and psychosocial acuity. Providing subject matter consultation to colleagues and students on the treatment of Veterans offering professional opinions based on experience, expertise and role modeling effective social work practice skills.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/ .
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-09 to GS-11.
Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.