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. Responsibilities VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz\_ua\_UU VA Careers - Licensed Clinical Social Worker: https://youtube.com/embed/U\_xC25QsN0w Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The senior social worker may be assigned administrative responsibility for clinical program development and is accountable for clinical program effectiveness and modification of service patterns. Assignments include clinical settings where they have limited access to BHIP social work services. The senior social worker collaborates with the other members of the treatment team in the provision of comprehensive health care services to Veterans, ensures equity of access, service, and resources to this population, ensures the care provided is of the highest quality. The Senior Social Worker as BHIP Mental Health Treatment Coordinator (MHTC) is responsible for various aspects of assessing, diagnosis, treating, and coordinating the treatment of Veterans within BHIP and the Mental Health Service Line. This includes, but is not limited to, providing services through the telehealth modality across several sites of care with the VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System (VATVCBHCS). The senior social worker provides leadership, direction, orientation, coaching, in service training, staff development, and continuing education programs for assigned social work staff. They serve on committees, work groups, and task forces at the facility, VISN and national level, or in the community as deemed appropriate by the supervisor, Social Work Executive or Chief of Social Work Services. This assignment is to be relatively few in numbers based on the size of the facility/service and applying sound position management. This assignment must represent substantial additional responsibility over and above that required at the full performance grade level and cannot be used as the full performance level of this occupation. Duties are continued in the Education section of this announcement. Work Schedule: M-F, 0800 - 1630 Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized Recruitment Incentives. Recruitment incentives may be authorized to full-time, part time[,] or intermittent individuals in their first appointment as a Federal employee or to a newly appointed former Federal employee with at least a 90-day break in service Relocation Incentives. Relocation incentives may be authorized to full-time Federal employees who must change worksite[s] and physically relocate to a different geographic area when the approving official determines that without the incentive, it would be difficult to fill the position with a high-quality candidate. Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact the EDRP Coordinator at VISN17EDRP2@va.gov for questions/assistance. Learn more Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade). Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 53953F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized 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: 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/. 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 meet this requirement through the Grandfathering Provision Preferred Experience: VA or DOD experience. Work experience in community settings. Experience incorporating outcome measures into treatment. Experience with evidence-based psychotherapies for individuals, groups, couples, and families Experience in case management in complex settings. Experience in outpatient general mental health clinics. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade level. Advanced practice level social workers must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level which includes 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. All states except California use a series of licensure exams administered by the ASWB. Information can be found at https://www.aswb.org/. 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 Senior Social Worker 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 Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation and would generally not require a pre-placement examination References: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12. 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.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. Note: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application. Note: If your school was accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) at the time of graduation but is no longer listed on the CSWE website, you must provide documentation of accreditation with your application packet. 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. Duties Continued: The Senior Social Worker provides a full range of psycho-diagnostic services which requires advanced and expert 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 psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial and/or case management interventions used in the treatment of Veterans with a range of DSM diagnoses, substance abuse/dependence, and poly-traumatic injuries. serves as the primary licensed independent clinician to meet the same day access, and crisis intervention needs of Veterans requesting mental health care. This includes conducting the same day evaluation through telehealth modalities, in-person, or by telephone, according to policy, provides a diagnosis and provisional treatment plan. serves as core member of the BHIP team, actively engages in huddles, team meetings, conferences, strategic planning, treatment planning discussions, and training meetings working toward the shared purpose of the team goals and Veteran mental health care coordination. provides initial and ongoing assessment of needs and completes comprehensive psychological intake evaluations for coverage or mental health updates, including diagnosis, to Veterans in BHIP. In addition, comprehensive chart reviews, completion of consults, referrals, and psychoeducation related to resources for self-management, whole health, and linkages to the community available for Veterans and families. Serves as advocate for Veterans and serves an ongoing point of contact and clinical resource for Veterans receiving mental health services. ensures mental health treatment for Veterans within BHIP and the care continuity between levels of care. Has the primary responsibility of MH Care Coordination on the team, across the continuum of specialty MH care, and participates in care planning to ensure integration of care coordination within the overall care plan. conducts risk evaluation, treatment, care coordination, or referrals for Veterans within BHIP, including those who are in the COMPACT Act, Post-discharge engagement, REACHVet program, and those with a High Risk for Suicide Patient Record Flag. Collaborates with Suicide Prevention, other care coordinators/ managers and Mental Health providers to identify Veterans at risk for suicide and others with complex needs to increase monitoring or enhance care with targeted suicide prevention strategies as indicated. actively monitors clinic availability, dashboards, and panel size of all BHIP team members in order to be able to coordinate the flow of patient care amongst BHIP teams and BHIP team members. This includes knowledge of availability of specialty mental health services, as well as working actively with program support staff to ensure that team assignments in the Patient Care Management Module (PCMM) are accurate and up to date. is responsible for completing the second-level social work assessment of Digital Divide Consults submitted by BHIP or other Mental Health providers. may serve as the representative for Psychology Service on various Psychology Service, Mental Health Service Line, System, or VISN administrative committees or work groups as assigned. maintains an understanding of mental health treatment goals and interventions, acts as point of contact, care coordination, and works collaboratively with the interdisciplinary team to ensure regular specialty mental health engagement of Veterans assigned to the MHTC, provides Veteran/family education, self-management resources, completion of care coordination needs assessment, provision of mental health care coordination; monitoring and adjusting plan as needed, and supporting evaluation of mental health care coordination. provides transition of care hand off, through written communication in the electronic health record, and/or submission of relevant consults. provides subject matter consultation to colleagues and trainees on the psychosocial treatment of patients treated in the specialty area, rendering professional opinions based on experience and expertise and role modeling effective practice skills. In addition, there may be opportunities to teach and mentor staff and students in the specialty area of practice. expands clinical knowledge in the profession, demonstrating innovation in the creation of new models of psychosocial assessment or intervention to identify and address specialized clinical needs. assists in drafting policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the specialty population or specialty treatment program. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.