Summary

This position is located at the Chillicothe - Ohio VA Medical Center and is aligned under the Mental Health Care Line. The incumbent of this position serves as a VISN10 incarcerated Veterans' outreach and pre-release assessment clinician between the network - medical centers - and state and federal correctional agencies and serves as program specialist for the Healthcare for Re-entry Veterans (HCRV) Program/Veterans Justice Outreach.

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:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
• 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 masters of social work
• License - You must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level
• 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 basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: Senior Social Worker - GS-12 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
• Examples of specialized experience include - but are not limited to: assessing and documenting identified behaviors or symptoms of abuse - neglect - exploitation and/or intimate partner violence
• use of clinical social work skills
• maintaining patient privacy and confidentiality per policies - handbooks or directives
• acting as an advocate with appropriate community service providers and agencies when it serves the best interest of the patient and family members/caregiver
• independently assessing the psychosocial functioning and needs of patients and their family members - identifying the patient's strengths - weaknesses - coping skills - and psychosocial acuity
• Applicable experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment
• Licensure: Senior social workers must be licensed 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
• 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- 12
• Physical Requirements: This position requires the operation of a government-owned or -leased motor vehicle in order to properly carry out assigned duties
• Refer to VA Handbook 5019/1 - Part II - Appendix A for requirements related to motor vehicle operators
• Traveling throughout the medical center and the community is required - as is performing activities involving sitting - talking - driving - walking - standing - bending - the use of a computer and telephone and carrying such items as books - papers - and files not to exceed facility determined weights
• In carrying out responsibilities - it is necessary for the incumbent to travel into the community where they provide care to Veterans
• Care provided in emergency shelters - Veteran homes or other community locations may require the use of stairs - walking on uneven terrain and reasonable exposure to the elements
• Strenuous physical activity is not anticipated - although the incumbent is expected to withstand stress and interact with crisis situations as part of day-to-day activity.

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties included but are not limited to: Provides psychosocial assessments - case management services - continuous quality improvement activities - evaluation/consultation - placement services - and referral and linkage to various community agencies for Veterans who are within 6 months of release from correctional institutions and/or are being monitored by the courts - including treatment or problem solving courts
• Utilizes knowledge of correctional cultures and their impact upon Veteran - institutional - and community perceptions and behavior - as well as skill in assisting Veterans to adopt behaviors adaptive to community living
• Meets with judges - officers of the court - correctional administrators - and staff on a regular basis to design and/or maintain appropriate policies and procedures required for each setting
• Attends justice system staff trainings relevant to working with offenders and high risk populations and represents the VA at community meetings - seeking or maintaining membership on relevant boards - councils and task forces
• Conducts active outreach to Veterans involved with the justice system - including those who may be participants - or candidates for participation - in treatment court programs - including Veterans Treatment Courts
• Assesses high risk factors - acuity - and the need for services
• Identifies and interviews justice-involved Veterans in the appropriate setting to conduct needs assessment and determine appropriate referrals - linkage and coordination for VA and non-VA services to enhance function in the community - including in transition from jail or prison
• Observes established VA safety precautions while working in correctional facilities and/or in community settings
• Functions as an ongoing case manager for justice involved Veterans who are being monitored by treatment courts (and as needed for Veterans released from correctional institutions) by performing duties to facilitate independent community living by coordinating mental health and community care
• Conducts individual and family clinical interventions to facilitate the identification of substance abuse - psychiatric illness - and social needs as treatment issues
• Professional judgment - including the knowledge of normal and abnormal behavior - is a competency applied in daily interactions with Veterans
• Accompanies and transports Veterans to appointments and other community resources as needed - whether medical - housing - or other treatment plan goal appointments through the use of a government vehicle
• Work Schedule: Full-time - Monday through Friday
• 7:30a.m
• to 4:00p.m
• Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized
• Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized
• Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases 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: Ad-hoc only available
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 92952-O Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.