Summary

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 review of the EDRP application. Recruitment/Relocation Incentive

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. To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

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 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: Senior Social Worker - GS-12 Experience/Education
• The candidate must have at least two years of experience 9 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
• 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
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12
• Physical Requirements: Light lifting - under 15 pounds
• Moderate carrying - 15-44 pounds
• Use of fingers
• Walking/Standing (2 hours)
• Operation of government motor vehicle
• Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4
• Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other
• Both eyes required
• Hearing (aid may be permitted)
• Emotional/Mental stability
• Environmental Factors: Outside and Inside
• Dry atmospheric conditions
• Working closely with others
• Working alone;

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The Rural Access network for Growth Enhancement (RANGE) program located at Alaska VA Healthcare System in Anchorage Alaska
• RANGE is administered locally under the Mental Health Service Line
• The RANGE program develops - implements - and assesses the benefit of a behaviorally-oriented treatment intervention of psychosocial rehabilitation - intensive case management - and community-based treatment for chronic mentally ill Veterans
• Specialized treatment services are provided in community settings - including Veteran's homes and various other community locations
• Work is done in the context of an interdisciplinary team and extensive liaison activities with other interdisciplinary teams to provide continuity of care for assigned Veterans
• Provide intensive case management services to assigned Veterans and family members consistent with the goals and methods of the RANGE program and VA Mental Health service
• Intensive case management services are characterized by assertive outreach - individualized treatment planning and intensive frequency of service delivery to include frequent - direct contacts - flexibility (RANGE veterans are seen in any location and with any RANGE team member who can provide assistance)
• Focus on strengthening the veterans ability to address acute and chronic problems and integration within their community
• Outreach and assertive provision of services to treatment resistant members
• Work assertively and consistently with inpatient teams to assure continuity of care by providing consultation regarding clinical needs - treatment plans - and case management services for assigned members
• Works to promote appropriate treatment - rehabilitation - recovery - and discharge consistent with program goals and individualized treatment plans
• Completes clinical documentation according to RANGE and Medical Center policies and standards independently
• Responsible for documentation in the Electronic Health Record as well as RANGE forms for evaluation and monitoring of service delivery and outcomes for the RANGE Program Manager - and Northeast Program Evaluation Center (NEPEC) and including psychosocial assessments - diagnostics - treatment - progress notes - follow ups - and referrals Serves as a mentor to other Social Workers - particularly those at the entry level
• Provides clinical supervision for unlicensed Social Workers and for Social Work associates
• Is viewed by Social Workers and interdisciplinary team members as a senior clinician with advanced practice skills and expertise
• As a field instructor or preceptor - supervises Social Work graduate students and provides a training experience for them in Social Work
• Uses professional judgement - including knowledge of normal and abnormal behavior - is an inherent competency applied in daily interactions with veterans
• Regularly treats veterans with serious psychiatric problems
• Highly developed professional - clinical - and advanced practice skills are routinely used to treat veterans with complex problems - histories of non-compliance with treatment and inability or unwillingness to participate in treatment
• Work Schedule: 8am - 4:30pm Monday through Friday Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact VHAEDRPProgramSupport@va.gov - the EDRP Coordinator 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
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized