Summary

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) - a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval - award amount (up to $200 -000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

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
• 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/
• 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 for GS12: 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
• Preferred Experience Experience in hospital settings Experience working with an interdisciplinary team Experience with medically complex discharge planning Experience completing advance directives/health care proxies Experience with data tracking and process improvement Experience completing psychosocial assessments Experience working with organ transplant programs The full performance level of this vacancy is GS 12
• References: https://www.va.gov/OHRM/QualificationStandards/HT38 0185-SocialWorker.pdf (va.gov) - Appendix 39 Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - Employee Occupational Health Services.

Duties

• This incumbent will serve as the Social Work Inpatient Medical/Surgical Senior Social Worker and Transplant SW Coordinator at the VA Boston Healthcare System - a highly complex 1a facility that encompasses three major campuses and 5 CBOCs
• The incumbent is stationed at the West Roxbury Campus but is expected to travel to all campuses and CBOCs within VA Boston Healthcare System as needed
• This position is full time and 40 hours per week
• As the Transplant Social Work Coordinator - the incumbent serves as the social worker assigned to the VA Boston National Transplant Center
• The incumbent works collaboratively with VA medical and surgical teams - the community Transplant Center and with Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) to provide care to Veterans referred to the Lung Transplant Program
• The incumbent will additionally work with the Cardiac team providing care in the Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) program
• The incumbent will provide assessments and case management to Veterans in both the Lung Transplant Program and the VAD Program
• The incumbent serves as the Senior Social Worker in the Acute Medical/Surgical Center by providing assessment and case management for veterans with the most complex psychosocial needs that impact discharge including but not limited to payer source for appropriate level of care - guardianship/legal - neurocognitive disorders and complex mental health comorbidities
• The incumbent works collaboratively with the Medical Team in Acute Care specializing in complex medical and psychosocial needs with delayed discharge delays due to these complexities
• The Incumbent takes primary responsibility for discharge planning and referrals - and actively pursues placement when indicated
• S/he will use creative problem-solving and knowledge of resources to help minimize/eliminate financial - legal - and/or interpersonal barriers to discharge
• The incumbent is administratively responsible for managing consults and tracking program related data
• The Senior Social Worker selected for this position will need to have experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment - especially in crisis intervention and working with an interdisciplinary team
• They will be using short-term - solution focused counseling with individuals and families who may be in crisis as well as providing education and referral for resources and benefits - case management - and post-intervention follow-up
• Work Schedule: Full-time 7:30 a.m
• -4:00 p.m
• Compressed/Flexible Work Schedule: Not Authorized Telework: Maybe authorized at manger's discretion
• Virtual/Remote Work: Not Authorized EDRP: Authorized - Contact Karen Chapman karen.chapman@va.gov - the EDRP Coordinator for questions or assistance on how to begin the application process
• Learn more
• Relocation - Recruitment - Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required NOTIFICATIONS: This position is an AFGE Bargaining Unit position
• This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay
• Selectee may be required to work at any Boston Healthcare System campus - as needed
• This position is in the Excepted Service
• Current and former Federal employees may submit copies of their most recent SF-50 - (Notice of Personnel Action)
• The SF-50 must identify the position title - series - grade - step - tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted)
• In some cases - more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held
• Narrative responses to the knowledge - skills and abilities (KSAs) may be required from the selectee in order to proceed with the appointment
• Veterans' preference does not apply for other current permanent Federal agency employees
• Incomplete applications will not be considered.