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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. 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. 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 Requirement - Per VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, Paragraph 3j: No person will be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C., chapter 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English. 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/. Once licensed or certified, social workers must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. Preferred Experience: Experience practicing working with behavioral health populations. Experience working with veterans in crisis. Experience in working with interdisciplinary teams. Grade Determinations: GS12 Senior Social Worker 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: 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. Advanced Practice Level: For all assignments above the full performance (journey) level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Advanced Practice Level is defined as the ability to provide independent and expert clinical psychosocial and case management services in a specialized area of practice to Veterans who tend to have serious and severe crises, may lack any familial and community support, may be poor self-monitors, may frequently fail to comply with instructions and treatment, or may have major deficits in coping skills and require continuing professional psychological support. The advanced practice or senior social worker has an increased depth and breadth of practice skills; has expertise in participating in the professional development of colleagues through mentorship and teaching; demonstrates leadership in developing and expanding professional intervention strategies; demonstrates leadership in defining and attending to professional practice issues; and has the ability to expand the conceptual knowledge of the profession. The advanced practice or senior social worker will make independent professional decisions and recommendations for agency action; the consequences to the Veteran of these decisions and actions may be quite serious. Work involves intensive social work services requiring the exercise of mature professional judgment and the flexible use of a wide range of complex social work practice skills not typically required in routine social work interventions. The advanced practice or senior social worker has mastered a range of specialized interventions and provides consultation to colleagues, renders professional opinions based on experience and expertise, develops new models of psychosocial assessment or intervention, and incorporates complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment. The advanced practice or senior social worker utilizes outcome evaluations to further treatment and designs system changes based on empirical findings. References: VA Handbook 5005/120 Part II Appendix G39 VA Qualification Standards. http://vaww1.va.gov/ohrm/Directives-Handbooks/Direct_Hand.htm The full performance level of this vacancy is GS12. Physical Requirements: moderate lifting and carrying (15-44 pounds); reaching above shoulder; use of fingers; walking/standing (up to 4 hours); near vision correctable in one eye 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; hearing (aid permitted); mental and emotional stability. ["The Mental Health Intensive Case Management (MHICM) Senior Social Worker serves as a professional leader on a multidisciplinary case management team at the El Paso VA Health Care System (EPVAHCS). The MHICM Senior Social Worker serves in the community those Veterans with severe and persistent mental illness who have frequent or long-term hospitalizations. The client population's illness is chronic in nature, refractory to resolution and requires monitoring to maintain stability. The MHICM Senior Social Worker provides individually tailored services to meet the needs of the veterans on a one-on-one basis or in a group setting. The MHICM Senior Social Worker assures continuity of care by using a team approach and sharing responsibilities. This MHI CM Senior Social Worker provides complex clinical services to Veterans with serious psychological problems on a regular and continuing basis, including but not limited to: substance abuse issues, co-occurring disorders, suicide prevention, crisis intervention, short and long term treatment, emergency location of food and shelter, legal and employment resources, structured placement, financial matters, socialization and any other problems encountered in daily living. The MHICM Senior Social Worker achieves program goals through frequent home visits, provides medication monitoring, crisis/str6ss management, as well as develops linkages to community resources. The MHICM Senior Social Worker works with Veterans that have a severe and persistent mental illness such as Schizophrenia; Bipolar Disorder; or Major Affective Disorder and they have been hospitalized at least 30 days during the past twelve months and live within 60 minutes of EPVAHCS. The MHICM Senior Social Worker provides veterans and their family members with community outreach, counseling, therapy, treatment and direct services and referral to VA and community resources. The MHICM Senior Social Worker utilizes a variety of psychological, rehabilitation, social work, counseling and mental health techniques including but not limited to individual, group, vocational and educational counseling, substance abuse resources and referrals, and readjustment counseling. The MIHCM Senior Social Worker exercises independent judgment and decision making in the formulation of the treatment/recovery plans. This treatment/recovery plan will then be presented and discussed with the treatment team. Additional responsibilities include an ongoing assessment of the Veteran's progress and treatment, as well as developing discharge plans. Provides outreach services to clients and engages in community networking which may include coordination with lawyers, board and care home operators, physicians, clergymen, and representatives of other disciplines who are concerned with the same clients or group of clients. This MIDCM Senior Social Worker performs administrative functions such as actively participating in clinic meetings; maintains accurate records of his/her clinical interactions; and collaborates with other team members and with professionals, paraprofessionals, volunteers, and others in VA facilities and community agencies to help veterans recognize and resolve their problems and needs. May provide training experiences for graduate social work trainees; may make community visits needed to effectively perform his/her responsibilities, may participate in research and pilot studies, and will maintain an active participation in the Social Work Service including belonging to a committee. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm\nTelework: Not Available\nVirtual: This is not a virtual position.\nFunctional Statement #: 000000\nRelocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized\nEDRP Authorized: Contact the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more\nPermanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized\nFinancial Disclosure Report: Not required"]

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