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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. 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. 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/. Physical Requirements. This position is mostly sedentary and requires walking, kneeling, bending, standing, and light lifting. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f). Grade Determinations: GS-9 Social Worker: Experience, Education and Licensure. GS-9 is the entry level grade for the GS-185 social work series and is used for social workers with less than one year of post-MSW experience and for social workers who are not yet licensed or certified at the independent practice level. Social workers at the GS-9 level are working toward completion of prerequisites for licensure or certification. In addition, the candidates must demonstrate the KSAs in subparagraph (b) below. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (a) Ability to work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills. (b) Ability to assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, and to formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the Veterans problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed. (c) Ability to implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups to achieve treatment goals. This requires judgment and skill in utilizing supportive, problem solving, or crisis intervention techniques. (d) Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies. (e) Fundamental knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures. This includes acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses/injuries; common medications and their effects/side effects; and medical terminology. GS-11 Social Worker Experience, Education and Licensure. Promotion to the GS-11 full performance level requires completion of a minimum of 1 year of post-MSW degree experience in the field of health care social work (VA or non-VA experience) and licensure or certification in a state at the independent practice level. NOTE: For appointment licensure or certification at this level please refer to paragraph 2c. OR, In addition to meeting basic requirements, a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required 1 year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the KSAs in subparagraph below. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (a) Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services. (b) Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational and other diversified backgrounds. (c) Knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities and treatment procedures (i.e. acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology) to formulate a treatment plan. (d) Skill in independently implementing different treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, and social problems to achieve treatment goals. (e) Ability to provide consultation services to new social workers, social work graduate students, and other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment. References: VA Handbook 5005/23, Part II, Appendix G39, SOCIAL WORKER QUALIFICATION STANDARD The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-09 to 11. ["Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Telework: Ad Hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Yes Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required References: Please provide \"References\" with application. At a minimum two current or former supervisors or from individuals who were in a position of a professional nature. Indicated if the Hiring Manager may contact. The Housing and Urban Development--VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program is an intensive case management program that provides psychosocial services to assist chronically homeless Veterans and their families in obtaining and maintaining permanent housing supported through HUD's Housing Choice Voucher system. Duties include, but are not limited to: Provide supervised clinical social work and case management services to Veterans in the HUD-VASH program as assigned by the HUD-VASH supervisor. Case management is defined as the provision of services by HUD-VASH clinical staff to homeless and at-risk Veterans and includes all activities to provide appropriate treatment and maintain Veterans in HUD approved stable housing. Screen clients to verify their Veteran status, eligibility for VA health care through the eligibility office, family income, and clinical need for program participation. Conduct a comprehensive biopsychosocial evaluation to determine acuity status and determine the needs of Veterans, make psychosocial diagnoses as appropriate, and guide treatment planning and referral to services. Provide appropriate services as needed based on Veterans' needs, acuity level, and preferences for care. Develop a housing stability plan (treatment plan) with each veteran served to provide a case management and supportive services framework for the veteran's sustainability in HUD-VASH, that identifies the veteran's goals with steps to achieve those goals. Provide the appropriate level of case management and supportive services, primarily in the community or in the home, to veterans based on their needs and wants. Facilitate and provide access to appropriate treatment and supportive case management services to veterans in HUD-VASH by coordinating veteran centered care across service providers, including VA and non-VA providers. Promote veteran housing retention and stability from initial lease-up throughout participation in the HUD-VASH program. This includes ensuring veterans are aware of their lease obligations; helping them develop key skills such as money management and budgeting strategies, healthy boundaries with others, self-advocacy; and encouraging veterans to develop independent living skills to reduce dependency on HUD-VASH case management."]

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