Senior Social Worker – Home Based Primary Care Service

Summary

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. 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 complete review of the EDRP application.

Duties

• Patients served under the HBPC Program typically are those who have impaired mobility due to disability or functional limitation, inability to cope with the clinic environment due to cognitive, physical, or psychiatric impairment, and the need for frequent coordinated interventions from multiple disciplines.
• Incumbent utilizes advanced practice skills, specialized knowledge, and judgment in developing and measuring effectiveness of social work practice and services, utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services.
• FUNCTIONS OR SCOPE OF ASSIGNED DUTIES – Incumbent provides a specialized comprehensive psychosocial assessment and integrates it into an overall plan of care in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the veteran, family members and significant others, whenever possible.
• The goal of the assessment is to highlight the veteran's strengths, limitations, and internal/external support and service needs to optimize the veteran's functional status and safely maintain the veteran in his/her home.
• The assessment requires a home visit. – Incumbent can incorporate complex multiple causations in differential diagnosis and treatment of veteran patients, including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. – Incumbent demonstrates advanced and expert 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 interventions used in the treatment of veterans with polytraumatic injuries, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, visual impairment, post­traumatic stress disorder, etc. – Incumbent can coordinate community-based services, including information and referral for additional services from other VA programs, other government programs and community agency programs.
• Has expert knowledge of veterans' benefits and services relating to special programs, service-connected compensation, non-service-connected pension.
• Facilitates and prioritizes referrals based upon veteran's needs and eligibility.
• Social worker provides education related to VA and community resources, entitlements, Advance Directives/Living Will and will refer veterans/families to the appropriate interdisciplinary team members for identified health education needs. – Independently identifies and prioritizes high-risk patients and provides case management services.
• Provides crisis intervention services, seeking to address the cause as well as the presenting complaint, coordinates family conferences and serves as liaison to family members. – Incumbent provides initial and annual caregiver burden assessment and provides individual counseling, resources, respite and general caregiver support as needed on a case by case basis. – Social worker is experienced in making rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans to maintain patients in their home, for admission to acute, short term and/or long-term placements.
• Social worker utilizes advanced practice skills, professional judgment and expertise regarding the veteran's self care capability, family support system, and the veteran's health care needs and possible consequences. – Processes advanced knowledge and understanding of the laws and processes that protect the vulnerable elderly population, provide emergency mental health care and serve as liaison to community agencies charged investigating suspected abuse and neglect.
• Work Schedule:Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized.
• Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized.
• EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.
• Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@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).
• 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.
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English.

You may be required to serve a probationary period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation.

Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).`

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/.

If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Required Documents

Prepare the documents below before applying. Always confirm the exact requirements on the official announcement, since they vary by position:

• This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.
• Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.
• Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.
• Cover Letter DD-214/ Statement of Service Disability Letter (Schedule A) Disability Letter (VA) License Other (1) PCS Orders Performance Appraisal Professional Certification Resume Separation Notice (RIF) SF-15 SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Transcript