Social Worker (Patient Aligned Care Team)

Summary

The Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) is a comprehensive team which delivers primary care to veteran patients in a longitudinal rather than episodic fashion and which has as its focus: prevention; health promotion, coordination and chronic disease management. The Social Worker functions as a PACT teamlette member with a panel of veterans to ensure that health care meets their needs, as defined by the veteran.

Duties

• Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU VA Careers
• Rewards of a
• Duties for the position include but are not limited to: The
• Team (PACT) is a comprehensive team which delivers primary care to veteran patients in a longitudinal rather than episodic fashion and which has as its focus: prevention; health promotion, coordination and chronic disease management.
• The social worker functions as a PACT teamlette member with a panel of veterans to ensure that health care meets their needs, as defined by the veteran.
• The social worker is assigned to Primary Care and covers Urgent Care and Specialty Clinics as well, where appropriate.
• Works independently with veterans and their families who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral, and psychosocial problems.
• Provides psychosocial care of medically complex patients and offers consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment and care coordination of complex patients.
• Possesses knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures, including acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses, substance abuse disorders, bereavement, common medications, and general medical terminology.
• Participates as a member of the interdisciplinary treatment team to formulate and implement treatment plans identifying the patients' problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills and any assistance needed.
• Receives referrals from any member of the interdisciplinary team, from veterans and/or their families who call or walkin for assistance, and from community professionals.
• Conducts thorough assessments to determine psychosocial problems that cause distress, often impacting the health condition and creating barriers to care needs of veterans and family members, the underlying causes of the presenting problem, the interpersonal and environmental factors
• Impacting the problem, and its effect on the patient's ability and desire to comply with the treatment recommendations by the multidisciplinary team.
• These stressors can include adjustment to the current medical condition, untreated or undertreated mental health or substance abuse conditions, economic instability, legal problems, and inadequate housing and transportation.
• Provides consultation and education to veterans and their families regarding community resources, VA benefits and specialty programs, and advance directives.
• This requires knowledge of the process for accessing and/or coordinating community-based services, including information and referral for additional services from other VA programs, other government programs, and community programs as well as community agencies that are covered by
• Medicare, MediCal, and VA pay to ensure veterans receive the services they need with the least amount of financial burden.
• Helps the veterans and families understand the contributing factors to problems and discusses with them the pros and cons of possible short-term and long-term solutions while encouraging them to make positive and lasting changes to reduce stressors.
• Provides wellness/prevention education and stress management, which includes knowledge in Whole Health, facilitates patient/family support groups, and participates in shared medical appointments as appropriate.
• Assists veterans and their families with coping and dealing with the loss and grief experiences in disability, terminal illness, and death.
• Work Schedule: Monday
• Friday; 8:00 a.m.
• 4:30 p.m.; Subject to change to meet the needs of the Agency Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
• 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.
• 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)
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
• Functional Statement #: 07676-F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized

Requirements

• You must be a U.S.
• Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment.
• Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents).
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.
• In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the
• Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the
• Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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

• To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
• Resume Special Note for
• Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume
• 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.
• The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position.
• 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 Professional Certification Resume Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15 SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Transcript