Summary

The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information - refer to Required Documents below. The Social Worker is the Coordinated Entry Specialist for Homeless Programs. This position enables VA homeless programs to fully collaborate with the community - including the Continuum of Care and community partners - in the coordinated entry efforts.

Qualifications

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: Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 - Part II - chapter 3 - section A - paragraph 3j - this part
• 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/
• Grade Determinations: Senior Social Worker - GS-12: Experience and 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
• Applicants must meet the requirements for providing supervision in the state where they are licensed at the advanced practice level and should list these qualifications within the assessment narrative and their resume
• Documentation is required if part of your state's requirements for providing supervision for licensure is beyond your licensure only (example: certification of continuing education credits)
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities: In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs (submission of a document with written demonstration of KSAs is highly recommended with application)
• 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
• All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package
• We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications
• Failure to demonstrate your experience in your resume may result in disqualification
• It is strongly recommended that you write to each KSA in your application package
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position
• Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

Duties

• Major duties include - but are not limited to: Participates in Continuum of Care (CoC) meetings and planning efforts which may include leadership roles within the CoC group
• Provides direct linkage from community services to VHA homeless program services through regular and consistent outreach and communication with community providers
• This includes - but is not limited to - direct linkage to VA mental health services for those Veterans who are at high risk for suicide
• Participates in case conferencing process within the CoC's coordinated entry system to help inform and facilitate referrals to VA programs such as HCHV Contract Residential Housing (CRS) - Residential Rehabilitation and Treatment Programs (RRTPs) - and Grant Per Diem Programs (GPD) as well as directly to permanent housing through the Housing and Urban Development- Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program - and the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF)
• Ensures efficient sharing of Veteran data and program information - as allowable under VA Privacy and Information Security policies and Directives
• This will include knowledge of HMIS and HOMES data standards - data sharing and privacy authorities - HUD guidance - and other applicable documents or established guidance
• Participates and contributes to a CoC level resource-and-demand analysis - including periodic review of the gaps to determine inflows/outflows - and make recommendations to VHA homeless program leadership on adjustments to resource allocations within coordinated entry based on this analysis
• Provides support to the VA homeless program teams as a functional member of the team - to include participation in outreach activities and subject matter consultation on community involved interventions for homeless Veterans
• Serves as a member of a multidisciplinary homeless program treatment team to link treatment team discussions to the community's case conferencing discussions - ensuring continuity of care for Veterans experiencing homelessness in addition to complex physical and mental illnesses - including those at risk for suicide
• Provide all necessary assessment functions in the service provision for homeless Veterans - e.g
• interviewing - psychosocial histories and assessments to aid in the development of treatment plans as well as case conferencing discussions and planning
• Develops partnerships with community agencies with regular contact and communication
• Participates in policy formulation with federal partners - including VA - HUD - and USICH who have active initiatives to promote CES and community planning
• The incumbent will work with local VA programs - with a special focus on HCHV - HUD- VASH - GPD - and SSVF to ensure broad-based participation in CES and community planning
• Provides appropriate clinical documentation for all contacts with or about Veterans who are engaged through outreach services
• Provides clinical services and appropriate clinical documentation for homeless Veterans encountered through the community's coordinated entry system or other service access points
• Ensures timely and accurate entry into VA data systems
• Provides recovery-oriented and housing first services - with the goal of establishing the Veteran independently in the community at the Veteran's highest level of functioning
• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• 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)
• 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
• 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 Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized SLRP: This occupational series may be eligible for the Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP)
• Repayment is limited to $10 -000 annually - up to $60 -000 in lifetime awards
• Participants must sign a service agreement and maintain an acceptable level of performance to remain eligible for this program.