Summary

This Social Worker serves as both a SSI/SSDI Outreach - Access and Recovery (SOAR) Specialist/Outreach Social Worker for the Health Care for the Homeless Veterans (HCHV) program located within the Errera Center Firm of the Mental Health Service Line located at the West Haven VA Medical Center in West Haven CT.

Qualifications

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.

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
• 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 tohttp://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/
• May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria)
• Grade Determinations: GS-9 Experience - Education - and Licensure
• None beyond the basic requirements
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Ability to work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic - cultural - ethnic - educational - and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills
• 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
• 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
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients - staff - and representatives of community agencies
• 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
• Grade Determinations: GS-11 Experience and Licensure: Appointment to the GS-11 grade level requires completion of a minimum of one year of post-MSW experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the field of health care or other social work-related settings - (VA or non VA experience) and licensure or certification in a state at the independent practice level
• OR Education: In addition to meeting basic requirements (To include licensure or certification in a state at the independent practice level) - a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required one year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities: In addition to the experience above - candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (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
• Preferred Experience: Experience with homeless population Experience with community based care References: VA Handbook 5005/120 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-9 to GS-11
• Physical Requirements: Work requires visual acuity - keen hearing - clear distinctive speech - and manual dexterity
• Position requires potentially long periods of continued walking - standing - stooping - sitting - bending - pulling - and pushing
• Incumbent may be exposed to infected Veterans and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations or home settings
• Incumbent may occasionally be exposed to Veterans who are combative secondary to delirium - dementia - or psychiatric disorders
• Incumbent must be a mature - flexible - sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations - and able to shift priorities based on patient needs
• Incumbent provides services and care in home settings or other off-site locations so is required to independently drive and ride in GSA-vehicles.

Duties

• Duties of this position include but are not limited to: Outreach Veterans in the community and establishes productive working relationships with homeless Veterans and service providers
• Completes interviews with Veterans to gather information to complete SSI/SSDI applications
• Assists the HCHV Coordinator in collaboration with community agencies and other VA programs to develop and implement services for homeless Veterans
• Works with VA Medical Center multi-disciplinary teams and community agencies to strive for developing more effective and efficient ways of delivering healthcare services to HCHV Program Veterans
• Provide a full range of discipline-specific services within commonly accepted standards of professional practice which includes case work - individual - family and group counseling - discharge planning - case management and other services as appropriate
• Conducts psychosocial assessments to determine needs of Veterans and family members
• Provide consultation/education to Veterans and families on community resources - advance directives and VA benefits
• Work Schedule: Full Time 40 Hours per week - Monday-Friday 8am-430pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized 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: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: F06299 - F06300 VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU VA Careers - Licensed Clinical Social Worker: https://youtube.com/embed/U_xC25QsN0w Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional