Summary

This position is located within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) - Veterans Health Administration (VHA) - VA Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6) - Hampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center (HVAMC) - under the Community Based Clinics (CBOC) Service Line with the Trauma Recovery Services.

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
• English Language Proficiency
• Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f)
• 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/
• [(1) Exception
• VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified - pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations
• This exception only applies at the GS-9 grade level
• For the GS-11 grade level and above - the candidate must be licensed or certified
• At the time of appointment - the supervisor - chief social work or social work executive will provide the unlicensed/uncertified social worker with the written requirements for licensure or certification - including the time by which the license or certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed or certified by the deadline.] (a) For appointments at the GS-9 grade level - VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed or certified at the independent - master's level within three years of their appointment as a social worker
• Most states require two years of post-MSW experience as a prerequisite to taking the licensure/certification exam - and VHA gives social workers one additional year to pass the licensure/certification exam
• In states such as California - Washington - and others where the prerequisites for licensure exceed two years - social workers must become licensed at the independent - master's level within one year of meeting the full state prerequisites for licensure
• (b) A social worker who does not yet have a license that allows independent practice must be supervised by a licensed independent practitioner of the same discipline who is a VA staff member and who has access to the electronic health record
• (c) Different states have different levels of licensure or certification - making it difficult for VHA staff to determine the independent practice level
• Each state - Puerto Rico - and the District of Columbia completed surveys identifying the level of licensure or certification allowing independent practice
• Copies of the surveys are on file in the VHA Office of Care Management and Social Work Services - and a summary spreadsheet of the levels of licensure or certification is available to social work professional standards board members for purposes of determining whether the social worker's level of licensure or certification meets the VHA qualification standards
• All states except California use a series of licensure exams administered by the ASWB
• Information can be found at https://www.aswb.org/
• The ASWB is the association of boards that regulates social work
• ASWB develops and maintains the social work licensing examination used across the country and is a central resource for information on the legal regulation of social work
• The ASWB offers three examinations
• The master's examination is generally used by states for the independent practice level of licensure or certification - while the advanced generalist and the clinical examinations are used for the advanced practice level of licensure or certification
• Differences between the master's and the advanced exams demonstrate the expectation that advanced practice social workers will have a more sophisticated knowledge of practice theory and its application
• 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: Social Worker - GS-9 (1) Experience - Education - and Licensure
• None beyond the basic requirements
• Social Worker - GS-11 (1) 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
• NOTE: For appointment licensure or certification at this level please refer to paragraph 3c
• OR (2) Education
• In addition to meeting basic requirements - 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
• Preferred Experience: Experience with Trauma Recovery Services
• experience providing intake assessments for PTSD utilizing at minimum the following screeners: PCL-5 and/or CAPS-5
• minimum training and experience administering at least one of the following evidence based treatments for PTSD: Cognitive Processing Therapy - Prolonged Exposure Therapy - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• 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: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - Employee Occupational Health Services.

Duties

• VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Individuals assigned as GS-11 social worker are considered to be at the full performance level
• A GS-11 social worker has a Masters Degree in Social Work granted by a graduate program fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CWSE)
• The incumbent must use a high level of skill in assessing the complicated psychosocial problems of Veterans referred to Trauma Recovery Services
• Treatment needs to be individually tailored to Veterans with complex clinical pictures and histories to help them recover from traumatic events
• The incumbent must be skilled in diagnosing mental health disorders and providing individual and group therapy - as well as other social work services such as crisis intervention - referrals to other resources or services
• Duty percentages listed below are approximates based on level of assignment and if indicated
• Clinical Responsibilities a
• Independently complete psychosocial assessments and diagnostic interviews to assess trauma symptoms and PTSD
• Complete psychosocial assessments to determine the psychosocial functioning - including acuity - high risk or at-risk factors - and needs of the Veterans and/or their families
• Must be able to utilize this assessment in facilitating the Veteran's maximum use of treatment to attain the highest level of involving the Veteran - and family or significant others
• b
• Uses social work - clinical training - insight - and experience to interpret data to identify treatment options
• Performs insightful assessment of serious and complicated cases - makes professional decisions and recommendations for treatment for Veterans - subject to administrator and medical approval
• c
• Must possess knowledge and ability to independently implement treatment modalities - provide skill-based and Evidence-Based Psychotherapies in group and individual therapy for Veterans and their families in the Trauma Recovery Services Team - and as needed - the BHIP teams
• Must be knowledgeable and experienced with trauma as well as theories and practices related to the recovery from trauma/PTSD
• d
• Must possess a working knowledge and experience in use of medical and mental health diagnoses - disabilities - and treatment procedures - including acute - chronic - trauma and PTSD - common medications and their effects/side effects - and medical terminology
• Must be able to diagnose mental disorders and be able to treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities
• e
• Active member of the Trauma Recovery Services Team (TRS) who contributes to program development - consultation - and treatment planning with an interdisciplinary treatment team
• f
• Must have a high level of skill and expertise to establish and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans in Trauma Recovery Services - BHIP teams - and CBOC's
• The incumbent is able to work independently with Veterans and their families who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical - psychiatric - emotional - behavioral - and psychosocial problems
• g
• Must possess and demonstrate ability to communicate effectively - both orally and in writing with people from varied backgrounds
• h
• Serves as a liaison and consultant for Veterans and their families regarding community resources - VA benefits - VA specialty programs - and advanced directives
• Must maintain knowledge of resources within and outside of the VA
• Provides consultation to the TRS team members - staff from other programs - and community resources to provide coordination of care and facilitate recovery-orientated mental health care to meet the psychosocial problems
• i
• Attends regular CBOC Mental Health and Social Work staff meetings - and CBOC and Medical staff meetings as requested
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm