Social Worker (PACT)

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 in this Veteran-centric approach often functions as a care coordinator with a panel(s) of veterans to ensure that health care meets the needs, as defined by the Veteran.

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Duties

Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf

Social Work: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Social-Worker-Career-Flyer.pdf

Able to maintain effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans in the Primary Care Clinic &/or their families.

Independently works with Veterans & their families who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral, financial, legal & psychosocial problems.

Independently complete thorough psychosocial assessments to determine the psychosocial functioning & needs of Veterans &/or their families.

Participates as a member of the interdisciplinary treatment team & actively participate through collaboration with Veterans & family as well as interdisciplinary treatment team members in the development & implementation of treatment goals & interventions.

Has experience in medical & mental health diagnoses, disabilities, & treatment procedures, including acute, chronic & traumatic illnesses, substance abuse disorders, common medications & their effects/side effects, & medical terminology.

Facilitates action for community placements through collaboration with Veterans & their families as well as interdisciplinary treatment team members to ensure that appropriate community placements are completed in a timely manner.

Serves as a liaison between Veterans &/or their families & VA & community resources in order to ensure thorough delivery of services.

Works independently to implement treatment modalities, provide educational classes, &/or supportive groups for Veterans & families, including shared medical appointments. The social worker must be able to use & teach Veterans in the effective use of the My HealtheVet system.

Coordinates with staff at each of the assigned CBOC's as well as telehealth coordinators to provide clinical telehealth services.

Must be up to date on all trainings & requirements, so that they may provide ongoing telehealth services without interruption to patient care.

Provides consultation & education to Veterans & their families regarding community resources, VA benefits & specialty programs, & advance directives.

Ability to understand the process for accessing &/or coordinating community-based services, including information & referral for additional services from other VA programs, other government programs, & community programs.

Must be available to provide consultation to other treatment team & staff members regarding psychosocial needs of Veterans &/or their families & the impact of the identified psychosocial problems on the Veteran's health care planning & compliance with treatment.

Maintains up-to-date knowledge of Veteran's benefits & services, community resources, & process for making appropriate referrals to community & other governmental programs or agencies.

Provides case management services to Veterans & their families throughout the continuum of care. The incumbent will be able to appropriately utilize principles of human growth & development over the life span & will be able to assist Veterans in coping with the loss & grief experiences from disability & terminal illness.

Communicates effectively, both orally & in writing with people from varied backgrounds.

Able to provide brief psychotherapy & support therapy to Veterans & their families.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized

Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of existing pay, higher or unique qualifications, or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).

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.

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 may be available for highly qualified candidates.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 53711A & 53710A

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• 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 examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.
  
  

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).
• Driver License: Driver License is Required.
• 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/.
• 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.
• 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.
• Grandfathering Provision. All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date (9/10/2019) of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure or certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation.

Grade Determinations:

Social Worker,GS-9

Experience, Education, And Licensure. None Beyond The Basic Requirements.

AND

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.
  
  

Social Worker, 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.

• 
  
  NOTE: For appointment licensure or certification at this level please refer to paragraph 3c.
  
  

OR

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.

AND

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services.

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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: Medical social work, complex case management, interdisciplinary team work.



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-09 to GS-11.



Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Typically, the employee sits comfortably while working. However, there may be some light exertion required when walking; standing, bending or climbing stairs, carrying of light items such as papers, books, small objects, or driving an automobile. No special physical demands are required to perform the work. Ability to complete a Basic Life Support (BLS) course is a position requirement.

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/.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

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VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System

1700 N Wheeling St

Aurora, CO 80045

US