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The Social Worker is clinically responsible for the management, coordination, and provision of social work services to Veterans, and their families on the acute medical, surgical, and ICU units. The incumbent assesses, treats, and provides case management services to Veterans with comorbid medical and psychiatric diagnosis in collaboration with the Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary teams for inpatient acute medical, surgical, and ICU units. 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 to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/. Loss of Licensure or Certification. Once licensed or certified, social workers must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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). Creditable Experience. The candidate must have knowledge of current professional social work practices. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics associated with current professional social work practice. The experience or education must be post-Masters of Social Work (MSW) degree. Experience and education satisfying this requirement must be active professional practice, which is paid/non-paid employment as a professional social worker, as defined by the appropriate state licensing board. Quality of Experience. Experience is only creditable if it is obtained following graduation with a master's degree in social work and if it includes work as a professional social worker directly related to the position to be filled. Qualifying experience must also be at a level comparable to social work experience at the next lower level. Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time work week. For example, one week of full-time credit is equivalent to two weeks of part-time work. Fellowships or Post-Graduate Training. Fellowship and post-graduate training programs are typically in a specialized area of clinical practice, i.e., group or family practice. Training as a fellow or post-graduate may be substituted for creditable experience on a year-for-year basis. Practicum in a VA Setting. A VHA practicum experience may not be substituted for experience, as the practicum (field placement) is completed prior to graduation with a master's degree in social work. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. 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. OR 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. 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. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39 September 10, 2019 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11, which is the actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy. ["Duties may include but are not limited to: As part of the interdisciplinary treatment team, utilizes the knowledge and skills to independently complete a psychosocial assessment, including mental status, suicide risk and evidence of psychopathology in compliance with VA policy. The social worker identifies medical and psychosocial problems, strengths, and weaknesses of the Veteran. The psychosocial assessment occurs through interviews with the Veteran, family members/significant others to establish facts about the Veterans functioning and health. The social worker interprets and explains VA treatment and benefit programs to Veterans as well as family members. The purpose of the assessment is to document the Veteran's strengths, psychosocial needs, treatment goals and possible obstacles to those treatment goals. The incumbent also screens and identifies high risk patients. High risk patients are generally described as Veterans with multiple admissions within the past six (6) months for the same diagnosis, or three (3) or more admissions for any reason within the past six weeks. Admissions from another facility/institute (Excluding admissions/transfers from VANJ at the Lyons Campus). The social worker in collaboration with the Veteran, family/significant others, and treatment team members participates in the development of treatment and discharge plans. The social worker is responsible for ensuring that the discharge plan is executed in a manner that is timely and appropriate. Re-assessments of the treatment and discharge plans are due to the significant changing needs of the Veteran. The social worker collaborates with the clinical staff and other facilities for Veteran admissions, transfers, and discharges. Social worker is the lead discharge planning coordinator for the treatment team and is responsible for linking the Veteran to services both in and outside of the VA. The social worker will collaborate with other treatment team providers in reassessing the Veteran's needs, readiness for discharge or placement at alternate levels. The social worker participates with other treatment team members in daily interdisciplinary care team meetings, patient rounds on their units, unit meetings and other family conferences outside of the treatment team meeting. During these meetings, the social worker provides appropriate psychosocial information and an update on discharge planning. The social worker participates in in-service training, case conferences, performance improvement activities, staff meetings and other activities requested by the supervisor that will improve the overall performance on the Medical units. The social worker will provide individual, group and family counseling as appropriate. The social worker will engage the Veteran in discussions concerning their current symptoms and the need for appropriate services post discharge. Provides patient and family education to Veterans as well as their family members. The Social worker will be help patients and families cope with the crisis of illness, maximizing social and interpersonal functioning of patients, promote vocational and social rehabilitation, facilitating the patients return to the community at the highest level of potential, working with dying patients and bereaved families, developing special approaches such as mutual assistance groups to provide solutions to unique social problems, coordinating discharge planning and providing information and referral services. The social worker may also clinically supervise social work students once the certification (SIFI) has been obtained or is in the process of being obtained. The social worker provides coaching and mentoring to social work interns. Social workers supervising social work students are required to co-sign all progress generated by the student. The social worker documents the Veteran's progress and services provided to both Veteran and Veteran's family in the electronic health record. The social worker charts information by using the appropriate notes and templates. May perform other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: (Intermittent) Determined by the needs of the service. Telework: Not Available\nVirtual: This is not a virtual position.\nFunctional Statement #: PD25849F\nRelocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized\nPermanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized\nFinancial Disclosure Report: Not required"]