Senior Social Worker

Summary

The primary purpose of the Inpatient Complex Case Senior Social Worker is to provide complex social work services to adult and geriatric populations hospitalized in an acute medical - surgical and/or critical care unit. The Inpatient Complex Case Senior Social Worker is a part of the medical - surgical and critical care units which delivers inpatient care to Veteran patients in the acute inpatient setting.

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: 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 to verify that the social work degree meets the 4 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 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
• 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.] 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)
• Senior Social Worker - GS-12: Experience/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
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above - candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) 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
• (b) Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice
• (c) 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
• (d) 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
• (e) 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
• Assignments
• For all assignments above the full performance level - the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope - complexity (difficulty) - and variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time
• Senior social workers are licensed or certified to independently practice social work at an advanced level
• Senior social workers typically practice in a major program area such as but not limited to: Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center or Polytrauma Network Site
• a Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Center - or a national VHA referral center - such as a national Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or a national Transplant Center - or other program areas of equivalent scope and complexity
• The senior social worker may be assigned administrative responsibility for clinical program development and is accountable for clinical program effectiveness and modification of service patterns
• Assignments include clinical settings where they have limited access to onsite supervision such as CBOCs or satellite outpatient clinics
• The senior social worker collaborates with the other members of the treatment team in the provision of comprehensive health care services to Veterans - ensures equity of access - service - and benefits to this population - ensures the care provided is of the highest quality
• The senior social worker provides leadership - direction - orientation - coaching - in-service training - staff development - and continuing education programs for assigned social work staff
• They serve on committees - work groups - and task forces at the facility - VISN and national level - or in the community as deemed appropriate by the supervisor - Social Work Executive or Chief of Social Work Services
• This assignment is to be relatively few in number based on the size of the facility/service and applying sound position management
• This assignment must represent substantial additional responsibility over and above that required at the full performance grade level and cannot be used as the full performance level of this occupation
• Preferred Experience: Case management/discharge planning experience Experience conducting psychosocial assessments Experience working with an interdisciplinary team Experience making referrals for community resources such a - but not limited to nursing facilities group homes - assisted livings - substance abuse treatment - and hospice services Experience providing crisis intervention - goal directed supportive counseling - and grief/bereavement counseling Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12
• Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary
• Some work may require movement between offices - hospitals - warehouses - and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work
• Work may also require walking/standing - in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site
• Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds.

Duties

• VA Careers - Social Work: Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties are but not limited to: The Senior Social Worker independently provides comprehensive psychosocial assessment - diagnosis - and treatment planning for Veterans experiencing complex medical - psychiatric - and social conditions
• Performs advanced case management - including identifying high-risk patients - conducting suicide risk assessments - and providing crisis intervention services
• Develops and implements individualized treatment plans with measurable goals - ensuring coordination of care across interdisciplinary teams
• Conducts thorough biopsychosocial assessments to identify patient needs - strengths - and barriers - and formulates appropriate clinical interventions
• Monitors patient progress - evaluates treatment effectiveness - and modifies care plans based on changing conditions
• Provides discharge planning and ensures continuity of care through coordination with VA and community resources
• Delivers individual - group - and family counseling services using evidence-based therapeutic approaches within scope of licensure
• Assists Veterans and families in coping with acute and chronic illness - mental health conditions - trauma - and life stressors
• Facilitates crisis management and rapid response interventions in emergency or high-risk situations
• Coordinates care across multiple disciplines - serving as a liaison between patients - families - and healthcare providers
• Collaborates with physicians - nurses - and other professionals to ensure integrated and patient-centered care
• Utilizes clinical judgment and advanced practice skills to address complex psychosocial issues and improve patient outcomes
• Provides education to Veterans - families - and caregivers regarding medical conditions - treatment options - VA benefits - and available resources
• Assists with advance care planning - including completion of advance directives and related documentation
• Promotes patient self-advocacy - independence - and informed decision-making
• Maintains expertise in VA programs - policies - and community resources to facilitate appropriate referrals and service coordination
• Establishes partnerships with community agencies - housing programs - and support services to address social determinants of health - including homelessness - transportation - and financial needs
• Advocates for Veterans and families within complex systems - ensuring access to services and equitable care
• Supports Veterans in navigating healthcare systems and encourages self-empowerment and engagement in their care
• Evaluates program effectiveness by collecting and analyzing clinical data to improve service delivery and patient outcomes
• Participates in quality improvement initiatives and ensures compliance with clinical standards - policies - and documentation requirements
• Provides leadership - mentorship - and clinical supervision to social work staff - including unlicensed social workers and trainees
• Serves as a subject matter expert and resource to interdisciplinary teams
• Participates in training - orientation - and professional development activities
• Implements care coordination within an integrated case management framework - ensuring seamless transitions across inpatient - outpatient - and community settings
• Supports Veterans' overall wellness - functional independence - and quality of life through patient-centered care approaches
• Work Schedule: Monday- Friday - 8am- 4:30pm Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• When setting pay - a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of 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: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 55483-F

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The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.

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