Career Center

This position is located in the Social Work Service at the Albany VA medical center in Albany, NY. The Social Worker functions as part of the staff in the Addictions Treatment Services Program, inclusive of outpatient and residential treatment (12 residential beds) with primary focus in the outpatient program. Clinical services will be in coordination with a treatment team approach with this position providing a recovery-oriented focus with emphasis on family directed care involvement. 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: Social Worker Citizenship: US Citizen 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 Master 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/. 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 for this vacancy. 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: 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-Master 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. Social Worker (CDRP/PCMHI) 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. Assignments: Individuals assigned as GS-9 grade level social workers are considered to be at the entry level and are closely supervised, as they are not yet functioning at the independent practice level conferred by independent licensure or certification. Social workers at the GS-9 entry level are typically assigned to program areas that do not require specialized knowledge or experience. Duties may include but are not limited to: identifying behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect or exploitation; providing education on advance directives and advanced care planning; providing social work case management; acting as an advocate with appropriate VA and community service providers/agencies when it serves the best interest of the Veteran and family members/caregiver; assessing the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members identifying the Veteran's strengths, weaknesses, coping skills and psychosocial acuity, in collaboration with the Veteran, family, and interdisciplinary treatment teams; maintaining a current network of internal and external resources to educate the Veteran and/or family members/caregivers and assist with the appropriate referrals. Social Worker (CDRP/PCMHI)??????? 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 must be Unrestricted, at the Independent Practice Level, with the ability to work independently. 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: 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. Assignments: This is the full performance level. Social workers at this level are licensed or certified to independently practice social work. Duties include but are not limited to assessing and documenting identified behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and/or intimate partner violence; use of clinical social work skills and knowledge to maintain Veteran privacy and confidentiality per policies, handbooks or directives; and acts as an advocate with appropriate VA and community service providers and agencies when it serves the best interest of the Veteran and family members/caregiver. Incumbent independently assesses the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, identifying the Veteran's strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and psychosocial acuity. Preferred Experience: Must be licensed as this position works in primary clinic without close supervision References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39 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. ["VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Major Duties:\nResponsibilities of the social worker are to provide assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and case management of veterans and their families, with complex substance use and mental health issues. This includes coordinating services with other components of the Behavioral Health Service and medical services within the hospital, the VA System of care as well as the judicial system. Clinical Interventions are well researched and proven to be effective. Ongoing program development, training, and evaluation of delivered services in collaboration with the treatment team are an essential part of the position. The social worker provides comprehensive bio-psychosocial assessment of veterans with substance use addictions and mental health issues. The assessment of veterans allows for differential diagnosis and development of treatment plans, to provide research-based clinical interventions. The Social Worker Chemical Dependency Rehabilitation Program (CDRP/PCMHI) is responsible for completing the following duties/responsibilities: Conduct psychosocial assessments to determine needs of veterans and family members from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational and other diversified backgrounds. Participant in the treatment planning process with other disciplines and implements a variety of treatment modalities to groups experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical and social problems. Participate in discharge planning with other disciplines and will be responsible for ensuring that discharge plans are executed in a manner that is timely and appropriate. Provide individual, family and group counseling as appropriate. Provide consultation/education to veterans and families on community resources, advance directives and VA benefits. Act as a consultant to other team/staff members. Provide consultation/education to medical residents on social work practice and VA policy and procedure. Act as liaison between VA, other government agencies, and community resources, to include marketing and public relation duties as needed. Address Advance Directives and Organ Donation in accordance with the standards of their work area. May serve on committees, work groups, and task forces at the facility, VISN, and/or VA Central Office levels. Shares knowledge and experiences gained from own clinical practice and education relevant to the field of Social Work. Is responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the Medical Center or VISN, as appropriate. Completes administrative duties including returning veterans' phone calls, report writing, and attending organizational meetings. Assists in ongoing program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement projects to monitor the effectiveness of the program area. Facilitates connections with other health care programs in order to effectively coordinate services. Complies with national and local performance measures, including advance directives and completion of clinical reminders for all patients. Attends monthly Social Work Discipline staff meetings, complies with Social Work peer review procedures and participates in supervision as appropriate. Establishes and maintains effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans and their families. Incumbent is able to independently work with patients and families who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical and social problems utilizing individual, group and family counseling skills. May be involved in Social Work Training and Education Committee. - Provides leadership, guidance, and consultation to new social workers, graduate students, and other medical staff about the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8AM to 4:30PM\nCompressed/Flexible: Not Available\nTelework: Available\nVirtual: This is not a virtual position.\nFunctional Statement #: 24420-F\nRelocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized\nPermanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized\nPCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized\nFinancial Disclosure Report: Not required"]