Summary

The Montana VA Health Care System - Social Work Service is currently recruiting for one (1) Caregiver Support Program Senior Social Worker - GS-0185-12 - at either the David J. Thatcher VA Clinic in Missoula - Montana or Kalispell VA Clinic in Kalispell - Montana.

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
• 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/
• 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)
• Grandfathering Provision
• The following is the standard grandfathering policy for all title 38 hybrid qualification standards
• Please carefully review the qualification standard to determine the specific education and/or licensure/certification/registration requirements that apply to this occupation
• All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date 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
• For employees who do not meet all of the basic requirements in this standard - but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it - the following provisions apply: Such employees in an occupation that requires a licensure or certification - may be reassigned - promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level - or changed to lower grade within the occupation - but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions
• Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed - on a temporary or permanent basis - until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard
• Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation - who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all of the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation
• If an employee who was retained in an occupation listed in 38 U.S.C. § 7401(3) under this provision leaves that occupation - the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation
• NOTE: If social workers covered under the grandfathering provision of the 1991 Federal law regarding licensure or certification of VHA social workers leave the GS 0185 social work series - they lose the grandfathering protection
• If they choose to return at a later date to the GS-0185 series - they must be licensed or certified to qualify for employment as a social worker
• Grade Determinations: 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
• 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
• Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice
• 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
• 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
• 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
• Preferred Experience: Prefer at least 3 years of inpatient and/or outpatient medical social work and clinical case management experience including but not limited to a hospital or outpatient primary care setting
• References: VA Handbook 5005 - Part II - Appendix G39 Physical Requirements: A pre-placement physical examination is required to determine the physical - cognitive and emotional fitness of candidates for appointment in VA - and shall be completed prior to appointment - for all full-time - part-time and intermittent positions.

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The Caregiver Support Program Senior Social Worker (SW) for the Program of Comprehensive Assistance to Family Caregivers (PCAFC) is a Senior Social Worker whose primary responsibilities are to provide clinical evidence-based services and interventions
• program development
• caregiver - Veteran and staff education on caregiver issues
• community outreach
• resource development
• continuous quality-improvement activities and evaluation/consultation related to the PCAFC
• Major duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to: Develops and implements the PCAFC specific to his/her area of assignment and insures compliance and collaboration with local facility and the VA Central Office Caregiver Support Program initiatives in concert with the facility CSP Program Manager
• Administers information and analytical systems to evaluate and enhance the quality of service provided to caregivers - families and Veterans
• Participates in direct caregiver and Veteran communication to identify and assess caregiver stress/burden and the development and application of directed clinical treatment interventions
• Conducts caregiver and family clinical interventions to facilitate the identification of caregiver stress - psychiatric illness - emotional distress and social needs as treatment issues
• Coordinates with other disciplines within the medical center to maintain the Veteran Assessment Clinic Provides referral to VA medical and mental health treatment and to other VA services including VA benefits - as well as community-based social services and other non-VA entitlement programs
• Serves as the major consultant for information on negotiating the complex processes caregivers - Veterans and families encounter when interacting with government and community agencies
• Stays abreast of current federal and state legislation directed at assisting caregivers to continue providing caregiving in an environment that is safe for both themselves and the Veteran
• Collaborates with the VA Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) - mental health and geriatric primary care clinicians to provide Veteran and staff education on caregiver issues
• Develops a library of caregiver support information materials for distribution through the various inpatient/outpatient and specialty clinic settings
• Serves as a liaison between the VA and community agencies
• In collaboration with the with other clinical staff and program managers - will establish a caregiver support protocol (resources - education and training) sensitive to the issues of the caregivers who are providing care to our youngest returning Veterans
• Assists other clinical staff in planning and coordinating the events and programs for the annual National Family Caregivers Month every November that includes announcement and advertising of month-long activities - mobilization of participants - educational sessions - caregiver recognition events and caregiver support programs
• Performs a wide range of services and provides technical assistance to state - local - and private agencies - and universities
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8 AM - 4:30 PM Compressed/Flexible: May be available at supervisory discretion 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 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 telework available at supervisory discretion
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 60817 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized