NHS Human Services, Inc.

Summary This position is located within the Mental Health Special Services Division in Primary Care- Mental Health Integration at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center. The duties and responsibilities are carried out at in various Primary Care locations and may have a virtual component to care. Responsibilities The Senior Social Worker is assigned in settings where they have limited access to supervision such as CBOC and also may work as the sole mental health provider in Primary Care, providing occasional weekend hours and later day appointments to accommodate Veteran care needs. He/she has responsibility for expanding clinical programming and supporting a stepped care model approach. The Senior Social Worker is accountable for clinical program effectiveness and modification of service patterns to support improved and coordinated care. The Senior Social Worker functions as a mental health provider of the PACT team, providing mental health assessment, treatment, management, and professional consultation services. These Veterans are frequently also diagnosed with co-occurring mental health, physical health, and social problems that require a particular skill set in early intervention and crisis management. Mental health treatment and prevention-oriented services emphasize evidence-based and best practice approaches to support patients' management of psychological factors associated with behavioral medicine problems and to promote Whole Health care. The PCMHI Senior Social Worker will have achieved specialized training in PCMHI and maintain certification and competency standards. Behavioral health visits follow the approved model of care and are brief, limited in number and are provided in the primary care practice area. Duties and responsibilities included but not limited to: Assists the PCMHI Program Manager in the execution of ongoing program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement projects to monitor the effectiveness of the clinical program. Supports training to PC teams to support clinical care needs and meeting national directives. Facilitates liaisons with other health care programs in order to effectively coordinate services. Complies with national and local performance measures, including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients. Complies with all CPRS documentation procedures, including timeliness standards for documentation and proper patient check out procedures (e.g., entering diagnostic and procedure codes), as well as prompt completion of clinical reminders Actively participates in leadership roles on local, state and national professional organizations. Represents the medical center at professional/program community group/events and committees. Provides Screening, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of depressive and anxiety-related disorders, as well as other mental health conditions via warm handoff, with an emphasis on the application of PCMHI time-limited, evidence-based, Whole Health approaches. As directed by supervisor, may represent the Medical Center or Healthcare System at professional/program community group/events and committees. Provides direct clinical services within PCMHI and other Clinical Duties as Assigned. Provides a full range of empirically supported treatment services. Provides education to patients, family members, and significant others. Completes brief functional assessments. Provides consultation to professional staff and to community providers concerning clinical assessment findings and appropriate treatment plans for patients. Maintains and employs current knowledge of published research findings that are relevant to PCMHI. Screening, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of depressive and anxiety-related disorders, substance use disorders, as well as other mental health conditions via warm handoff, with an emphasis on the application of PCMHI time-limited, evidence-based, Whole Health approaches. Provides same day access to care. Evaluates and addresses urgent high risk Veterans and determines appropriate level of care. Provides consultation to interdisciplinary team in the management of psychiatric emergencies including those at risk of harm to self/others. Provides clinical interventions independently and in various VA and community settings. Allows for flexibility to provide services after hours and on weekends. Establishes and maintains a therapeutic relationship with Veterans and their loved ones through engagement, rapport building, instilling hope, and offering support. Utilizes advanced clinical training, insight, and experience to interpret data and to identify viable treatment options. Responsible for the implementation and maintenance of the Behavioral Health Lab Provides explanation of different treatment options/levels of care available and why one treatment option/level of care may be more beneficial to the Veteran and their loved ones than another. Work Schedule: M-F 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Available, upon supervisors discretion Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. 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 BASIC REQUIREMENTS. The basic requirements for employment as a VHA social worker are prescribed by statute in 38 U.S.C. § 7402(b)(9), as amended by section 205 of Public Law 106-419, enacted November 1, 2000. To qualify for appointment as a social worker in VHA, all applicants must meet the following: Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g this part). 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 SW Licensure Summary by State. Failure to Obtain License or Certification. In all cases, social workers must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure or certification starting from the date of their appointment. Failure to become licensed or certified within the prescribed amount of time will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. 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. 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. GRADE DETERMINATIONS. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. 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. Different states have different levels of licensure or certification, making it difficult for VHA staff to determine the independent practice level. Each state, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia completed surveys identifying the level of licensure or certification allowing independent practice. Copies of the surveys are on file in the VHA Office of Care Management and Social Work Services, and a summary spreadsheet of the levels of licensure or certification is available to social work professional standards board members for purposes of determining whether the social worker's level of licensure or certification meets the VHA qualification standards. All states except California use a series of licensure exams administered by the ASWB. Information can be found at https://www.aswb.org/. The ASWB is the association of boards that regulates social work. ASWB develops and maintains the social work licensing examination used across the country and is a central resource for information on the legal regulation of social work. The ASWB offers three examinations. The master's examination is generally used by states for the independent practice level of licensure or certification, while the advanced generalist and the clinical examinations are used for the advanced practice level of licensure or certification. Differences between the master's and the advanced exams demonstrate the expectation that advanced practice social workers will have a more sophisticated knowledge of practice theory and its application. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 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 Experience in PC-MHI or integrated health settings References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/106 April 3, 2018 PART II APPENDIX G43 Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for is GS12 (above full performance level) 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.