Social Worker (OPMH)

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Marion (IL); On-site; USD 55,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

US Department of Veterans Affairs in Marion, Illinois, seeks a Social Worker GS-11 to deliver clinical psychosocial care within a healthcare setting, including assessments, planning, and coordination of care for Veterans.

Requires a CSWE-accredited MSW, state licensure, and at least one year of relevant experience post-MSW. EDRP eligibility may apply; doctoral degree can substitute for experience where noted.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of community resources and ability to refer to services.
• Skill in psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions.
• Knowledge of medical/mental health terminology to form treatment plans.

Responsibilities

• Perform psychosocial assessments and develop treatment plans for a diverse Veteran population.
• Coordinate care with healthcare teams, community resources, and external agencies.
• Provide consultation and support to junior staff and trainees as needed.

Skills

Community resources

Psychosocial assessments

Treatment planning

Medical terminology

Education

Master's degree in social work (CSWE-accredited)

State licensure/certification

Job description

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. 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 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 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).

Grade Determinations

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.
• 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, 8 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.

Preferred Experience

Clinically licensed therapist with minimum 2 years of experience and current competency utilizing Evidenced Based Practice with adult patients in a Mental Health setting. Training completion in at least one evidence-based treatment intervention for mental health diagnoses.

Reference

For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11.

Physical Requirements

Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupations and would generally not require a pre-placement examination.