Social Worker (PACT)

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Murfreesboro (TN); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

US Department of Veterans Affairs seeks a Patient Aligned Care Team Social Worker (PACT) to help Veterans and families overcome psychosocial, emotional, and economic barriers to health and well-being. The position provides coverage for PACT social workers at TVHS.

Applicants may be referred and tentatively selected while meeting education/certification/licensure requirements. Grandfathering provisions apply to current VHA employees who meet criteria.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited program.
• Must be licensed/certified to independently practice social work at the master's level.
• Grandfathering provisions may apply for current VHA employees in this occupation.

Responsibilities

• Assist Veterans and families to resolve psychosocial, emotional, and economic barriers to health and well-being.
• Conduct psychosocial assessments and provide treatment interventions.
• Coordinate services and refer to community resources and governmental agencies.

Skills

Community resources

Psychosocial assessments

Treatment planning

Interdisciplinary consultation

Health care & compliance

Education

Master's degree in social work

CSWE accreditation

Doctoral degree substitution not allowed

Job description

The Patient Aligned Care Team Social Worker (PACT) member eliminates barriers to care through assisting Veterans and their families with a variety of needs related to resolving psychosocial, emotional, and economic barriers to health and well-being. The position will provide coverage for equivalent level social workers within TVHS.

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:

(1) 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:

(2) 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.

(3) 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.

(4) 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.

(5) 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

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 basic qualifications and 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.

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:

The work environment is normally a clinical setting. There is exposure to individuals having psychiatric and medical illness and disabilities, including infections, violent or aggressive behavior, and chronic psychiatric or physical problems. Travel may be required to meeting patient needs, and may occasionally demand unplanned, irregular tours of duty.