Senior Social Worker (BHIP Treatment Facilitator)

Company: Department of Veterans Affairs
Location: Harlingen
Posted on: July 29, 2022

Job Description:

Summary

The Senior Social Worker serves as a member of the Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP). BHIP is a multi-disciplinary team of mental health professionals which provides comprehensive, accessible, Veteran-centered mental health care. The BHIP Treatment Coordinator will be a member of all BHIP teams within the clinic and is responsible for various aspects of assessing, diagnosis, treating, and coordinating the treatment of Veterans within BHIP and the Mental Health Service Line.

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Overview

* Accepting applications
* Open & closing dates

11/16/2021 to 09/30/2022

This job will close when we have received 50 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more


* Salary

$77,488 - $100,739 per year


* Pay scale & grade

GS 12


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Location

1 vacancy in the following location:

* Harlingen, TX 1 vacancy




* Telework eligible

No


* Travel Required

25% or less - You may be expected to travel up to 25% for training for this position.


* Relocation expenses reimbursed

No


* Appointment type

Permanent


* Work schedule

Full-time


* Service

Excepted


* Promotion potential

None


* Job family (Series)

0185 Social Work


* Supervisory status

No


* Security clearance

Other


* Drug test

No


* Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk


* Trust determination process

Credentialing

Suitability/Fitness


* Announcement number

CAZM-11293361-22-KSB


* Control number

622328100



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This job is open to

* The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.



Clarification from the agency

This vacancy is open to the public. If you are a current employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs, or current, permanent Federal employee, please apply to CAZM-11293360-22-KSB. This vacancy is also being recruited for as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor.

Help This job is also open in another announcement to:

* Federal employees - Competitive service


* Federal employees - Excepted service


* Internal to an agency



Help This job is also open in another announcement to:

* Federal employees - Competitive service


* Federal employees - Excepted service


* Internal to an agency



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Duties

NOTE: This vacancy will remain open until filled. The first cut-off date is 12/1/2021. Additional applications will be referred as needed.

* Incumbent provides a full range of psycho-diagnostic services which requires advanced and expert 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 psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial and/or case management interventions used in the treatment of Veterans with a range of DSM diagnoses, substance abuse/dependence, and poly-traumatic injuries.
* Incumbent serves as the primary clinician to meet the same day access needs of Veterans requesting mental health care within the clinic. This includes conducting the same day evaluation in-person or by telephone, according to policy. Given that a significant portion of these Veterans are new to Mental Health treatment, this involves providing a diagnosis and provisional treatment plan.
* Incumbent provides initial and follow-up comprehensive psychological intake evaluations, including diagnosis, to Veterans in BHIP
* Incumbent coordinates mental health treatment for Veterans within BHIP, being referred to specialty mental health care, and Veterans returning to BHIP from specialty mental health care.
* Incumbent conducts risk evaluation and treatment, including oversight of interdisciplinary documentation of treatment plans, for Veterans within BHIP, including those who are in the REACHVet program and those with a High Risk for Suicide Patient Record Flag.
* Incumbent actively monitors clinic availability and panel size of all BHIP team members in order to be able to coordinate the flow of patient care amongst BHIP teams and BHIP team members. This includes knowledge of availability of specialty mental health services, as well as working actively with program support staff to insure that team assignments in the Patient Care Management Module (PCMM) are accurate and up to date.
* The Incumbent is responsible for completing the second-level social work assessment of Digital Divide Consults submitted by BHIP or other Mental Health providers.
* The incumbent may serve as the representative for Psychology Service on various Psychology Service, Mental Health Service Line, System, or VISN administrative committees or work groups as assigned.
* The incumbent provides subject matter consultation to colleagues and trainees on the psychosocial treatment of patients treated in the specialty area, rendering professional opinions based on experience and expertise and role modeling effective practice skills. In addition, there may be opportunities to teach and mentor staff and students in the specialty area of practice.
* The incumbent should have the ability to expand clinical knowledge in the profession, demonstrating innovation in the creation of new models of psychosocial assessment or intervention to identify and address specialized clinical needs. Ability to assist in drafting policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the specialty population or specialty treatment program as assigned.
* Other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm

Telework: Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Title/Functional Statement #:Senior Social Worker (BHIP Treatment Facilitator)/PD000000

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

* You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
* Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
* You may be required to serve a probationary period
* Subject to a background/security investigation
* Must be proficient in written and spoken English
* Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
* 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 Department of Veterans Affairs Personnel

Qualifications

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/.
* 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 as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).

Preferred Experience:

* Experience providing mental health care within the VA
* Experience coordinating care among providers/programs/facilities
* Experience assessing risk and identifying appropriate treatment options
* Willingness to be flexible with daily schedule
* Ability to multi-task
* Experience talking with Veterans about the importance of recovery-oriented episodes of care, measurement based care, and evidence-based psychotherapy.

Grade Determination:

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.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

(a) 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.

(b) Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.

(c) 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.

(d) 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.

(e) 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.

Assignments. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity and variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Senior SW are licensed/certified to independently practice social work at an advanced level. Senior SWs typically practice in a major program area such as but not limited to: Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center or Polytrauma Network Site a Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Center, or a national VHA referral center, such as a national Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or a national Transplant Center, or other program areas of equivalent scope/complexity. May be assigned administrative responsibility for clinical program development and is accountable for clinical program effectiveness/modification of service patterns. Assignments include clinical settings where they have limited access to onsite supervision; collaborates with the other members of the treatment team in the provision of comprehensive health care services to Veterans, ensures equity of access, service, and benefits to this population, ensures the care provided is of the highest quality. Provides leadership, orientation, coaching, in-service training, staff development, and continuing education programs for assigned social work staff. Serves on committees, work groups and task forces at the facility, VISN and national level or in the community as deemed appropriate by the supervisor, Social Work Executive or Chief of Social Work Services. Assignment is to be relatively few in number based on the size of the facility/service and applying sound position management. Assignment must represent substantial additional responsibility over and above that required at the full performance grade level and cannot be used as the full performance level of this occupation.

References: VA Handbook 5005/120 Part II Appendix G39 Social Worker Qualification Standard GS-0185 Veterans Health Administration 09/20/2019.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12.

Physical Requirements: Light lifting (under 15 pounds), light carrying (under 15 pounds) reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, walking (1 hour), standing (1 hour), ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, both eyes required, depth perception, ability to distinguish basic colors, hearing (aid may be permitted) cognitive, mental and emotional stability.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Failure to provide transcripts may result in non-referral of your application if education cannot be verified.

Accreditation Information: The master's degree must be 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. 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.

NOTE: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.

NOTE: If your school was accredited by the Council on Social Work Education at the time of graduation but is no longer listed on the Council on Social Work Education website, you must provide documentation of accreditation with your application packet.

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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. 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.

Pandemic Telework Program: Due to COVID-19, the VA is currently in an expanded telework posture. If selected, you may be expected to temporarily telework, even if your home is located outside the local commuting area. Once employees are permitted to return to the office, you will be expected to report to the duty station listed on this announcement. [Management officials will provide information about returning to the official, pre-pandemic worksite, when applicable.] At that time, you may be eligible to request to continue to telework depending upon the terms of your organization's telework policy and the duties of the position.

As required by Executive Order 14043, Federal employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 regardless of the employee's duty location or work arrangement (e.g., telework, remote work, etc.), subject to such exceptions as required by law. 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 exception from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

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.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

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* Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.



How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, rsum, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Keywords: Department of Veterans Affairs, Harlingen , Senior Social Worker (BHIP Treatment Facilitator), Healthcare , Harlingen, Texas