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Community Residential Care (CRC) is an intensive, community-based recovery support program that provides a form of enriched housing with comprehensive supportive services for veterans who do not need hospital level of care but need health care supervision due to psychiatric, medical, and/or other psychosocial limitations.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
All qualified candidates encouraged to apply. Open to U.S. Citizens Note: Due to a critical staffing shortage, 38 U.S.C. § 7412 waives the requirement to apply Veterans' preference for this job announcement
Videos
Duties
The CRC Senior Social Worker serves as the assistant to the GS13 CRC Program Manager and is responsible for team lead functions across multiple sites for the VA Boston CRC Team in addition to maintaining an active CRC caseload. The CRC Senior Social Worker is licensed by the state at the advanced practice level which includes an ASWB advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless they are grandfathered by the state in which they are licensed to practice at the advanced practice level. The CRC Senior Social Worker has at least 2 years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure and demonstrates advanced practice skills and judgement as well as subject matter expertise in evidence based Mental Health models of care delivery while working with Veterans with a serious mental illness. The CRC Senior Social Worker must effectively relate to stakeholders from various social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds and supports diversity and inclusion in the workplace. The CRC Senior Social Worker functions independently in the community, often for extended periods of time with minimal supervision, in providing highly specialized assessment, treatment and intervention to SMI veterans recovering from/living with a serious mental illness in the community. The CRC Senior Social worker utilizes advanced case management knowledge and skills to resolve problems in CRC homes and/or to role model effective social work practice. This includes providing consultation, guidance, and coaching social work colleagues at the full performance level and supervising those working towards this (LCSWs and social work graduate student interns). In doing so, the CRC Senior Social Worker is proactive in outreaching CRC homes and their staff when they are struggling to manage veterans who are ambivalent towards or difficult to engage in needed treatment to maintain community placement. This includes veterans who are at risk of return to the medical center and/or program termination due to behavioral, substance abuse, and/ or cognitive decline as well as veterans at risk of graduating to a higher level of care to ensure that all efforts to maintain the veteran in the community are exhausted before referral to nursing homes. In these instances, the CRC Senior Social Worker facilitates case conferences and spearheads implementation of crisis management strategies and/or advocacy of additional assessments to include MoCA, neuropsychological, safety and/ or behavioral plans.
The CRC Senior Social worker works collaboratively with other members of the treatment team and medical center through the performance of multiple outreach efforts. This includes participating in medical center committees and in-reach to VA residents, trainees, and staff to provide education and consultation on the benefits and limitations of CRC homes and best practices for engaging CRC veterans thereby enhancing provider knowledge, skills, and attitudes towards veterans with serious mental illness and fostering embracement of recovery values and psychosocial rehabilitation. Additionally, the CRC Senior Social Worker represents CRC in outreach to community-based resources thereby ensuring community connections are maintained with potential referral sources and/or those who are involved in the treatment of veterans with serious mental illness. This includes area community hospitals, veteran's groups, veteran service officers, adult day health programs, and related resources serving veterans with SMI. The CRC Senior Social worker takes the lead with establishing and maintaining these relationships, collaborating with their staff, and educating veterans, their families, and representatives on resources to assist the veteran based on their needs and preferences.
The CRC Senior Social Worker is also responsible for key project activities related to planning, development, and implementation of assigned program improvement activities such as revising and updating policies to ensure compliance with our national directive and to close gaps identified in veteran access to care and service delivery. In assisting the CRC Program Manager, the CRC Senior Social Worker, uses their knowledge and expert skill to develop and implement methods of measuring the effectiveness of CRC program practices and services using outcome data to modify service patterns, improve treatment services and innovate system changes that advance clinical knowledge for the program and the SW profession. The CRC Senior Social worker writes/ revises policies, procedures, and practice guidelines for orienting new VA CRC staff and provides education and training to CRC home staff.
Work Schedule: 8:00am-4:30pm
Telework: Ad-hoc
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 523-F06660
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives:
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
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. 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:
a. Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States.
b. 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.
c. 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/.
(3) 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.
d. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
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
(1) 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.
(2) 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.
(3)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 (difficulty), and variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Senior Social Workers are licensed or certified to independently practice social work at an advanced level. Senior Social Workers 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 and complexity. The Senior Social Worker may be assigned administrative responsibility for clinical program development and is accountable for clinical program effectiveness and modification of service patterns. Assignments include clinical settings where they have limited access to onsite supervision such as CBOCs or satellite outpatient clinics. The Senior Social Worker 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. The Senior Social Worker provides leadership, direction, orientation, coaching, in-service training, staff development, and continuing education programs for assigned social work staff. They serve 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. This assignment is to be relatively few in number based on the size of the facility/service and applying soun...
Community Residential Care (CRC) is an intensive, community-based recovery support program that provides a form of enriched housing with comprehensive supportive services for veterans who do not need hospital level of care but need health care supervision due to psychiatric, medical, and/or other psychosocial limitations.
This job is open to
- The public
U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
Clarification from the agency
All qualified candidates encouraged to apply. Open to U.S. Citizens Note: Due to a critical staffing shortage, 38 U.S.C. § 7412 waives the requirement to apply Veterans' preference for this job announcement
Videos
Duties
The CRC Senior Social Worker serves as the assistant to the GS13 CRC Program Manager and is responsible for team lead functions across multiple sites for the VA Boston CRC Team in addition to maintaining an active CRC caseload. The CRC Senior Social Worker is licensed by the state at the advanced practice level which includes an ASWB advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless they are grandfathered by the state in which they are licensed to practice at the advanced practice level. The CRC Senior Social Worker has at least 2 years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure and demonstrates advanced practice skills and judgement as well as subject matter expertise in evidence based Mental Health models of care delivery while working with Veterans with a serious mental illness. The CRC Senior Social Worker must effectively relate to stakeholders from various social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds and supports diversity and inclusion in the workplace. The CRC Senior Social Worker functions independently in the community, often for extended periods of time with minimal supervision, in providing highly specialized assessment, treatment and intervention to SMI veterans recovering from/living with a serious mental illness in the community. The CRC Senior Social worker utilizes advanced case management knowledge and skills to resolve problems in CRC homes and/or to role model effective social work practice. This includes providing consultation, guidance, and coaching social work colleagues at the full performance level and supervising those working towards this (LCSWs and social work graduate student interns). In doing so, the CRC Senior Social Worker is proactive in outreaching CRC homes and their staff when they are struggling to manage veterans who are ambivalent towards or difficult to engage in needed treatment to maintain community placement. This includes veterans who are at risk of return to the medical center and/or program termination due to behavioral, substance abuse, and/ or cognitive decline as well as veterans at risk of graduating to a higher level of care to ensure that all efforts to maintain the veteran in the community are exhausted before referral to nursing homes. In these instances, the CRC Senior Social Worker facilitates case conferences and spearheads implementation of crisis management strategies and/or advocacy of additional assessments to include MoCA, neuropsychological, safety and/ or behavioral plans.
The CRC Senior Social worker works collaboratively with other members of the treatment team and medical center through the performance of multiple outreach efforts. This includes participating in medical center committees and in-reach to VA residents, trainees, and staff to provide education and consultation on the benefits and limitations of CRC homes and best practices for engaging CRC veterans thereby enhancing provider knowledge, skills, and attitudes towards veterans with serious mental illness and fostering embracement of recovery values and psychosocial rehabilitation. Additionally, the CRC Senior Social Worker represents CRC in outreach to community-based resources thereby ensuring community connections are maintained with potential referral sources and/or those who are involved in the treatment of veterans with serious mental illness. This includes area community hospitals, veteran's groups, veteran service officers, adult day health programs, and related resources serving veterans with SMI. The CRC Senior Social worker takes the lead with establishing and maintaining these relationships, collaborating with their staff, and educating veterans, their families, and representatives on resources to assist the veteran based on their needs and preferences.
The CRC Senior Social Worker is also responsible for key project activities related to planning, development, and implementation of assigned program improvement activities such as revising and updating policies to ensure compliance with our national directive and to close gaps identified in veteran access to care and service delivery. In assisting the CRC Program Manager, the CRC Senior Social Worker, uses their knowledge and expert skill to develop and implement methods of measuring the effectiveness of CRC program practices and services using outcome data to modify service patterns, improve treatment services and innovate system changes that advance clinical knowledge for the program and the SW profession. The CRC Senior Social worker writes/ revises policies, procedures, and practice guidelines for orienting new VA CRC staff and provides education and training to CRC home staff.
Work Schedule: 8:00am-4:30pm
Telework: Ad-hoc
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 523-F06660
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives:
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
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.
- 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 have a valid, unrestricted Driver's license as this position requires driving and seeing Veterans in the community.
- 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
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. 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:
a. Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States.
b. 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.
c. 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/.
- (c) 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.
(3) 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.
d. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
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
(1) 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.
(2) 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.
(3)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 (difficulty), and variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Senior Social Workers are licensed or certified to independently practice social work at an advanced level. Senior Social Workers 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 and complexity. The Senior Social Worker may be assigned administrative responsibility for clinical program development and is accountable for clinical program effectiveness and modification of service patterns. Assignments include clinical settings where they have limited access to onsite supervision such as CBOCs or satellite outpatient clinics. The Senior Social Worker 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. The Senior Social Worker provides leadership, direction, orientation, coaching, in-service training, staff development, and continuing education programs for assigned social work staff. They serve 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. This assignment is to be relatively few in number based on the size of the facility/service and applying soun...
