Social Worker Community, Social Services & Nonprofit at Geebo

Social Worker

Company Name:
Department Of Veterans Affairs
United States Citizens Excepted Service Permanent Full Time
Vacancy Identification Number (VIN) 1112020
Social Worker; GS-0185; Social Work Service; 1 vacancy; Biloxi, MS
Announcement Number: RV-14-BG-1112020
Open Date: 05/02/14 Close Date: 05/20/14
OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln''s promise - To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America''s Veterans.
How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate care to Veterans?
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) needs employees who possess the energy, compassion, and commitment to serve those who serve our country. Whatever the job title, every position in VA will give you a chance to make a meaningful and personal contribution to the lives of truly special and deserving people - our Veterans. Working for VA is one of the most emotionally satisfying and professionally rewarding ways to dedicate the best within you to your Country''s service.
If you are transitioning from the military or a Veteran already, we invite you to explore the benefits of continuing your career at the VA. The VA is committed to hiring Veterans .
The VA is much more than just another employer. It is an honorable, open and welcoming community of those who care. Gratitude is our motivation and service is our mission.
The VA has adopted Core Values and Characteristics that apply universally across the Department. The five Core Values define who we are,our culture, and how we care for Veterans, their families and other beneficiaries. The Values are I ntegrity, C ommitment, A dvocacy, R espect and E xcellence ( I CARE ).
NOTE: The Professional Standards Board (a peer-review group) will review the selected candidate's education and experience and recommend the step at which the candidate will be placed in that specific grade. The salary is based on the grade and step approved for the selected candidate.
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.
Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses are not authorized for this position.
Must pass pre-employment examination Must be proficient in written and spoken English Designated and-or Random Drug Testing required Background and-or Security Investigation required Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
The incumbent will serve as the Program Coordinator for the Medical Foster Home and be administratively responsible for the clinc program providing treatment to paitients. The Coordinator may be the sole practitioner in this specialty and typically provide direct patient care services. He/she manages the daily operation of the program, develops policies and procedures for the program operation and prepares reports and statistics for the facility, VISN and National use. The Coordinator is capable of practicing at the advanced independent practice level and has specialized knowledge of practice typically related to a particular diagnosis or population.
Note: This position's initial duty station is Biloxi, MS; however the duty station, based upon the needs of the health care system, may require the individual to work from other facilities (e.g., _Ft. Walton Beach, FL-Eglin;Pensacola, FL;Joint Ambulatory Care Center Pensacola, Florida; and Panama City Outpatient Clinics, Florida)._
Tour of Duty: 8:00am-4:30pm; Monday thru Friday
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:
a. 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.)
b. Education. Have a master's degree in social work (MSW) 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.
c. Licensure. Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-185 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 on the OHRM website.
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 Office of Social Work Service 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 Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB). The ASWB is the association of boards that regulate 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 offersthreeexaminations. The master's examination is generally used bystates for the independent practice level of licensure or certification, while theadvancedgeneralistand the clinical examinations areused for theadvanced practice level of licensure or certification. Differences between the master'sand theadvanced exams demonstrate the expectation thatadvanced practice social workers will have a more sophisticated knowledge of practice theory and its application.
Loss of Licensure or Certification. Once licensed or certified, social workers must maintain a full, valid and unrestricted independent license or certification toremain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-185 social work seriesand may result in termination of employment.
e. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.__

f. English Language Proficiency. Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j, this part.
In addition to the basic requirements the following criteria must be met:
GS-12:
Experience, Education and Licensure. Individuals assigned as social worker program coordinator or manager must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level. Their experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency. They may have certification or other post-master's degree 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 addition, the candidate must demonstrate the professional KSAs below.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
1 . In-depth knowledge of the program coordinated, and demonstrated knowledge and ability to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the program.
2 . Knowledge and skill in management/administration, which includes supervision, consultation, negotiation, and monitoring.
3 . Ability to supervise multidisciplinary staff assigned to the program.
4 . Ability to organize work, set priorities, meet multiple deadlines, and evaluate assigned program area(s).
5 . Ability to provide training, orientation, consultation and guidance within clinical specialization of practice.
Advanced Practice Level. Advanced Practice Level is defined as the ability to provide independent and expert clinical psychosocial and case management services in a specialized area of practice to veterans who tend to have serious and severe crises, may lack any familial and community support, may be poor self-monitors, may frequently fail to comply with instructions and treatment, or may have major deficits in coping skills and require continuing professional psychological support. The advanced practice or Senior Social Worker has an increased depth and breadth of practice skills; has expertise in participating in the professional development of colleagues through mentorship and teaching; demonstrates leadership in developing and expanding professional intervention strategies; demonstrates leadership in defining and attending to professional practice issues; and has the ability to expand the conceptual knowledge of the profession. The advanced practice or Senior Social Worker will make independent professional decisions and recommendations for agency action; the consequencesto the veteran of these decisions and actions may be quite serious. Work involves intensive social work services requiring the exercise of mature professional judgment and the flexible use of a wide range of complex social work practice skills not typically required in routine social work interventions. The advanced practice or senior social worker has mastered a range of specialized interventions andprovides consultation to colleagues, renders professional opinions based on experience and expertise, develops new models of psychosocial assessment or intervention, and incorporates complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment. The advanced practice or Senior Social Worker utilizes outcome evaluations to further treatment and designs system changes based on empirical findings.
The above is an excerpt from VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G39, Qualification Standard for Social Worker, GS-185-9/15. For the full text, see the Handbook file in Human Resources Management Service.
PLEASE NOTE: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement.) Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. 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. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: Heavy lifting, 45 pounds and over; Straight pulling, 2 hours; Walking, 2 hours; Standing, 2 hours; Kneeling, 1 hour; Repeated bending, 1 hour; Both legs required; Operation of a motor vehicle; Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; Near vision correctable at 13 to 16 to Jaeger 1 to 4; Both eyes required; Depth perception; Ability to distinguish basic colors; Hearing (aid permitted); Emotional and mental stability; Far Vision correctable in each eye to 20/40; Incidental Driver of patients
Veterans'' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference on the Occupational Questionnaire in the section provided and provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) and/or documentation related to your active duty service which shows dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), or dates of impending separation.
Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 Application for 10 Point Veterans Preference with required proof as stated on the form. For more information, please review the information for disabled Veterans in the application checklistor visit .
Your application, r sum and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.
NOTE: The Professional Standards Board (a peer-review group) will review the selected candidate's education and experience and recommend the grade and salary at which the candidate will be placed.For internal selectees eligible for promotion, the board will determine grade and HR will determine step in accordance with policy.
All applicants are encouraged to apply online.
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on Tuesday, May 20, 2014 to receive consideration.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package.
It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
To verify your application is complete , log into your USAJOBS account, , select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application , log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
VA Form 10-2850c - Application for Associated Health Occupations (Available at ) (required) .
OF-306 - Declaration for Federal Employment - October 2011 (Available at: ) (required).
Transcripts (required).
Social Work License (required).
CV and/or resume (required).
Required forms _must_ be _completed_,_signed_ and _dated_.
Please use this _checklist_to make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify),documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.
Faxing Applications or Supporting Documents:
You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application.
NOTE: If you applied online and your application is complete, do not fax the paper application (1203FX) as this will overwrite your prior online responses and may result in you being found ineligible.
If you completed the occupational questionnaire online and are unable to upload supporting document(s):
1. To fax your documents, you must use the following cover page and provide the required information. The Vacancy ID is 1112020.
2. Fax your documents to .
If you cannot complete the Application Package online, you may fax all of your materials. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on Tuesday, May 20, 2014 to receive consideration. Keep a copy of your fax confirmation in the event verification is needed.
To complete the occupational questionnaire and submit via fax:
1. Click the following link to view and print the occupational questionnaire View Occupational QuestionnaireView Occupational Questionnaire
2. Print the 1203FX form, follow the instructions and provide your responses to the occupational questionnaire items .
3. Fax the completed 1203FX form along with any supporting documents to . Your 1203FX will serve as a cover page for your fax transmission.
After we receive your complete application package (including any required documents), your qualifications will be reviewed to decide if you meet the basic requirements. You will be notified when this decision is made. Working for the Department of Veterans Affairs offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, life insurance, health benefits, thrift savings plan, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. In addition to traditional dollars and cents benefits, we offer a range of benefits to help balance work and life. For more information please visit us at .
Receiving Service Credit for 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. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. Estimated Salary: $20 to $28 per hour based on qualifications.

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