Senior Social Worker

Veterans Health Administration • Hamilton, OH

13d • Onsite

About The Position

The Cincinnati VA Medical Center is seeking an employee to serve as a core member of the interdisciplinary Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC) treatment team. This specialized program, under Primary Care administration, requires the individual to work autonomously, providing expert-level psychosocial interventions and case management services to Veterans facing complex medical, social, and behavioral conditions where routine clinic-based care is insufficient. The role involves addressing the unique needs of homebound, frail, disabling/chronic, and/or dying Veterans, coordinating community-based services, and providing education on VA and community resources, entitlements, and Advance Directives. The position also includes crisis intervention, family conferences, and liaison with family members, alongside establishing and maintaining therapeutic relationships. Advanced knowledge and ability to independently implement treatment modalities, provide counseling or psychotherapy for individuals, families, and groups are essential. The role requires consultation to other staff regarding psychosocial needs and their impact on healthcare adherence, as well as self-evaluation of practice through peer review and case conferences. Effective oral and written communication with diverse populations is necessary. The incumbent will provide ongoing supportive counseling, document all Veteran/family contacts in the electronic record, and may assume a leadership role in the HBPC program, including reviewing and updating documentation templates and policies. Collaboration with colleagues, volunteers, consumers, and stakeholders within the VA and community agencies is expected, as is participation in performance improvement processes and serving as a subject matter expert. The role also includes supervising graduate students and providing training experiences.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements.
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• 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).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
• Must have valid unrestricted driver's license.
• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.
• 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.
• 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/.
• Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• 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).
• At least two years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure.
• Experience 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• The employee must possess a valid driver's license.

Nice To Haves

• 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.
• 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.

Responsibilities

• Provides a comprehensive psychosocial assessment and integrates it into an overall plan of care in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the Veteran, family members and significant others, whenever possible.
• Possesses the advanced practice skills to independently make a psychosocial diagnosis and offer psychosocial interventions, and then measures outcomes to interventions.
• Participates and can lead weekly interdisciplinary care planning meetings when asked by the HBPC program director.
• Addresses the unique needs of homebound, frail, disabling/chronic and/or dying Veterans.
• Coordinates community-based services, including information and referral for additional services from other VA programs, other government programs and community agency programs.
• Facilitates and prioritizes referrals based upon Veterans needs and eligibility.
• Provides education related to VA and community resources, entitlements, Advance Directives/Living Will and will refer Veterans/families to the appropriate interdisciplinary team member for identified health education needs.
• Identifies and prioritizes high-risk patients and provides case management services.
• Provides crisis intervention services, seeking to address the cause as well as the presenting complaint, coordinates family conferences and serves as liaison to family members.
• Establishes and maintains effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans and their families.
• Possess advanced knowledge and ability to independently implement treatment modalities, provide counseling or psychotherapy for individuals, families and groups.
• Utilizes advanced practice skills, professional judgment and expertise regarding the Veteran's self-care capability, family support system, and the Veteran's health care needs and possible consequences.
• Provides consultation services to other staff regarding the psychosocial needs of Veterans and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and adherence to treatment plan.
• Evaluates own practice through professional peer review, case conferences and other organizational means.
• Incumbent is able to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with people from varied backgrounds.
• Provides the Veterans and their caregivers with ongoing supportive counseling utilizing the advanced knowledge of and mastery of theories and modalities.
• Enters all Veteran/family contacts in the electronic record using appropriate formats and templates.
• Assumes a leadership role in the HBPC program and periodically review and update documentation templates to ensure compliance with regulatory guidelines, social work standards of practice, and VHA policies.
• Reviews, updates and writes policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines periodically pertaining to the specialty population or specialty treatment program based on experience and evidence-based practice research.
• Establishes and maintains positive working relationships with employees, volunteers, consumers and stakeholders within the VA and outside community agencies.
• Collaborates in the performance improvement processes and support performance measures as required by the VA for their specialized population and/or program.
• Serves as a subject matter expert to colleagues, providing professional opinions and support for psychosocial treatment of this complex population when consulted.
• Supervises graduate students and provides a training experience for them in the Social Work Service.

Benefits

• 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.
• 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior