Social Worker (PACT)

Veterans Health Administration • Battle Creek, MI

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Social Worker (PACT) has responsibility for the provision of social work within assigned segments of the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT). PACT is a comprehensive team which delivers primary care to Veteran patients in a longitudinal rather than episodic fashion and which has as its focus: prevention, health promotion, coordination, and chronic disease management. The social worker in this Veteran-Centric approach often functions as a care coordinator.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Must complete all required steps in the process.
• In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment.
• The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• 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.
• 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.
• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 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.
• Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).
• The candidate must have knowledge of current professional social work practices.
• To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics associated with current professional social work practice.
• The experience or education must be post-Masters of Social Work (MSW) degree.
• Experience and education satisfying this requirement must be active professional practice, which is paid/non-paid employment as a professional social worker, as defined by the appropriate state licensing board.
• GS-9 Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Ability to work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills.
• GS-9 Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Ability to assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, and to formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the Veterans problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed.
• GS-9 Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Ability to implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups to achieve treatment goals. This requires judgment and skill in utilizing supportive, problem solving, or crisis intervention techniques.
• GS-9 Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Ability to establish and effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies.
• GS-9 Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Fundamental knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities and treatment procedures. This includes acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses/injuries; common medications and their effects/side effects; and medical terminology.
• GS-11 Experience and Licensure: 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.
• GS-11 Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services.
• GS-11 Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 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.
• GS-11 Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 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.
• GS-11 Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 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.
• GS-11 Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 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.
• Must be in overall good health, able to sit at a desk working at a computer, engage in light to moderate physical activity including sitting, walking, bending, and carrying supplies.
• The Social Worker must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands, exercise patience, and control emotions, with reasonable accommodation if necessary, without endangering the health and safety of the social worker or others.
• Position requires driving and traveling to alternative locations on a regular and recurring basis, standing for extended periods of time, and involves sitting at a computer, in a car, and in counsel and consultation with Veterans and interdisciplinary team.
• This position requires close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading; and repetitive motions of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.

Nice To Haves

• Previous social work experience and previous VA experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Assessment of psychosocial problems. Complete thorough assessments to determine the presenting problem, to determine in-home factors impacting the problem, and to determine obstacles to treatment and/or follow through with recommended treatments.
• Case management with members of the outpatient interdisciplinary team. Participate in scheduled interdisciplinary team huddles as a method of identifying those Veterans that may "be at risk" and require psychosocial intervention to reduce overall impact of risk.
• Help the patient and family to understand the contributing factors to the problem(s), will discuss with them the pros and cons of possible short-term and long-term solutions, encouraging them to make positive and lasting changes to reduce stressors.
• Coordinate a collaborative effort to meet the agreed upon goals for a Veteran's treatment needs and include liaison with community professionals regarding needed services for Veterans and/or their families. Services include but are not limited to interventions/referrals to increase access to care, transportation assistance, Advanced Directives, economic assistance, housing assistance for the patient's level of need (affordable independent housing, homeless shelters, group and family care homes, Veterans Homes, assisted living, nursing homes, respite care, hospice care) and necessary services to assist with functional decline.
• Establish and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans in the Primary Care Clinic and/or their families.
• Complete thorough psychosocial assessments to determine the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and/or their families.
• Facilitate action for community placements through collaboration with Veterans and their families as well as interdisciplinary treatment team members to ensure that appropriate community placements are completed in a timely manner. Community placements can involve but are not limited to referrals to contract nursing homes, Community Living Centers, residential care homes, inpatient and outpatient hospice services.
• Utilize telehealth modalities to best meet Veteran needs.
• Provide consultation and education to Veterans and their families regarding community resources, VA benefits and specialty programs, and Advance Directives.
• Serve on committees, work groups, and task forces at the facility as deemed appropriate by the supervisor and Chief of Social Work Services.
• Attend all appropriate staff meetings to include, but not limited to, interdisciplinary treatment team meetings, Social Work team meetings, Social Work supervision meetings, and other committee and workgroups.
• Provide assistance with the orientation and learning of less experienced social workers.
• Other duties as assigned as determined by the direct supervisor, Chief of Social Work Service and/or the Executive Leadership Team of the Battle Creek VA Medical Center.

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: Mid Level