Social Worker (Outreach/Prevention Case Manager & HCHV/HUD VASH)

Veterans Health Administration • Bath, NY

2d • Onsite

About The Position

The Social Worker serves in a dual role as the Outreach/Prevention Case Manager and the Healthcare for Homeless Veterans (HCHV)/HUD-VASH point of entry for the Bath VA Medical Center. The position monitors Veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, conducts outreach, and initiates and coordinates services to support housing retention for at-risk Veterans enrolled in HUD-VASH. The role works closely with community partners and requires multitasking and navigating complex systems in a fast-paced environment.

The Social Worker provides case management to Veterans enrolled in HCHV and HUD-VASH. HUD-VASH offers intensive case management and psychosocial services to chronically homeless Veterans and their families while they reside in stable housing supported by HUD Section 8 vouchers. The position assesses Veterans entering HCHV, identifies psychosocial needs, determines appropriate services, develops treatment plans, and verifies eligibility for VA and non-VA resources and programs.

The position also coordinates referrals and admissions, collects HCHV participant data and HOMES assessments, and works with Continuums of Care, housing partners, landlords, and Public Housing Authorities. Duties include reviewing housing agreements, conducting HUD-VASH apartment site visits to assess safety and local housing-code compliance, participating in program and required VA meetings and training, and following VA policies and documentation requirements, including those related to CARF and Joint Commission accreditation. The role is based in an office/clinic and also involves work in vehicles, patients' homes, and community settings.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception for non-citizens when qualified U.S. citizens cannot be recruited under 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).
• Master's degree in social work from a school fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education; a doctoral degree does not substitute for this master's degree requirement.
• State licensure or certification to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. A waiver may be available only for otherwise qualified GS-9 candidates pending completion of state prerequisites; GS-11 candidates must be licensed or certified.
• Maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Post-MSW active professional social work practice or education meeting the stated creditability standards.
• For GS-9: meet the basic requirements and demonstrate counseling skills with Veterans and families from diverse backgrounds; psychosocial assessment and treatment-planning ability; ability to implement treatment modalities with individuals, families, and groups; effective relationship-building and communication with clients, staff, and community agencies; and fundamental knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, treatment procedures, medications, and medical terminology.
• For GS-11: at least one year of post-MSW experience equivalent to GS-9 in health care or another social-work-related setting and independent-practice-level state licensure or certification, or a qualifying doctoral degree in social work in place of the required year of professional experience; and demonstrated knowledge of community resources and referrals, independent psychosocial assessment and intervention, medical and mental health diagnoses and treatment, treatment modalities, and consultation regarding psychosocial needs and their effects on health care and treatment compliance.
• Register for Selective Service if male and born after December 31, 1959.
• Satisfactorily complete a background/security investigation and the online onboarding process, including acceptable employment-identification documentation.
• Participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program as a condition for VA health care personnel.
• Serve a one- or two-year trial period, during which continued employment is subject to written certification that it advances the public interest.
• Comply with required application-document submission instructions.

Nice To Haves

• Driver's license preferred.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the HCHV Program point of contact and respond to referrals and consults from VA facilities and community resources.
• Conduct outreach to Veterans who are homeless, at risk, or vulnerable to homelessness, and participate in community meetings to help reach at-risk Veterans.
• Provide information, education, public relations, and marketing about HCHV services as needed.
• Assess Veterans entering the HCHV program, identify psychosocial needs, determine appropriate services, and complete treatment plans and clinical reminders or postings.
• Provide case management for Veterans enrolled in HCHV and HUD-VASH, coordinating services to support housing retention.
• Verify Veterans' status and eligibility for VA and non-VA resources and programs, and advocate across multiple systems.
• Maintain referral and admission processes for HCHV programs and ensure Veterans are considered primary participants for program acceptance.
• Collect and submit HCHV participant data in accordance with NEPEC evaluation procedures and submit HOMES assessments as indicated.
• Work with the local Continuum of Care, its subcommittees, and Homeless Housing Task Forces, and help ensure VA compliance with Continuum of Care requirements.
• Review agreements among Section 8, landlords, Public Housing Authorities, and VA to establish appropriate referral sites for HUD-VASH placements.
• Conduct site visits to HUD-VASH apartments to ensure Veterans reside in safe environments that comply with local housing codes.
• Comply with criminal conflict-of-interest laws and Executive Branch standards of conduct while serving as a HUD-VASH Case Manager.
• Participate in HUD-VASH conference calls, attend HUD-VASH and HCHV team meetings and training, and attend other mandatory VA medical center meetings and training.
• Follow local and national VA policies, HCHV standard operating procedures, and documentation requirements for CARF and Joint Commission accreditation.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) student-loan payment reimbursement, subject to individual eligibility and approval; awards may be up to $200,000 for an eligibility period of one to five years.
• Traditional federal pension, with five-year vesting.
• Federal 401(k), with VA contributions of up to 5%.

What This Job Offers

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