Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• (a) Citizenship
• 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) English Language Proficiency
• Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f)
• (c) Education and Experience
• 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
• (d) 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/
• 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)
• GS-12 GRADE REQUIREMENTS: (a) Experience and Education
• One year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level
• Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency
• Examples of specialized experience at the GS-11 include, but are not limited to: assessing and documenting identified behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and/or intimate partner violence
• use of clinical social work skills
• maintaining patient privacy and confidentiality per policies, handbooks or directives
• acting as an advocate with appropriate community service providers and agencies when it serves the best interest of the patient and family members/caregiver
• independently assessing the psychosocial functioning and needs of patients and their family members, identifying the patient's strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and psychosocial acuity
• Candidate 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
• (b) Licensure/Certification
• Individuals assigned as social worker program coordinator must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure
• (c) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs (document with written demonstration of each of the KSAs must be included with application, see required documents section): Knowledge of program coordination and administration which includes consultation, negotiation, and monitoring
• Knowledge and ability to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the program
• Ability to supervise multidisciplinary staff assigned to the program
• Skill in organizing work, setting priorities, meeting multiple deadlines, and evaluating assigned program area(s)
• Ability to provide training, orientation, and guidance within clinical practice
• Preferred Experience: Direct patient care with palliative and hospice care patient population
• Ability to complete psychosocial assessments and provide social work services and support to Veterans with chronic and advanced illness through end of life
• Must be able to identify psychosocial needs and provide clinical interventions as needed with Veterans and families facing advanced illnesses and receiving life-limiting diagnoses
• Ability to provide clinical supervision for other social workers, work in a leadership role within a team environment, and oversee to day-to-day activities and administrative needs of a growing program
• Prior coordination of services and/or programs preferred
• All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package
• We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications
• Failure to demonstrate your experience in your resume may result in disqualification
• It is strongly recommended that you write to each KSA in your application package
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.