VA Jobs – Social Worker

Summary

The Healthcare for Homeless Veterans Coordinated Exit Social Worker position is in Social Work service at the VA Boston Healthcare System, located at Brockton, MA and Jamaica Plain, MA. This position is Full -time at 40 hours per week.

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Duties

The Health Care for Homeless Veteran (HCHV) Coordinated Exit Social Worker is responsible for providing follow up to veterans who are discharged from shelters, transitional housing, Safe Haven, VA ER and VA inpatient units. They will work to identify any potential barriers as well as provide linkages to complex non-VA systems. Veteran outreach through walk in clinics and at multiple community sites of care throughout the VABHS catchment area. The HCHV Coordinated Exit SW is also responsible for attending Homeless Program Outreach events throughout the year as well as serving as the VA point of contact for the annual Standdown. This work requires coordination with multiple departments within VABHS, community partners. The HCHV Coordinated Exit SW provides significant support of Boston Continuum of Care (CoC), Cambridge CoC and Balance of State CoC providing ongoing consultation and support to weekly and monthly work group and leadership meetings, coordinating veteran outreach, eligibility and housing path initiatives. The HCHV Coordinated Exit SW will have primary responsibility for tracking and identifying any veterans who are discharged from COC community partners and VA inpatient who are not enrolled in any programs. They will work with veteran to ensure linkages to any community or VA programs. Duties will include walk in clinic assessments, homeless hotline, homeless consults and time limited case management for unsheltered Veterans.

The HCHV Coordinated Exit SW may provide Time Limited Case Management for veterans experiencing homelessness and pending alternate case management, engaging in treatment planning, assessment, ongoing case management tasks and termination with veterans experiencing homelessness.

The HCHV Coordinated Exit SW is responsible for completing reports outlining unsheltered Veterans and tracking discharges. This will include action items and strategic planning to ensure the VABHS Homeless Program is reaching out to our most vulnerable and chronically homeless Veterans who may struggle with accessing regular medical center clinics.

The HCHV Coordinated Exit SW is responsible for ensuring VABHS is compliant with all relevant VHA handbooks and Directives related to the population served and monitors medical center performance related to population served.

Setting and general duties: Monitor veterans who are experiencing homelessness and discharge from shelters, transitional housing, Safe Haven, VA ER and VA inpatient units. They would work to maintain contact in order to help veterans get back into a program or identify potential barriers which would ensure right fit and sustained VA care.

The incumbent would also work with area’s Continuum of Care (COC) and provide linkages with complex non-VA systems. This position would help with communication between VAs as often veterans use various VAs in the VISN.

The HCHV Coordinated Exit SW would work to support VA Boston urgent care and inpatient units by bringing knowledge about homeless programs in real time in order to facilitate timely discharges.

Service Provider for Homeless Consults, National Homeless Hotline referrals; Homeless Walk-In clinic on the Jamaica Plain Campus; Outreach to programs serving homeless veterans and to homeless veterans across the Boston region, time limited case management as well as working with various Continuum of Cares.

Work Schedule: Full-Time; Monday – Friday; 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Compressed: Not Authorized

Telework: Authorized.

Virtual/Remote Work: Not Authorized

Functional Statement #: PDF04720

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

NOTIFICATIONS:

This position is in the Excepted Service.
Veterans’ preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.
Current Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held.
This position is a AFGE Bargaining Unit position.
This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay.
Selectee may be required to work at any Boston VA Healthcare System campus, as needed.
Narrative responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) will be required from the selectee in order to proceed with the appointment.
Incomplete applications will not be considered.

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
You may be required to serve a probationary period.
Subject to background/security investigation.
Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
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).
Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) – See “Additional Information” below for details.
May be subject to satisfactory completion of our credentialing process.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/13/2022.

Basic Requirements:

United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
Education. 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 the CSWE website to verify if that social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a master of social work.
Licensure. 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.
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.
Grade Determinations/Minimum Qualifications for GS-12

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. 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.
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.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:(a) Knowledge of program coordination and administration which includes consultation, negotiation, and monitoring.

(b) Knowledge and ability to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the program.

(c) Ability to supervise multidisciplinary staff assigned to the program.

(d) Skill in organizing work, setting priorities, meeting multiple deadlines, and evaluating assigned program area(s).

(e) Ability to provide training, orientation, and guidance within clinical practice.

References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39 – Social Worker Qualification Standard

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12.

Preferred Experience:

Experience Working With Veterans Who Are Experiencing Homelessness.

Physical Requirements: 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. Applicants 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 applicant or others.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or 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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

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.

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

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