Summary The Raymond G. Murphy VA Medical Center is seeking a Social Worker for the Spinal Cord Injury/Disorder Clinic. The incumbent is administratively responsible for the New Mexico Veterans Affairs Health Care System Spinal Cord Injury and Disorder program. Responsibilities VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz\_ua\_UU Develops a system to identify SCI patients served by the facility and community who belong in this special disability group. This may involve use of the Spinal Cord Dysfunction (SCD) Registry, Patient Treatment File searches, Veterans Health Information System and Technology Architecture (VistA) and Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) records, SCD reports and/or Classification reports, Patient Data Exchange, Network Health Exchange, and contacts within the community. Serves as the point of contact for all inquiries regarding the SCI program. This may include stakeholders (e.g. Veterans, families, community hospitals and nursing homes, Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) and other Veterans Service Organizations), Spinal Cord Injury and Disorders Strategic Healthcare Group (SCI/D, SHG) and Congressional Inquiries. Promotes and coordinates annual evaluations within the SCI Center and appropriate SCI Outpatient Clinics. Develops a procedure for referrals between the SCI Center and local VA and/or community hospitals and facilitates appropriate and timely inter-facility transfers. The Registry provides a database linked to other VistA files, allowing the SCI Coordinator to track patients admitted and discharged within the medical center, and to review utilization of laboratory, pharmacy, inpatient, and outpatient resources. Establishes performance standards for the SCI program that promote quality and efficiency in service to the Veterans in coordination with the overall goals of the medical center and national SCI/D program. Develops policy and procedures to ensure compliance with Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and other accrediting bodies and regulatory standards, as needed. Researches community resources (local, state, and national) that are available to provide continuity of care and to enhance the quality of life of the Veteran. Disseminates information on resources throughout the VISN. Explores and analyzes long-term care placement options in the community, i.e., assisted living facilities, nursing homes, handicapped accessible housing, and state Veterans' homes. Identifies unmet needs of the SCI population and works collaboratively with the VHA Office of Geriatrics and Develops a data-driven continuous quality improvement program with established goals and outcomes to evaluate and document the program's effectiveness. Establishes collaborative relationships with physicians, nurses, and other disciplines to foster their involvement in the care of Veterans with SCI. Social Work Services Completes psychosocial evaluation and assessment and periodic reassessments of each patient served, which provides a comprehensive social database to identify psychosocial, social, and vocational needs and the appropriate treatment and services to be provided. Established and maintains therapeutic relationships with SCI Veterans and their families. Manages and coordinates provision of the following services as appropriate: Activities of Daily Living (AOL); Personal Care Attendant (PCA); Nutritional Management; Prosthetic Appliances; Medical Supplies; Vocational Rehabilitation; Leisure and/or Avocational Interest; Peer Counseling for Families and/or Significant Others; Transportation and Finances; Home Evaluations; Housing Alternatives; and Identification, Development and Utilization of Community Resources. Refers Veterans to other organizations and community resources (i.e., housing alternatives, personal care services, transportation resources, etc. or other VA governmental resources) for services not available from the VHA facility. Maintains a current, productive network of referral resources to include substance abuse treatment, outpatient medical/psychiatric care, vocational rehabilitation, etc. and with Veterans Service Organizations, including the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA). Makes home visits to assess the home environment when appropriate to ensure that services are provided that will enable the Veteran to live safely and independently. Establishes and maintains an ongoing education program for patients, students, and staff. Specialized Experience: ability to provide independent and quality psychosocial services with Veterans experiencing spinal cord injury disorders providing across a variety of practice settings such as inpatient, outpatient, residential, and community. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 08:00 AM - 04:30 PM Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. 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. Qualifications Basic Requirements Citizenship: Citizen of the United States. Licensure: Candidate 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. Licensure: Candidate must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure. Education: Master's degree in social work (MSW) 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 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 master's degree in social work. Grade Determinations: GS-12 Senior Social Worker Experience: Meets the qualification standard for the GS 12 Senior Social Worker as defined in See VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II Appendix G39, Social Worker Qualification Standard GS-185 Veterans Health Administration. Experience/Education: (1) Experience/Education. The candidate must have at least two years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure and should be 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. (2) Licensure/Certification. 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. (3) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) 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. (b) Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. (c) 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. (d) 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. (e) 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. (4) Assignments. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Senior social workers are licensed or certified to independently practice social work at an advanced level. Senior social workers typically practice in a major program area such as but not limited to: Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center or Polytrauma Network Site; a Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Center, or a national VHA referral center, such as a national Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or a national Transplant Center, or other program areas of equivalent scope and complexity. The senior social worker may be assigned administrative responsibility for clinical program development and is accountable for clinical program effectiveness and modification of service patterns. Assignments include clinical settings where they have limited access to onsite supervision such as CBOCs or satellite outpatient clinics. The senior social worker collaborates with the other members of the treatment team in the provision of comprehensive health care services to Veterans, ensures equity of access, service, and benefits to this population, ensures the care provided is of the highest quality. The senior social worker provides leadership, direction, orientation, coaching, in-service training, staff development, and continuing education programs for assigned social work staff. They serve on committees, work groups, and task forces at the facility, VISN and national level, or in the community as deemed appropriate by the supervisor, Social Work Executive or Chief of Social Work Services. This assignment is to be relatively few in number based on the size of the facility/service and applying sound position management. This assignment must represent substantial additional responsibility over and above that required at the full performance grade level and cannot be used as the full performance level of this occupation. Physical Requirements: Work is sedentary but also demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, and carrying light items. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. 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. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. 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 an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.