The Battle Creek VA Medical Center, Lansing Community Based Outreach Center, is recruiting for a Social Worker. The Social Worker will function as a Housing and Urban Development - VA Supported Housing (HUD-VASH) Program Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Specialist for Homeless Programs in in Social Work Service. Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. 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 http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work. 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/. Exception. VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations. This exception only applies at the GS-9 grade level. For the GS-11 grade level and above, the candidate must be licensed or certified. At the time of appointment, the supervisor, chief social work or social work executive will provide the unlicensed/uncertified social worker with the written requirements for licensure or certification, including the time by which the license or certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed or certified by the deadline. Loss of Licensure or Certification. Once licensed or certified, social workers must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Current employees 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). Creditable Experience. 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. Quality of Experience. Experience is only creditable if it is obtained following graduation with a master's degree in social work and if it includes work as a professional social worker directly related to the position to be filled. Qualifying experience must also be at a level comparable to social work experience at the next lower level. Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time work week. For example, one week of full-time credit is equivalent to two weeks of part-time work. Fellowships or Post-Graduate Training. Fellowship and post-graduate training programs are typically in a specialized area of clinical practice, i.e., group or family practice. Training as a fellow or post-graduate may be substituted for creditable experience on a year-for-year basis. Practicum in a VA Setting. A VHA practicum experience may not be substituted for experience, as the practicum (field placement) is completed prior to graduation with a master's degree in social work. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Social Worker, GS-11 Experience and Licensure. Appointment to the GS-11 grade level requires 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. OR Education. In addition to meeting basic requirements, a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required one year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services. (b) 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. (c) 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. (d) 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. (e) 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. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39 September 10, 2019 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. ["VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU HUD-VASH is an intensive case management program for chronically homeless Veterans aimed at providing psychosocial services to Veterans while residing in stable housing through HUD's Section 8 voucher system. The incumbent functions as a champion and advocate for the provision of recovery focused services to Veterans. As such, the incumbent is expected to model Recovery and its defined values in all aspects of her or his professional activities and partnerships. The social worker is the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Specialist for Homeless Programs. This position provides case management, intervention support to Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supported Housing (HUD-VASH) Program in a team oriented, recovery-based Program. The (SUD) Specialist supports the HUD-VASH Program by providing continuity of care between Homeless Programs through services to Veterans with SUDs as they transition from Programs such as Domiciliary or Residential Rehabilitation and Treatment Programs (RRTPs), Health Care for Homeless Veterans Contracted Housing, and Grant Per Diem Programs to HUD-VASH. The social worker provides on-going substance use case management and early treatment interventions to promote sustained stability and abstinence in HUD-VASH subsidized permanent housing. These Veterans are frequently homeless due to their SUD activities, so providing SUD treatment support and early intervention promotes recovery, improved quality of life and successful permanent housing. These Veterans are frequently also diagnosed with co-occurring mental health, physical health and social problems that require particular skill in early intervention and crisis management. The social worker must be able to develop appropriate professional relationships with the Veterans and meet the Veteran where he or she is ready to engage in treatment. The social worker also will need to develop liaison relationships with more acute treatment providers/ Programs, such as an Intensive Outpatient Program. Provides direct SUD services for the HUD-VASH Program in the Medical Center. Provides Outreach services for the HUD-VASH Program in the community Provides training for other members of the multidisciplinary treatment team in areas related to SUD assessment, anger management, and life skills and SUD with co-occurring disorders. Independently conducts intake and needs assessment of homeless Veterans and their significant others to identifies symptoms leading to clinical diagnoses of SUD. Provides all necessary assessment functions, e.g. interviewing, psychosocial histories, and SUD assessments to aid in the development of treatment plans. Develops comprehensive treatment plans with the Veteran that address the factors that contributed to homelessness, including SUD and other co-occurring factors within a recovery model framework and in conjunction with the HUD-VASH case managers. Works with the Veteran to realize the Veteran's treatment goals, and reassesses and revises goals as indicated by the Veteran's engagement in treatment. Organizes and conducts individual and group case management and SUD treatment, to include early interventions and supportive follow-up to ensure stability in home visits and facility-based contacts. Provides SUD support to the HUD-VASH team as a functional member of this team, to include consultation, interventions, or accompanying HUD-VASH case managers on home visits, when indicated by suspicion of HUD-VASH participant SUD use. Will serve as a member of a multidisciplinary Homeless Program Treatment team. Will develop partnerships with community agencies, especially those serving homeless and SUD Veterans, with regular contact and communication. Will provide liaison services with other programs referring homeless Veterans to HUD-VASH to ensure continuity of care and promote successful transition of Veterans from one program to another. Will participate in policy making, goal setting, and treatment service planning discussions with other members of HUD-VASH and Homeless Programs teams. Will provide appropriate clinical documentation for all contacts with or about Veterans in CPRS. Will be responsible for the collection of statistical data and for reviewing the data to improve performance and delivery of services to homeless Veterans. Provides recovery-oriented treatment utilizing evidence-base practices with the goal of establishing the Veteran independently in the community at the Veteran's highest level of functioning and quality of life Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Schedule may be changed to meet the needs of the Veterans and the medical center during emergent situations, and evening and weekend coverage may be required. Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]

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