Senior Social Worker

Summary This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. Duties Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Senior Social Worker functions as a coordinator of care for veterans at high-risk for suicide and/or self-harm. Senior Social Worker will serve to facilitate and implement suicide prevention strategies at the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System through education, public speaking engagements, community outreach, data monitoring, and facilitation of case management activities. Duties may include but are not limited to: Senior Social Worker is responsible for assessing the risk of suicide in individual patients in conjunction with the treating clinician and managing the Category I Patient Record Flag for patients at risk for suicide. Tracks high-risk veterans and monitors treatment to ensure that needed services are being received. Provide appropriate clinical referrals to Veterans affected by a suicide attempt or bereaved by suicide, including trauma treatment and care for complicated grief. Responds to consults from the Veteran Crisis Line within 24 business hours and coordinates the follow-up care for those Veterans and families to assure timely access to care and follow-up for patients in crisis. Provides training to clinical and non-clinical staff at the VA Medical Center, Primary Care Clinics, Pahrump CBOC, and community agencies regarding suicide risk factors, warning signs, treatment options, medical center memorandum and standard operating procedures, and resources and medical center. Develops and promotes educational materials about the warning signs for Veteran suicide and how to connect individuals in crisis with assistance and care. Works to reduce stigma associated with suicidal behavior and mental health and substance use disorders among Veterans. Promotes the understanding that recovery from mental health and substance use disorders is real and possible for all Veterans. Encourages collaboration between providers of mental health and substance use services and community-based programs, including peer support programs and Veterans Service Organizations (VSO). Delivers interventions to reduce suicidal thoughts and behaviors among Veterans with suicidal risks. Provides education about suicide risk assessments such as the Suicide Risk Identification Process including: PHQ2+I9, Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), and Comprehensive Suicide Risk Evaluation (CSRE). Promotes the use of evidence-based interventions and strategies for suicide prevention. Establishes and maintains an ongoing SAVE Training program with non-clinical frontline staff to assure that they are aware of options for veterans whom they come in contact during crisis situations. Plays an active role in the RCA (Root Cause Analysis) Suicide Team by performing individual case reviews, assisting with preparation of yearly aggregate summaries, and facilitating the implementation of system improvement recommended by the Team. May serve as a liaison to inpatient acute unit and/or residential treatment unit. If serving as the liaison will work onsite and participate in daily treatment team meetings on the unit(s). Work Schedule: Full-Time, M-F, Schedule to be discussed during interview Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact [email protected] , the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Ad hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 07271F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Qualifications Basic Requirements: Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Education. Requires 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. Licensure. People 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. 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). Grandfathering Provision. The following is the standard grandfathering policy for all title38 hybrid qualification standards. Please carefully review the qualification standard to determine the specific education and/or licensure/certification/registration requirements that apply to this occupation. (1) All people employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure or certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all of the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: (2) Such employees in an occupation that requires a licensure or certification, may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. (3) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. (4) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all of the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. (5) If an employee who was retained in an occupation listed in 38 U.S.C. § 7401(3) under this provision leaves that occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reen