Social Worker (Inpatient Mental Health

Social Worker

The Social Worker serves within the Inpatient Mental Health Program at the Syracuse VA Medical Center and provides comprehensive social work services to veterans receiving inpatient psychiatric care. The incumbent independently performs psychosocial assessments, treatment planning, case management, counseling, discharge planning, and care coordination. The social worker works collaboratively with veterans, families, interdisciplinary treatment teams, VA providers, and community agencies to promote safe, effective, and timely care.

Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Conducts interviews and completes comprehensive psychosocial assessments for veterans admitted to the inpatient psychiatric unit.
• Assesses veterans for program eligibility, appropriateness of services, treatment needs, and risk factors, including suicide risk.
• Develops and participates in treatment planning in collaboration with veterans and the interdisciplinary treatment team.
• Provides individual, family, and group counseling within the scope of professional credentials.
• Coordinates discharge planning, including referrals for housing, substance use treatment, homecare, supported living, case management, and other VA or community services.
• Ensures appropriate mental health follow-up and coordinates safe transportation and continuity of care following discharge.
• Provides case management and care coordination with VA programs, community resources, government agencies, veterans, and their families.
• Provides consultation and education to veterans, families, staff, medical residents, and other members of the interdisciplinary team.
• Serves as a liaison between VA and community resources and assists veterans and families in accessing available benefits and services.
• Documents social work assessments, interventions, treatment activities, and discharge planning in the electronic health record.
• Participates in case conferences, committees, and other activities supporting the Inpatient Mental Health Program.
• May provide supervision to social work students or less experienced social workers, as appropriate.
• May participate in the rotation of on-call social workers to address patient care needs.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule:

Full Time;
Monday - Friday; 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM

Pay:
Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).

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) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.

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)