Senior Social Worker

Senior Social Worker

The Senior Social Worker in this position will be assigned to the PTSD Outpatient Program. The PTSD Outpatient Program is part of the Psychiatry Department's Mental Hygiene Clinic, located at the VA Connecticut Health Care Center, West Haven. The Social Worker in this position acts in the role of Senior Social Worker to an interdisciplinary team of professionals and trainees working with Veterans with PTSD and/or anxiety, provides supervision and consultation, provides educational opportunities, provides direct patient care via individual and groups, participates in program development in consultation with the PTSD Firm Director, and provides administrative duties and reports related to such, as assigned by leadership.

The incumbent will provide therapy/counseling (individual, couples, families, and groups) to veterans for issues related to Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other complex and diverse psychosocial problems. MSW maintains a designated clinical caseload.

Specific duties of this position include but are not limited to:

• The incumbent will conduct psychosocial assessments to determine needs of veterans and family members.
• The incumbent is an active participant in the treatment planning process with other disciplines.
• The incumbent will participate in discharge planning with other disciplines and will be responsible for ensuring that discharge plans are executed in a manner that is timely and appropriate.
• The incumbent will provide individual, family and group counseling as appropriate.
• The incumbent will provide consultation/education to veterans and families on community resources, advance directives and VA benefits.
• The incumbent will act as a consultant to other team/staff members.
• The incumbent will act as liaison between VA and community resources, to include marketing and public relation duties as needed.
• The incumbent will provide case management to veterans and families, as needed, throughout the continuum of care.
• The incumbent will provide a full range of social work services within commonly accepted standards of social work practice which includes case work, individual, family and group counseling, discharge planning, case management and other services as appropriate.
• The incumbent will address Advance Directives and Organ Donation in accordance with the standards of their work area.
• The incumbent will provide wellness/prevention education and facilitate Patient/family support groups as appropriate.
• The incumbent will as appropriate, supervise the practice of social work students, or a less experienced social worker.
• The incumbent will coordinate treatment and communicate with the care lines to facilitate continuity of care for veterans.
• The incumbent will maintain data and statistical compilations to comply with JCAHO, VA and medical center policy and procedures.
• The incumbent will assist patients and their significant others with coping and dealing with the loss and grief experiences in disability, terminal illness and death.
• The incumbent will participate in a rotation of on-call social workers, including modification of tour of duty to accommodate patient care needs on weekends.

Work Schedule:

Monday to Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm

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)

Telework:
Yes, as determined by the agency policy.

Virtual:
This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 689-F1279

Permanent Change of Station (PCS):
Not Authorized