The Local Recovery Coordinator (LRC) is a Social Worker assigned within the Mental Health- Recovery Programs Service Line, located at Central Alabama Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHCS). The LRC assists in implementation of policies and procedures from the National Recovery Coordinator (NRC) and facilitates implementation of recovery oriented services in Mental Health programs. Applicants must meet the requirements by the closing date 9/30/2024 of this announcement. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Must be US Citizen. Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. 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: 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/. 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). Grade Determinations: n addition to meeting the basic requirements stated above, the following qualifications criteria must be met in determining the appropriate grade assignment of candidates. GS-12 Senior Social Worker candidates must have the following: Experience/Education: Must have at least two (2) years of experience POST advanced practice clinical licensure and should be in a specialized area of social work practice of which, one (1) 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. AND 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. Advanced License must be submitted with application. While we no longer require essay-style responses to our Knowledge's Skills, Abilities, and Other Characteristics (KSAOs), you must be able to demonstrate that you possess the (below) competencies which are necessary to perform the work of the position. Please ensure your resume/CV/application contains sufficient information to support the level of experience/education/training; otherwise, we will not be able to award you credit for the experience/education/training you claim. If selected, you may be required to submit narrative responses then. These are the KSA's for this subject position and grade level: 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. Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. 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. 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. 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. References: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39, Senior Social Worker Qualification Standard, dated 9/10/19 Physical Requirements: The physical demands of the work requires use of fingers; moderate walking and standing; near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; far vision correctable in on eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; hearing aid permitted; clear speech; emotional stability; moderate duty. The applicant must have a valid driver's license and pass Occupational Health screening as position will require driving a government vehicle. Incumbent must be able to climb stairs and walk short distances. Incumbent must be able to lift 25 pounds. ["VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU The Local Recovery Coordinator Social Worker will function to do the following: Implement policies & procedures from National Recovery Coordinator (NRC). Provide oversight and guidance on recovery-based programs and interventions in all Mental Health programs within CAVHCS. Train providers within CAVHCS on recovery and evaluate implementation. Educate Veterans & their families on recovery and evaluate implementation. Facilitate and support recovery services (advisory boards, consumer councils, peer support services etc.). Major Duties and Responsibilities: Evaluate Assess status of recovery-oriented services and highlight areas for improvement. With guidance from NRC, implement measures to assess adherence to recovery policies & procedures. With guidance from NRC, implement measures to assess the extent recovery model is embedded in MH programs. Compliance Coordinate evaluation of recovery implementation at the facility & report results. Provide annual report on implementation of progress to the VISN, LRC POC, and NRC. Participates in monthly conference calls and quarterly face-to-face meetings With VISN Recovery Coordinators to coordinate a network response to recovery implementation and implementation of Central Office policies and procedures related to Recovery. Policies and Procedures Serve as advocate & ombudsman to MH Director, unit managers, program managers and staff on Recovery. In collaboration with MH director, develop 3-5-year plan for facility that identifies staged implementation of recovery oriented services. Participates in facility MH leaderships meetings and policy planning groups. Develop a facility recovery education plan for providers & Veterans along with families utilizing Psychiatric Rehabilitation/Psychosocial Rehabilitation/ Recovery Model. Staff Education Develop ongoing education plan for providers which include (yet not limited to), didactic presentations about elements of recovery (e g. Wellness Recovery Action Plans), recovery implementation from experts, recurrent presentations by recovering veterans, information about community mental health support groups, resources & referral process, information about VA & national recovery materials/resources and how to access materials, Information about VA sponsored trainings and education on recovery (e.g. how to communicate recovery to patients and families), availability of recovery posters & brochures, training on cultural competency. Develop ongoing education plan for veterans & their families which include (yet not limited to) didactic presentations about elements of recovery (e.g. groups on Wellness Recovery Action Plans) recovery implementation from experts, recurrent presentations by recovering veterans, information about community mental health support groups & other resources along with referral process, information about how to become involved in improving mental health care for veterans through Consumer Council. Develop and coordinate local recovery training as needed. Assist VA regional or local recovery-oriented trainings, meetings or conferences. Clinical Engage in direct clinical services providing recovery. oriented care to seriously mentally ill veterans. Assess quality of care delivered by CAVHCS staff in accordance with Psychiatric Rehabilitation/Psychosocial Rehabilitation/Recovery Model Consultation Serve as a consultant to MH programs and recovering Veterans in the development of Peer support groups (Vet-Vet), Consumer Council (serves as MH Liaison), Veteran-operated services (as per local needs and resources). Consult on issues of availability and support for self-help, peer support, consumer operated services. Advise MH director on filling peer specialist positions & serve as consultant to peer specialists. Serve as MH liaison to facility Veterans/Consumer Council. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.