Senior Social Worker / HUD-VASH (Tribal)

Summary

This position is eligible for 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 your start date. 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

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As the Rural HUD-VASH Social Worker, the incumbent functions as part of the Health Care for Homeless Veterans interdisciplinary team and provides psychosocial services primarily to Veterans who are experiencing, or are at risk of homelessness. The incumbent is responsible for completing outreach and assessments to Veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness via in-person, phone and video connect applications. Incumbent will provide case management services for veterans receiving housing provided through HUD Housing Choice vouchers. Case management is defined as the provision of services by VA clinical staff to homeless veterans and includes all activities to provide appropriate treatment and maintain veterans in HUD approved stable housing. The incumbent will participate in response to Homeless Hotline Calls, and conduct assessments for the HCHV Assessment Clinic.

The HUD-VASH Rural Social Worker is responsible for overseeing all aspects of HUD-VASH case management with Veterans assigned to them, including but not limited to :

Direct Patient Care :

• Conducts outreach in the assigned areas, attending community events, and seeking to identify Veterans who may benefit from HCHV and HUD-VASH support services.
• Verifies the veteran's status, eligibility for VA medical care, and eligibility of program participation.
• Assisting Veterans with completion of paperwork specific to the voucher process, ensuring all steps are completed for submission to the Public Housing Authorities.
• Provide support to Veterans during the voucher issuance process.
• Utilizing Housing First and other evidence-based practice models to promote Veteran engagement and self-efficacy.
• Assisting the Veteran with housing placement, beginning with the process of obtaining a HUD-VASH voucher from the Public Housing Authority (PHA) through the lease up process.
• Advocating on behalf of Veterans and their families with landlords, PHA, community providers and internal VA stakeholders.
• Performs in-person and phone assessments for housing assistance, and assists Veterans in developing treatment plans;
• Conducts phone assessments within the HCHV Assessment Clinic.
• Responds to Homeless Hotline calls by conducting assessment and connecting Veterans to appropriate services.
• Conducts in-home visits according to the HUD-VASH program guidelines.
• Assisting Veterans to form and achieve goals to improve quality of life, to include the pursuit of employment, engagement in medical and mental health care, increased social supports, access to benefits and end of life planning.
• Coordinates care, including serving as an advocate on behalf of the Veterans, to ensure comprehensive service delivery, and linking veterans to VHA services, VA Regional offices, and all relevant community agencies;
• Maintains and manages a caseload of Veterans on a continuum from initial assessment and housing search through long-term successful housing;
• Provides intensive case management to Veterans in need of ongoing assessment and support in order to achieve and maintain housing and treatment goals;
• Providing a wide range of social work interventions and services in both individual or group settings, as consistent with VHA Directive 1110.02 Social Work Professional Practice and approved scope of practice.

Work Schedule : Work Schedule : Monday - Friday 7 : 30 a.m. to 4 : 00 p.m. / 8 : 00 a.m. to 4 : 30 p.m. work schedule, but work schedule may be adjusted to meet the needs of the service.

Compressed / Flexible : Not Available

Telework : Available

Virtual : This is not a virtual position.

EDRP Authorized : Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VISN22HREducationReimbursementTeam@va.gov for questions / assistance. Learn more

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)

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider :

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements :

Grade Determinations : In addition to the basic requirements stated above, the following qualification criteria must be met for each grade. The candidate's qualifications must clearly demonstrate the level of competence required for the grade.

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.

Reference : VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G-39 Social Worker Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office.

Physical Requirements : Work is sedentary but also demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, and carrying light items.

Education

Note : Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here : If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit :

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave : Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration / Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA / OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.