The Social Worker (Baker Act) is responsible for coordinating and processing all legal aspects of patients undergoing voluntary and/or involuntary treatment in accordance with the Florida State Baker Act laws and Federal laws/directives/United States Codes. Incumbent will provide Baker Act clinical support to the North Florida/South Georgia VA Health System (NF/SG VA) Healthcare System within the Inpatient Mental Health unit. Applicants must meet the requirements by the closing date of this announcement. 11/13/2024 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. The incumbent must be licensed or certified by a state at the independent or advanced practice level as determined by an ASWB advanced generalist or clinical examination. 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: In addition to meeting the basic requirements stated above, the following qualifications criteria must be met in determining the appropriate grade assignment of candidates. GS-11 Social Worker candidates must have the following: Experience and Licensure: Completion of a minimum of one (1) year of post-MSW experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the field of health care or other social work-related settings, (VA or non-VA experience) and licensure or certification in a state at the independent practice level. OR Education: In addition to meeting basic requirements listed above, a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required one (1) year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting. You must attach additional transcripts to support this qualification. 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 position and grade level: Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services. Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational and other diversified backgrounds. Knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities and treatment procedures (i.e. acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology) to formulate a treatment plan. Skill in independently implementing different treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, and social problems to achieve treatment goals. Ability to provide consultation services to new social workers, social work graduate students, and other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment. References: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39, Social Worker Qualification Standard. The full performance level of this position is the GS-11 grade level. Physical Requirements: The work requires extreme patience and controlling of emotions. The work may require using appropriate techniques to physically restrain patients who present a danger to self or others. The work may also require assisting physically disabled Veterans. Day-to-day work involves sitting, walking, standing and carrying light objects. Work is typically performed in a clinical setting that exposes the incumbent to common communicable diseases. Able to meet the physical demands of the position, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. They must have good manual dexterity. Must be able to express or exchange ideas by means of spoken and written word. Must be able to view and read information on computer screens. ["Social Work: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Social-Worker-Career-Flyer.pdf Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Duties for this position include, but are not limited to: collaborate with the interdisciplinary teams on the inpatient mental health services. serves as a liaison to the Alachua County Circuit Court and the Florida State Hospital system and will submit appropriate legal documents to those systems. maintain up-to-date knowledge of State of Florida Baker Act laws governing mental health treatment and ensures compliance within the NF/SG VA Healthcare System with all federal applicable laws. responsible for all aspects of inpatient mental health hearings, including transmitting paperwork to the Alachua County Circuit court, coordinating virtual or in-person hearings with Veterans, educating guardian advocates about their responsibilities and the court hearings, debriefing witnesses who will testify in court hearings, and supporting psychiatrists testifying in the hearings. review all the Baker Act legal forms that are completed in the CBOCs, OPCs, the ED, medical floors and any hospital to hospital transfers to make sure NF/SG VA follows the State of Florida Baker Act law. acts as a liaison between the NF/SG VA Healthcare System and the Baker Act Reporting Center at the University of South Florida and submits all pertinent Baker Act documents to the Reporting Center. maintains records of all Baker Act processes and legal matters pertaining to the Baker Act and the NF/SG VA Healthcare System and compile annual statistics related to Baker Act use in the system. participates in staff development in training of Baker Act law and the voluntary and involuntary processes. Actively participates in outstanding customer service and accepts responsibility in maintaining relationships that are equally respectful to all. Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Telework: Ad hoc only (not reoccurring or regular) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required. Additional Benefits 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) 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."]
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.
