Social Worker Job at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Los Angeles

The Social Worker in this position is to function as an Outreach Social Worker in Community Engagement and Reintegration Services (CERS) and performs services as a member of the Street Outreach Team.

Summary: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Duties:

• Incumbent will provide direct patient care, in a primarily field-based capacity, to homeless Veterans with serious mental illness, substance abuse, and medical issues in communities throughout the Greater Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Healthcare Systems (GLAVAHS) catchment area.
• Incumbent is responsible for assisting with patient eligibility and enrollment, providing linkage and support, and ensuring that care is coordinated with Veteran Affairs (VA) Medical Centers/ Regional Offices, as well as community health or mental health providers and agencies that serve homeless populations.
• Incumbent will provide direct patient care, including therapy-based interventions, crisis management, case management, referrals to social services/ VA services, and coordination of services with community agencies.
• Incumbent will stay up-to-date and maintain compliance with all standard operating procedures/ directives/ guidelines that are implemented/ required by VA, GLAHS, CERS, and the Street Outreach Team.
• Incumbent will provide clinical support to other outreach teams and outreach staff in the provision of services to Veterans.
• Incumbent will participate in significant travel into the community in order to provide social work services, including direct patient care and collaborative efforts with VA and non-VA community organizations, throughout GLA's catchment area during their assigned tour of duty.

Work Schedule: Full Time, 40 hours a week Monday to Friday 7:00AM to 3:30PM

Requirements:

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to a background/security investigation
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Personnel
• Must be able to operate a Government furnished vehicle for the purposes of assisting Veterans with obtaining and maintaining housing.

Qualifications:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• 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).
• 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.