Summary This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply. Duties The Senior Social Worker (Hospice and Palliative Care) position is in the Geriatrics & Extended Care Service at the VA Maine Healthcare System located at the Augusta, ME location. This position is full time at 40 hours per week. Provides Social Work services to the Veteran population on the inpatient Hospice unit, and to patients being followed on an outpatient basis by the Palliative Care team. Must have at least two years of experience post obtaining advanced practice clinical licensure and should have specialized experience of social work practice within a hospice and/or palliative care clinical setting. Have experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, is able to be a resource to clinical staff throughout the organization, and is able to provide training and education to Fellows and other trainees on variety of topics related to psychosocial issues in palliative medicine and end of life care. Duties include, but are not limited to: Assessing the patient's understanding of his/her diagnosis and proposed treatments. Helping the Veteran cope with end-of-life or complex chronic illness diagnoses and the many emotions that arise. Education/instruction regarding self-relaxation and other coping strategies. Assessing treatment options when considering work, family and the Veteran's other obligations. Interagency collaboration when the Veteran's care involves multiple entities. Providing education related to the patient's VA, Social Security and disability benefits. Providing referrals and linkage to community agencies with specialized benefits. Counseling individuals, couples and families regarding referrals to specialized mental health providers. Linkage to appropriate support groups and educational programs. Facilitating communication between the treatment team, Veteran and family, including advocacy. Facilitating family discussions regarding illness, healthcare and life changes. Supporting end-of-life planning/care preferences through assistance with Advanced Directives for Healthcare as well as discussions about patient values and preferences related to Life Sustaining Treatments. Discharge planning; inpatient and outpatient placements into residential care facilities, subacute skilled nursing facilities and adult day healthcare programs. Addressing the impact of end-of-life and/or chronic illness on life issues (intimacy, body image, living with chronic illness with the uncertainty of life expectancy, etc.). Referral to and coordination of hospice care services including facilitation with Non-VA Care Coordination. Advocating for home health or hospice care when requested by the Veteran. Coordinating bereavement support services with VA Maine chaplain services and/or community hospice agencies. Work Schedule: Full-Time Monday-Friday 7:30am-4:00pm Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Functional Statement #: F02738 Notifications: This position is in the Excepted Service. This position is not in a Bargaining Unit. This position is covered by a special salary rate. Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees. Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held. No award SF50's will be accepted. Narrative responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) may be required from the selectee in order to proceed with the appointment. Qualifications Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency: You must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f) Education: You must possess 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. Note: A doctoral degree in Social Work may NOT be substituted for the master's degree in Social Work. License or Certification: You must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. 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). Grandfathering Provision: The following is the standard grandfathering policy for all title 38 hybrid qualification standards. Please carefully review the qualification standard to determine the specific education and/or licensure/certification/registration requirements that apply to this occupation. (1) All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure or certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all of the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: (2) Such employees in an occupation that requires a licensure or certification, may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. (3) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. (4) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all of the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. (5) If an employee who was retained in an occupation listed in 38 U.S.C. § 7401(3) under this provision leaves that occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation. NOTE: If social workers covered under the grandfathering provision of the 1991 Federal law regarding licensure or certification of VHA social workers leave the GS0185 social work series, they lose the grandfathering protection. If they choose to return at a later date to the GS-0185 series, they must be licensed or certified to qualify for employment as a social worker. Grade Determinations: Licensure: You 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 must be able to provide supervision for licensure. GS 12 Experience: You must possess at least two years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure and should be in a specialized area of social work practice of which, one year must be equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to: Assessing and documenting identified behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and/or intimate partner violence; use of clinical social work skills; maintaining patient privacy and confidentiality per policies, handbooks or directives; acting as an advocate with appropriate community service providers and agencies when it serves the best interest of the patient and family members/caregiver; independently assessing the psychosocial functioning and needs of patients and their family members, identifying the patient's strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and psychosocial acuity. Applicable experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment. Senior social workers are experts in their specialized area of practice. Applicable experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment. Senior social workers are experts in their specialized area of practice. In addition to the experience above, you must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: 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. Continuation of qualification standards are listed in the Education Section. Education Preferred Experience: Experience providing specialized social work services in hospice and/or palliative care settings, including management of complex physical, emotional, and psychosocial needs for Veterans with advanced progressive or terminal illnesses. Demonstrated competency in completing comprehensive biopsychosocial assessments, including DSM 5 multi axial diagnostic formulation, treatment planning, and ongoing case management for patients and families facing end of life issues. Experience collaborating within interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary care teams, including physicians, APRNs, nurses, psychologists, chaplains, and community agencies to coordinate care, facilitate goals of care discussions, and support communication among team members, Veterans, and families. Knowledge and application of community resources, VA benefits, Social Security, disability programs, and specialized hospice-related services, with proven ability to provide timely referrals, linkage, and advocacy for Veterans and caregivers. Experience providing counseling and support to individuals, couples, and families, addressing anticipatory grief, bereavement needs, coping strategies, caregiver stress, and the emotional impact of chronic or terminal illness. Expertise in discharge planning and care coordination, including placement in skilled nursing facilities, residential care programs, adult day health programs, and coordination with Non-VA care partners for hospice or home based services. Experience delivering education and training to clinical staff, Fellows, and trainees, including teaching psychosocial topics related to palliative medicine, end of life ethics, grief and loss, and community resource navigation. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: The work requires the ability to move around the office and facility. The work is performed in offices and meeting rooms and is largely sedentary. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations. The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. The work can be mentally and emotionally demanding and stressful, and the ability to utilize effective coping and self-care strategies is essential IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.