Duties
The PTSD RRTP provides a complex spectrum of specialized psychosocial care, including evaluation, treatment, and case management in a 24-hour residential setting. The primary goal of the PTSD RRTP is to provide treatment and rehabilitation services to Veterans with complex Mental Health needs. Veterans served by the PTSD RRTP often have co-occurring psychosocial needs in areas such as employment and housing. They may also have co-occurring medical concerns. Veterans treated within the PTSD RRTP present a level of complexity and acuity which requires the additional support and structure of a residential setting. Rehabilitation is accomplished through services designed to improve functional status, sustain treatment gains, promote recovery and community integration, and prevent recidivism.
Senior Social Workers in the PTSD RRTP provide comprehensive social work services to Veterans and their families as part of the PTSD RRTP. Senior Social Workers will assume responsibility for the provision of clinical counseling and psychosocial services to Veterans who are admitted for complex mental health and psychosocial needs. Senior Social Workers will work as part of an interdisciplinary healthcare team and are responsible for active participation in interdisciplinary treatment team meetings and Veteran-centered care planning.
Clinical Functions: Incumbent is a social worker assigned to the PTSD Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (RRTP). The incumbent will provide direct clinical care, assessment, and treatment. The incumbent is a subject matter expert in psychological trauma, substance use disorders, other mental illness, and/or other complex and diverse psychosocial problems.
Incumbent will act as a consultant for PTSD RRTP staff who serve Veterans with complex mental health needs related to the experience of psychological trauma who display increased risk for disruptive behavior. Senior Social Workers will be assigned and independently manage a caseload of complex Veterans in the PTSD RRTP.
The incumbent has advanced practice skills and judgment. Senior Social Workers have mastered a range of specialized interventions and provide consultation to colleagues, renders professional opinions based on experience and expertise, develops new models of psychosocial assessment or intervention, and incorporates complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment.
Senior Social Workers utilize outcome evaluations and the findings from measurement-based care to improve treatment. The incumbent designs system changes based on empirical findings. The incumbent develops innovations in practice interventions and takes an active role in program development, in collaboration with the PTSD RRTP Program Manager.
Care management responsibilities include the management, coordination, and provision of social work and supportive services to Veterans and/or their families, including provision of individual and group counseling and psychotherapy to Veterans for issues related to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, substance use disorder, and other complex and diverse psychosocial problems. The incumbent also provides supportive counseling to family members. These services will occur primarily while the Veteran is enrolled in the PTSD RRTP, but also will include services provided pre-admission and post-discharge. The incumbent:
1. Must have an advanced level of skill and expertise to establish and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans in the PTSD RRTP and/or their families. The incumbent is able to independently work with Veterans who are experiencing issues related to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral, and psychosocial problems. These therapeutic relationships also extend to family members.
2. Must independently complete thorough psychosocial assessments to determine the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and/or their families. The incumbent must be able to utilize this assessment in facilitating the Veteran's maximum use of treatment for attainment of the highest level of independence that is possible and practicable.
3. Must possess advanced skills and provide best practice interventions related to safety. The incumbent will provide consultation and guidance to PTSD RRTP staff regarding suicide risk assessments, safety planning, dangerousness to others, and other safety- related concerns. The incumbent will collaborate with the Rocky Mountain MIRECC and other national resources to remain aware of best practices for safety assessments and safety planning. The incumbent will import best practices related to safety into the PTSD RRTP and provide guidance to social workers and team members in the implementation of best practices.
Work Schedule: M-F 8:00-4:30 p.m. May be required to work some evenings.
Functional Statement #:PD000000 and PD000000
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
- Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
- Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
- You may be required to serve a probationary period.
- Subject to background/security investigation.
- Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
- Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
- Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
Qualifications
Basic Requirements:
- Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States.
- English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed.
- 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 Master of Social Work.
- Licensure. 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.
GS-12 Education and Experience. The candidate must have 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. Senior Social Workers have experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment. 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.
- G-12 Licensure/Certification. Individuals assigned as Senior Social Workers must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level and must be able to provide supervision for licensure.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
- 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.
Preferred Experience: Training and experience delivering Evidence-Based Psychotherapies for PTSD including Cognitive Processing Therapy or Prolonged Exposure
Physical Requirements: Able to meet the physical demands for the position, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. Must have a good manual dexterity. Must be able to express or exchange ideas by means of spoken or written word. Must be able to view and read information on computer screens. Must be able to operate a government motor vehicle.
References: VA Handbook 5005, Appendix G39. Social Worker Qualification Standard, GS-185.
Education
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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.
It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.
Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
- Resume
- SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.
- Cover Letter
- DD-214/ Statement of Service
- Disability Letter (Schedule A)
- Disability Letter (VA)
- License
- Other (1)
- PCS Orders
- Performance Appraisal
- Professional Certification
- Resume
- Separation Notice (RIF)
- SF-15
- SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
- Transcript
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
How to Apply
All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 08/25/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12781862.
- To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
- Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
Next steps
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.
NOTE: Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a condition of employment and a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities.