Senior Social Worker

Clarification from the agency

This is an INTERNAL ANNOUNCEMENT and is limited to current permanent employees of the VA Central Iowa Health Care System to include CBOC's and current permanent VA Nationwide employees. The public and employees of other Federal agencies should apply to announcement number CBSY-12993824-26-GPA.--NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU

The social worker is a master's prepared clinician who provides Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) services for the Domiciliary Veterans and is a resource for domiciliary Veterans for case management services, therapy and aftercare planning and follow up. The incumbent completes a psychosocial assessment on Veterans admitted to the Domiciliary Program at VA Central Iowa. The assessments will include data pertinent to the development of an effective recovery-oriented treatment plan as stipulated in Joint Commission and CARF standards.

The social worker will serve as the lead of the PTSD multidisciplinary treatment team. In addition, the social worker will provide direct care and treatment where indicated and as such functions as a residential treatment team member. The social worker also provides social work case management, mental health and PTSD services to Veterans residing on the Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Programs (MHRRTP) or Domiciliary.

The social worker must understand psychodynamics and use a wide range of treatment modalities, including crisis intervention, therapies used in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, case work, group work, patient education, motivational interviewing, supportive therapy, family therapy, discharge planning and knowledge of aftercare treatment resources, etc. The treatment modality shall be consistent with the needs, as well as goals and objectives of each patient. Individuals shall be involved with and participating in formulating and implementing their own rehabilitation efforts with the goal of optimal functioning.

The social worker may participate in conducting orientation sessions for new employees. In­ service training sessions may also be conducted for medical center staff to improve the level of knowledge and understanding of mental health issues (including PTSD) and other psychosocial needs including homelessness.

The social worker obtains a thorough working knowledge of aftercare rehabilitation community treatment resources and makes appropriate referrals. The incumbent makes every effort to link patients to the appropriate resources and to implement the aftercare plan. The social worker serves as a liaison between both the inpatient and outpatient settings and community services. The incumbent advises significant others about community rehabilitation resources available to them as well as informing aftercare facilities about VA programs and resources. The social worker is accountable for timely and proper documentation in the clinical treatment file including social work assessments, treatment plans, discharge summaries, documentation of statistical data and recording of social work workload into the DSS system.

The social worker will serve as a mentor to other social workers, particularly those at the entry level. The applicant is licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level and can provide clinical supervision for unlicensed social workers and for those licensed social workers seeking to obtain a higher level of state licensure. Incumbent is viewed by social workers and interdisciplinary team members as a senior clinician with advanced practice skills and experience.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30am-4pm
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact VHAVISN23EDRP@va.gov., the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• 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).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

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:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

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:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Education: 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).
• Licensure: Must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level.
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in written and spoken English to be appointed.

Grade Determinations: Senior Social Worker GS-0185-12

Experience/Education:
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 are experts in their specialized area of practice. 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.

Licensure/Certification:
Applicants must meet the requirements for providing supervision in the state where they are licensed at the advanced practice level and should list these qualifications within the assessment narrative and their resume. Documentation is required if part of your state's requirements for providing supervision for licensure is beyond your licensure only (example: certification of continuing education credits).

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

(a)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.
(b)Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
(c)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.
(d)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.
(e)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.

References: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://department.va.gov/employees/va-qualifications-standards/

Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:
1. Current permanent VA employees of the facility.
2. All other VA employees.

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.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• License
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.

Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.


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
• License
• Recommended - Knowledge, Skills, and Ability (KSA) documentation - listed under qualifications in the announcement
• Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.

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