Senior Social Worker

Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. Area of consideration (AOC)- Current employees of the Department of Veteran Affairs as well as Current/Past VHA Health Professional Trainee (HPT) Graduates

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

The VISN 8's Clinical Resource Hub is currently recruiting for a Suicide Prevention Coordinator. The incumbent will provide evidence-based suicide prevention psychotherapies and interventions such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicide Prevention, Advanced Safety Planning, Problem Solving Therapy for Suicide Prevention, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy.

Maintains high level of skill and expertise to establish and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans and their families. Independently works with Veterans and their families who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral, and psychosocial problems within the context of suicide risk.

Completes a current psychosocial assessment to determine the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans, after thorough review of the medical record. The incumbent must be able to utilize this assessment and the VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for Assessment and Management of Patients at Risk for Suicide (2019) in facilitating the Veteran's maximum use of treatment for attainment of the highest level of recovery that is possible and practicable.

Completes all reporting requirements set forth by SPP and CRH to include, but not limited to:

• Measurement-Based Care monitoring
• Program evaluation
• Quality management
• Fidelity, efficacy, and outcomes measures
• Training required for the position and delivery of care
• Utilization of tools and resources related to reporting and evaluation (i.e., dashboards, measures, note templates with health factors, etc.)

Participates as a member of a Suicide Prevention National Telehealth Program treatment team and engages in active collaboration with Veterans and family as well as other interdisciplinary treatment team members, including but not limited to Psychiatrists, Nurse Practitioners, Psychologists, Social Workers, RNs, Peer Support Specialists and Administrative Support staff, in the development and implementation of a treatment plan.

Possesses knowledge of current literature and experience in use of mental health and substance abuse diagnoses and treatment procedures, including acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses, as well as in suicide risk assessment and intervention.

Facilitates enrollment and discharge planning through collaboration with Veterans and their families as well as interdisciplinary treatment team members to ensure that appropriate plans are executed in a timely manner. Also, incumbent will address treatment compliance and "no-shows" when needed with patients.

Serves as a liaison between Veterans and their families and VA and community resources in order to ensure thorough delivery of suicide prevention-related services.

Possesses knowledge and ability to independently implement treatment modalities and to provide counseling and/or skills groups for Veterans and families. This will be achieved through future completion of training program curriculums and demonstration of competency, as determined by standard, programmatic ratings.


Work Schedule: Monday to Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm
Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
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)
Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.
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.
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)
Telework: For days not approved for telework, the candidate MUST be able to report to a facility located within the legacy VISN 8 service area.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #:10105F
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): 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 evaluation/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:

a. Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g this part).

b. 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.

c. 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.

d. Grandfathering Provision. May qualify for Change to Lower Grade only, based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation found in VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G39. This provision does not cover promotions beyond the Full Performance Level.

e. Physical Requirements. See below for information.

f. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

Senior Social Worker, GS-12 (1) 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.

(2) Licensure/Certification. 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.

(3) 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.

(4) Assignments: For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Senior social workers are licensed or certified to independently practice social work at an advanced level. Senior social workers typically practice in a major program area such as but not limited to: Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center or Polytrauma Network Site; a Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Center, or a national VHA referral center, such as a national Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or a national Transplant Center, or other program areas of equivalent scope and complexity. The senior social worker may be assigned administrative responsibility for clinical program development and is accountable for clinical program effectiveness and modification of service patterns. Assignments include clinical settings where they have limited access to onsite supervision such as CBOCs or satellite outpatient clinics. The senior social worker collaborates with the other members of the treatment team in the provision of comprehensive health care services to Veterans, ensures equity of access, service, and benefits to this population, ensures the care provided is of the highest quality. The senior social worker provides leadership, direction, orientation, coaching, in-service training, staff development, and continuing education programs for assigned social work staff. They serve on committees, work groups, and task forces at the facility, VISN and national level, or in the community as deemed appropriate by the supervisor, Social Work Executive or Chief of Social Work Services. This assignment is to be relatively few in number based on the size of the facility/service and applying sound position management. This assignment must represent substantial additional responsibility over and above that required at the full performance grade level and cannot be used as the full performance level of this occupation.


References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G39. This position is being recruited only at the GS-12 level, which is above the full performance level of the occupation.

Physical Requirements: The Physical Requirements of this position are concerned with the mental and physical ability of the applicant to satisfactorily perform the duties of the proposed assignment and may include requisite laboratory and other screening as required by Federal regulatory agencies. The position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech and manual dexterity. The work requires occasional periods of continued walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling and pushing. The incumbent must be capable of working effectively in stressful situations and able to shift priorities based on veteran needs.

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.

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

• Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV)

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 (VA)
• License
• Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Other (1)
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

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