Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. Open to current permanent Department of Veterans Affairs employees , current permanent Federal employees of other agencies.

The Local Recovery Coordinator (LRC) is located within the Mental Health Service and is responsible for transforming the Washington DC Veterans Affairs Healthcare System (DCVAHCS) Mental Health Service into a recovery-oriented model of care, assisting in the sustainment of those changes, and supporting further systemic changes as new evidence becomes available. The LRC works to develop and enhance programming and service delivery within the Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center (PRRC), inpatient psychiatry and more generally throughout programs in the Mental Health Service. The psychologist complies with national and local performance measures, including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for patients.

The LRC also carries a caseload in the General Mental Health Clinic, Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center (PRRC) or other outpatient area as delegated by Mental Health Service leadership, providing individual and group treatment, as well as clinic coverage (e.g., intakes, risk triages), as needed.

Administrative

• Develops a 3 to 5-year plan for the facility that identifies staged implementation of recovery-oriented services (e.g., use of recovery plans).
• Coordinates the evaluation of recovery implementation at the facility and reports the results to the National Recovery Coordinator (NRC).
• Implements measures to assess recovery policy and procedure adherence, and assess the extent that the recovery model is embodied in the Mental Health (MH) programs.
• Serves as a recovery ombudsman to MH executive leadership, program managers, and MH staff on recovery and implementation of recovery-oriented services.
• Provides leadership guidance and consultation to staffs of units to which assigned.
• Supports MH executive leadership with providing clinical consultation to the Peer Support program and acting as a support for their direct supervisors; supports MH leadership with filling Peer Specialist positions
• Serves as EPIC Team Champion
• Acts as MH Champion for MH Summit and other MH activities throughout the year.
• Assists with VA regional or local recovery-oriented trainings, meetings, or conferences
• Develops an education plan for providers that includes:1. recurrent didactic presentations about elements of recovery and recovery implementation byexperts;2. presentations by recovering individuals, especially veterans;3. information about community mental health support groups and other resources and how to makereferrals;4. information about VA and national recovery materials and resources and how to access them;5. information about VA sponsored trainings and education on recovery;6. availability of recovery posters and brochures;7. training on cultural competency;8. development and coordination of local recovery training as needed
• Provides annual report on implementation progress to local Leadership, VISN RC and the NRC
• Meets quarterly with VISN RC to coordinate a network response to recovery implementation and implementation of policies and procedures related to recovery.
• Participates in facility Mental Health (MH) leadership meetings and policy planning groups.

Clinical

• Provides clinical services to SMI diagnosed Veterans that affect MH performance metrics.
• Provides comprehensive psychosocial assessments and treatment for Veterans with serious mental illness referred to recovery services
• Reviews all subjective and objective data; assesses high risk factors; provides a clinical assessment; determines a treatment plan for the Veteran based on acuity and need for and type of recovery services and/or psychotherapy recommended.
• Determines the probability of recovery-focused interventions being effective for a Veteran and provides a full range of therapeutic interventions including individual, couple/family, and group psychotherapies; psycho-educational groups; and case management.

Enriching elements

• Academic/teaching/training: May provide clinical supervision to various disciplines and levels of training, including trainees seeking licensure in psychology and Peer Support Specialists.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 AM- 4:30 PM
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
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)

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 dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• 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. 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 tohttp://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work.
• 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.
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Differentiating Independent Practice from Advanced Practice Level. Experience must be evaluated to differentiate between independent practice and advanced practice levels. A social worker practicing at the independent level has a generalized knowledge of practice, (which is required for all social workers at the full performance level and above.), whereas the social worker practicing at the advanced level has specialized knowledge of practice typically related to a particular diagnosis or patient population. The advanced practice social worker can be further differentiated from the independent practice social worker by their ability to expand clinical knowledge in the profession, provide consultation and guidance to colleagues, role model effective social work practice skills, teach or provide orientation to less experienced social workers, develop innovations in practice interventions, and provide clinical supervision for social work licensure or certification. A social worker with advanced practice skills and personal qualifications that meet the standard for the senior social worker will have passed an advanced generalist or clinical Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) examination and be assigned to a position that requires use of the advanced practice skills in order to be considered for the senior social worker grade.

Grade Determinations: 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:

• 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: Familiarity working with Veterans in the Substance Abuse Recovery Program, an intensive outpatient program serving Veterans diagnosed with a mental illness and SUD. Familiarity and skill in evidence-based practices is important for this role, while working in a Veteran Centric environment. At least two years should be in an area of specialized social work practice in mental health and substance abuse treatment. The incumbent has a post 2 years independent clinical license or certification by a state at the advanced practice level, which includes an ASWB advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless they are grandfathered by the state in which they are licensed to practice at the advance practice level. The Senior Social Worker 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.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: Must pass a pre-employment physical examination as required by VA Handbook 5019. This examination is administered by VA Occupational Health. This position requires: light to moderate lifting (15 - 44 lbs.); light carrying (15 lbs. and under); reaching above shoulder;
use of fingers; both hands required; walking (up to two hours); standing (up to two hours); kneeling (up to one hour); ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; near vision correction at 13" to 16"; far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; depth perception' ability to distinguish basic colors; hearing (aid permitted); emotional stability; mental stability; working closely with others and working alone.

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:

• 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
• Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Next steps