Social Worker

Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to all US Citizens. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position.

VA Careers - Licensed Clinical Social Worker: https://youtube.com/embed/U_xC25QsN0w
Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

The position is located in the Clinical Behavioral Health Service line. CBH provides ambulatory care services to mentally ill and/or substance abusing male and female Veterans and their significant others. Patients that receive services can have concurrent psychiatric disorders, personality disorders, substance use, medical conditions, and multiple psychosocial stressors.

The Behavioral Health Social Worker must have the knowledge and skills to make independent decisions regarding the assessment, treatment, and case management of the diagnostically diverse BHC patient population. Must form and maintain effective working relationships with staff from the Behavioral Health Clinic, Medical, Nursing, Social Work, Rehabilitation, Chaplain, and Dietetic Services in order to provide patients with an integrated and comprehensive treatment program.

Major duties include but are not limited to:

• Assessment: Conducts intake screenings and evaluations of Veterans and their significant others. Uses the established biopsychosocial admissions criteria to determine the appropriateness of Veterans referred to the CBH for service in the different treatment components. Provides clinically meaningful information related to the specific cognitive - social learning treatment approach.
  • The Care manager responds to Veteran concerns in crisis or non-crisis in nature. Provide a clinical assessment to the Veteran. Function with a high degree of independent judgment in responding appropriately and quickly to unique needs/dangers in crisis situations.
• Treatment: The Care Manager assists members of the BHIP and suicide prevention team by providing same-day assistance to Veterans experiencing urgent or non-urgent needs. Provides crisis intervention and stabilization to patients and significant others. Function with a high degree of independent judgment in responding appropriately and quickly to unique needs/dangers in crisis situations. Assist the suicide prevention team by providing telephone outreach services to Veterans following non-emergent/urgent calls to the Veterans Crisis Line.
  • The BHIP care manager social worker may provide brief, solution-focused psychotherapy and crisis intervention. When providing treatment, relies on own clinical judgment to address patient problems in a fashion that is consistent with the knowledge and skills of other professional staff. Provides education to Veterans and follows up with them on treatment recommendations and need for further services.
• Care Management: Coordinate treatment activities to ensure that patients are provided with an individualized, integrated, biopsychosocial approach to care. The Social Worker will provide assistance to Veterans within the BHIP team by:
  • Making referrals to community-based programming which may include intensive case management, acute inpatient, and residential care. Coordinates with inpatient/residential providers to assist in discharge planning. Ensures mandated follow-up services are scheduled and Veteran attends appointments.
  • Demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patients served on caseload. Demonstrate knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span and possess the ability to assess data reflective of the patient's status and interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirements.
  • As clinically indicated, provides input into the development of comprehensive, individualized treatment plan specific to the CBH treatment model.
  • Assess patients, to determine the status of current clinical problems, current needs, and responses to treatment. Takes action to communicate findings with relevant BHC staff and initiates action to modify treatment.
  • Handle requests of an administrative nature and act as patients' primary contact person, recommend actions concerning necessary controls and restrictions to enhance therapeutic effectiveness for individuals, groups, and the patient community.

Program and Staff Development: Supportive role in the administrative/clinical functions of the program such as quality assurance, policy and procedure development, program planning, preparation of reports, and other duties as assigned. Actively participates in CBH committees; provides training to Medical Center and CBH staff through patient review conferences, CBH in-service programs, and medical education presentations

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm
Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VHAVISN04HREDRP@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position

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

Preferred Experience: Licensed Clinical Social Worker Preferred but not required

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.
• 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).

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 GS- 0185 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

Social Worker, GS-11

• Experience and Licensure. Appointment to the GS-11 grade level requires completion of a minimum of one year of post-MSW experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the field of health care or other social work-related settings, (VA or non-VA experience) and licensure or certification in a state at the independent practice level; OR,
• Education. In addition to meeting basic requirements, a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required one year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities:
  • Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services.
  • Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational and other diversified backgrounds.
  • Knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities and treatment procedures (i.e. acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology) to formulate a treatment plan.
  • Skill in independently implementing different treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, and social problems to achieve treatment goals.
  • Ability to provide consultation services to new social workers, social work graduate students, and other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment.

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-11.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services

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
• 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 (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Other (1)
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Next steps