Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. Area of Consideration (AOC): Open to Current Eligible Employees of the Clement J. Zablocki VAMC, Milwaukee, WI to include all it's CBOC's and VCS Employees.

The Acute Care Social Worker collaborates with interdisciplinary teams to assess psychosocial factors impacting discharge planning, access to medical care and engaging in preventive self-care. clinic setting within the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee, WI. The Social Worker employs psychosocial intervention with individuals, families and caregivers to mobilize VA and community resources, develops follow-up care plans. The Acute Care Social Worker is flexible and versatile to back-fill other Acute Care Social Workers including the Intensive Care Unit.

Major Duties of the Acute Care Social Worker Include:

Patient Care

• Independently assesses the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, identifies the Veteran's strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and psychosocial acuity.
• Collaborates with the Veteran, family/caregiver and interdisciplinary treatment team, with the social worker facilitating the delivery of healthcare services, with the ability to identify family/caregiver stressors and refers them to community or VA referral resources.
• Formulates and implements a care plan including measurable, achievable goals identifying the Veterans' needs, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and psychosocial acuity.
• Provides psychosocial interventions with Veterans and their families/caregivers who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, behavioral health, financial, legal, and psychosocial problems.
• Collaborates with the Community Care team and Facilitates Community Care referrals based upon Veteran needs and eligibility
• Provides case management and care coordination to facilitate appropriate delivery of healthcare services, incorporates complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of Veterans, including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved scope of practice. The social worker links the Veteran with services, resources, and opportunities, in order to maximize the Veteran's independence, health, and well-being.
• The social worker conducts timely assessment of at-risk Veterans in crisis to identify immediate needs, evaluate risk, and initiate safety plan as appropriate. As a mandatory reporter, assesses and documents identified behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and/or intimate partner violence. Reports assessed abuse, neglect, and exploitation to appropriate authorities in accordance with established policy.
• Maintains complete, accurate, timely and confidential medical record documentation.
• Acts as an advocate with appropriate VA and community service providers and agencies when it serves the best interest of the Veteran and family members/caregiver.

Professional Relationships

• The social worker establishes and maintains ongoing education for and outreach to Veterans, community agencies, students, and staff, to facilitate understanding of social work interventions specific to the Veteran/military population.
• Meets the needs of customers while supporting VA missions.
• Consistently communicates and treats customers (Veterans, their representatives, visitors, and all VA staff) in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner.
• Provides the customer with consistent information according to established policies and procedures.
• Manages disagreements, conflicts, and problems with internal and external consumer constructively and appropriately.

Administration

• Tracks and analyzes data to evaluate and enhance the quality of services provided.
• Uses sound judgment in the interpretation of trends and patterns, application of guidelines, and recommendations to the management team.
• Participates on medical center, VISN and/or national councils, committees and workgroups as assigned.
• Consults with and guides colleagues, models effective social work practice skills, teaches or provides orientation to less experienced social workers, develops innovations in practice interventions, and provides clinical supervision for social work licensure or certification.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU
Work Schedule: Full Time Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 om
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 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

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

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.
• English Language Proficiency: Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j.
• Education: Must 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.

Note: A doctoral degree in social work may NOT be substituted for the master's degree in social work.

• Licensure: You must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level.

Exception to Licensure:VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations.

**This exception only applies at the GS-9 grade level.**

Grade Determinations:

GS 9Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

In addition to meeting the basic requirements for this occupation, candidates must demonstrate all of the Following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs)

1. Ability to utilize a Veteran centric approach when providing interventions and counseling for Veterans, their family members, caregivers, and survivors.
2. Ability to assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, and to formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the Veterans problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed.
3. Ability to implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups to achieve treatment goals. This requires judgment and skill in utilizing supportive, problem solving, or crisis intervention techniques.
4. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies.
5. Fundamental knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures. This includes acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses/injuries; common medications and their effects/side effects; and medical terminology.

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

Examples of specialized experience include but are not limited to:

• Working under close supervision in program areas that do not require specialized knowledge or experience.
• Identifying behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect or exploitation; providing education on advance directives and advanced care planning; providing social work case management; acting as an advocate with community service providers/agencies when it serves the best interest of the patient and family members/caregiver;
• assessing the psychosocial functioning and needs of patients and their family members identifying strengths, weaknesses, coping skills and psychosocial acuity, in collaboration with the patient, family, and interdisciplinary treatment teams;
• maintaining a current network of internal and external resources to educate the patient and/or family members/caregivers and assist with the appropriate referrals.

-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.

In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

1. Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services.
2. Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, educational, and other backgrounds.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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 in the range of GS 9 to GS 11.

Physical Requirements:

The work is primarily sedentary. Physical demands do not exceed those of a typical office setting. There may be some walking, standing, twisting, turning, sitting, pushing, bending, repetitive keyboarding, or carrying of light items.

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:

• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

***Special Note for Applications:***

To complete your application, please use the following link:
https://vacareers.va.gov/wpcontent/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx 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 then 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
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Other (1)
• Other (2)
• PCS Orders
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

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