Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to the Required Documents below. All US CITIZENS

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

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

• Formulate a treatment plan & implement the plan in conjunction with the interdisciplinary team, the Veteran, &, if appropriate, family members/caregivers. The treatment plan will include Veteran strengths, short & long-term goals with measurable/S.M.A.R.T. objectives, referral plans, & a specific history of (mental health, substance abuse, medical, financial, family, sexual, community/culture, legal, & housing).
• The incumbent coordinates care with internal & external providers as needed. The incumbent reassesses Veteran needs at a minimum annually, with input from significant family or providers as needed, & meets with Veterans to provide treatment as outlined in the individual service plan.
• Provide case management & care coordination to facilitate appropriate delivery of health care services, act as an advocate with appropriate VA & community service providers/agencies when it serves the best interest of the Veteran & family members/caregivers.
• Coordinate face-to-face meetings to take place in the Veteran's residence, unless otherwise indicated.
• Coordinate interventions to ensure adherence to the treatment plan created with the Veteran.
• Refer Veterans with services, resources, & opportunities both in the VA & community, to maximize the Veteran's independence, health, & well-being of the Veteran.
• Communicate with Veterans, staff & representatives of community agencies to build collaboration & meet the needs of Veterans.
• Maintain a current network of internal & external resources to educate Veterans, family & team members & assist with appropriate referrals.
• Make appropriate referrals to community & other agencies, coordinating services as needed.
• Leverage comprehensive knowledge of community resources to effectively support veterans in need. Through a nuanced underst&ing of local, state, & federal resources, the incumbent identifies appropriate services tailored to meet the unique needs of each veteran.
• Ensure Veterans receive specialized care beyond what the VA can provide. Participates as a member in coordinating continuum of care for Veterans
• Collaborate closely with community partners & government agencies, such as local health departments, housing authorities, & nonprofit organizations. The incumbent facilitates seamless transitions & enhances the overall well-being of Veterans.
• Develop & implement personalized service plans that address housing stability, mental health support, substance abuse treatment, vocational rehabilitation, & other essential services.
• Foster interdisciplinary collaboration among healthcare providers, case managers, & community stakeholders, & ensure holistic care that aligns with the VA's mission to promote Veterans' recovery, independence, & quality of life.
• Conduct a psychosocial assessment with a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational, & other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills. The assessment includes documentation of identified behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect, exploitation &/or intimate partner violence, as well as strengths, limitations, coping skills, & internal/external supports & service needs to optimize the Veteran's functional status.
• Develop the assessment in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the Veteran, available family/friends/caregivers & collateral sources such as CPRS, HOMES, & agencies with appropriate ROIs.
• Identify family/caregiver stressors & provides specific interventions.

Work Schedule: Mon-Fri 8-4:30
Pay: Competitive salary & 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) & 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: May be available on an AD-HOC basis
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 59982A, 59983A

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.
• 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

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.

• 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).
• 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 a master's degree in social work. Verification of the degree can be made by going to http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a master's 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. Current state requirements may be found by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/.
• Drivers License: Must possess a valid, state issued drivers license.

For appointments at the GS-9 grade level, VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed or certified at the independent, master's level within three years of their appointment as a social worker. Most states require two years of post-MSW experience as a prerequisite to taking the licensure/certification exam, and VHA gives social workers one additional year to pass the licensure/certification exam. In states such as California, Washington, and others where the prerequisites for licensure exceed two years, social workers must become licensed at the independent, master's level within one year of meeting the full state prerequisites for licensure.

A social worker who does not yet have a license that allows independent practice must be supervised by a licensed independent practitioner of the same discipline who is a VA staff member and who has access to the electronic health record.


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.

Grade Determinations:
Social Worker, GS-9
Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements.

KSAs:

• Ability to utilize counseling skills when working with Veterans and family members.
• 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.
• 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.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies.
• 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.

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.
• NOTE: For appointment licensure or certification at this level, please refer to paragraph 3c.
• 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.

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

• Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and the ability to coordinate services.
• Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, educational, and other backgrounds.
• 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.

Preferred Experience: At least one year of working with the geriatric population and/or at least one year of working with the homeless population.

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:

• Must be in overall good health, able to sit at a desk working at a computer, engage in light to moderate physical activity, including sitting, walking, bending, and carrying supplies. Social Worker must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasional moderate physical demands, exercise patience, and control emotions, with reasonable accommodation, if necessary, without endangering the health and safety of the social worker or others.
• This position requires a valid state driver's license and local travel to provide community-based care to Veterans. The position requires significant travel in the community, through the use of a government vehicle or other individual arrangements, to meet with representatives/stakeholders who provide assistance and support to Veterans in clinics, medical centers, Community Clinics, etc.
• This position also requires close visual acuity to perform activities such as preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading; and repetitive motions of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.

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

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
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Other (1)
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Next steps