Supervisory Social Worker - Mental Health Homeless Care for Homeless Veterans

Clarification from the agency

This job is open to current permanent Department of Veterans Affairs employees, current permanent Federal employees of other Federal agencies and all US Citizens (if you are a Veterans Affairs employee or an employee of another federal agency, ensure you submit an SF-50 per the required documents section to receive proper consideration for claimed eligibility) NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

VA Careers - Licensed Clinical Social Worker: https://youtube.com/embed/U_xC25QsN0w

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

The Supervisory Social Worker - Mental Health Homeless Care for Homeless Veterans must be licensed at the advanced practice level and be able to provide supervision to subordinate staff. The major duties of the position includes, but is not limited to:

• Serves as the Mental Health Homeless Program Team Supervisor to include setting performance expectations for staff, using progressive disciplinary measures as appropriate, and reviewing and approving/disapproving leave requests and coordinating work schedules for their assigned team members.
• Provides oversight of the Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV), Community Resource and Referral Center (CRRC) , Prevention, Veteran Justice Outreach, Grant Per Diem and Contracted Emergency Residential Services.
• Has supervisory controls and personnel management responsibility for triage, assessment, and evaluation staff, community outreach workers, prevention workers, senior social workers/social work coordinators, and other disciplines assigned to the team.
• Providing some clinical/case management services and will be required to carry a caseload and may provide oversight to Mental Health Social Work health trainees.
• Ensures the adherence to Veterans Affairs Central Office (VACO), Veteran Integrated Service Network (VISN), and local directives, guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that pertain to HCHV specifically and mental health generally.
• Develops, implements, and maintains all established and new regulations for the HCHV unit.
• Plans, establishes, reviews, implements, and maintains polices, procedures, and protocols that satisfy accrediting guidelines (e.g. CARF, Joint Commission, VA-OIG, state regulation, etc.).
• Participates in the Continuums of Care and the By-Name List Subcommittees within VA Detroit's service area.
• Represents the VA at community meetings, seeking or maintaining members on relevant boards, councils, and task forces.
• Facilitates community organization and outreach to alleviate problems that may interfere with Veterans' ability to achieve and/or maintain permanent housing.
• Obtains and maintains at least FAC-COR1 certification.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm
Telework: Yes - Ad hoc telework may be authorized as determined by the agency policy and approval from supervisor.
Recruitment Incentive (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). NOTE: This is only for external candidates. Pay will be set following federal pay setting policies for VA or employees of other federal agencies.
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. NOTE: This is only for external candidates.
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)
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 94424-0
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): 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.
• 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. Note: 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 to http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation website to verify if that social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a master of social work.
• Licensure: Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-185 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: Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j.

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations: At the GS-12 grade, Supervisory Social Workers typically have significant personnel management responsibilities for a small to moderate sized professional and non-professional staff, including support staff and professional staff at the GS-12 grade level and below. They are responsible for the professional and administrative management of an area in a social work service, in a care/product line, or multiple facilities. They also provide direct clinical services with or without program coordination responsibilities.

Experience, Education and Licensure. Individuals assigned as Supervisory Social Workers must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level and must be able to provide supervision for subordinate staff to qualify for licensure. Their experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills in a specialty area or in administration demonstrating progressively more professional competency and judgment. They may have certification or other post-master's degree 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 addition, the candidate must demonstrate the professional KSAs below. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to independently organize work, set priorities, and meet multiple deadlines.
• Knowledge of supervisory duties which includes clinical supervision, consultation, negotiation with other departments and quality improvement.
• Ability to ensure provision of clinical social work services.
• Ability to provide staff training and development.
• Skill in interpersonal relationships in dealing with employees, team leaders, and managers.

Preferred Experience: Clinical and Macro Licensure; Homeless Programs Experience; Fiscal Management Experience; VA Supervisory Experience.

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-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12.

Physical Requirements: Ability to physically navigate various treatment settings within the facility as well as in unfamiliar surroundings. Ability to use computers frequently/continuously throughout the day for data input and communication. Ability to use phone. Position is often sedentary, and incumbent must be able to sit for prolonged periods of time. Ability to walk up and down steps. The ability to her and communicate verbally with Veterans is essential. Work will take place indoors and outdoors. The work involves working closely with others. May require light lifting and carrying (under 50 pounds). Possession of current and valid driver's license is a requirement as incumbent is required to spend time in the community, partnering with agencies and providing services.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Area of Consideration- Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:
1. Current, permanent VA employees of the facility (Station 553)
2. All other current, permanent VA employees at stations other than 553
3. Current, permanent employees of other federal Agencies
4. All other applicants.

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:

1. Resume (must include the following information):

• Job Title
• Duties (be as detailed as possible)
• Month and year start/end dates (e.g. June 2024 to April 2025)
• Full-time or part-time (include hours worked per week)

NOTE: Do not include a photograph or video of yourself, or any sensitive information (age, date of birth, marital status, protected health information, religious affiliation, social security number, etc.) on your resume or cover letter. Including any of this information may result in an ineligibility rating.

2. Transcript (must include the following information):

• Your Name
• Name of the college or university
• Full address of the college or university
• Degree Received
• Date Conferred

REMINDER: A transcript, either official or unofficial, must be submitted with your application for ALL degrees. A copy of your certificate/degree or screenshot of your current classes are not a replacement of your transcript and they will not be used in the qualifying process.

3. License (must include the following information):

• Name on License
• Issuing state
• Complete license number
• Expiration date

**Note: Current, permanent John D. Dingell VA Medical Center employees and employees of other VA's or other Federal agencies MUST submit their most recent SF-50 dated 01/11/2026, or later to receive consideration as a federal employee. Failure to provide your most recent SF-50 dated 01/11/2026, or later, will exclude you from your claimed eligibility.

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.
  • You must ensure all duties are detailed in your resume and it clearly shows how you meet the KSA's of the position. We cannot make any assumption on duties performed or level of experience based on a job title. All duties must be described under each job entry with the beginning and ending dates of employment (month and year and hours worked per week). If we are unable to determine your qualifications based on the application materials submitted we are unable to refer you for consideration.
• Transcripts: 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. Verification of the degree can be made by going to http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation website to verify if that social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a master of social work. Transcripts must be submitted with application.
• Advanced Practice License: Individuals assigned as Supervisory Social Workers must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level and must be able to provide supervision for subordinate staff to qualify for licensure. Current (active and unexpired) license documentation must be submitted with application package.
• SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if a VA or federal employee) - To verify your eligibility as a VA or federal employee, you must submit a copy of a recent Notification of Personnel Action (dated in the year 2026), Standard Form 50 (SF-50). You may obtain a copy of your SF-50 from your eOPF. Failure to provide this will exclude you from your claimed eligibility.

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
• Full Resume or CV can be uploaded here
• Other (2)
• Other (3)
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other federal agency employees. Also, this occupation is on the FY26 Annual Determination of Staffing Shortages, so Veterans Preference does not apply to US Citizens candidates at this time.

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