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Social Worker

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

***This is an open continuous announcement. Certificates of eligibles will be issued as vacancies exist. Each location listed may or may not have a current vacant position.

Relocation expenses and/or incentives have not been authorized.

The Social Worker is assigned to Mental Health Service line at the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center OR a Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) and will provide Mental Health Services.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
05/20/2021 to 12/31/2021
Salary
$64,649 to - $84,049 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11
Locations
many vacancies in the following locations:
Albany, GA
Brunswick, GA
Dublin, GA
Macon, GA
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Announcement number
CBTB-11121160-21-JH
Control number
601848900

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Duties

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Social Worker promoted to the GS-11 full performance level requires completion of a minimum of 1 year of post-MSW degree experience in the field of health care social work (VA or non-VA experience) and licensure or certification in a state at the independent practice level. In addition to meeting basic requirements, a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required 1 year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting.

Services to Veterans in Carl Vinson VA Medical Center or CBOC include provision of high quality case management, individual and group therapy, clinical treatment, crisis intervention, advocacy, coordination of linkages to other appropriate VA or community service providers/agencies, as needed by the client. This is accomplished in collaboration with members of the Social Worker's respective members of their inpatient mental health treatment teams and other interdisciplinary treatment teams, as appropriate.

Social Worker may provide services in Outpatient Mental Health, Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (MH RRTP), Substance Abuse Treatment, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Suicide Prevention, Primary Care/Mental Health Integration and Homeless Program(s). All programs are aligned under Mental Health Service Line.

Work Schedule: M-F 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Position subject to rotating on-call coverage. On call schedule to be determined by selecting official.
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
  • Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
  • You may be required to serve a probationary period
  • Subject to a background/security investigation
  • Must be proficient in written and spoken English
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

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.
  • 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 to http://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. Current state requirements may be found by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/ .
  • Salary Determination : Salary will be determined by a Professional Standards Board based on experience and education
  • 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.
  • Must pass a pre-employment exam
  • Must pass a background check
Grade Determinations:
GS-11 Social Worker
Experience, Education 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
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
(a) Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services.
(b) 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.
(c) 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.
(d) 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.
(e) 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.

References: VA Handbook 5005/23, Part II, Appendix G39, SOCIAL WORKER QUALIFICATION STANDARD

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

Physical Requirements: WORKING CONDITIONS: Usually works indoors in areas which normally have adequate heat, light, and ventilation. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: The work is primarily sedentary, however, there is some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light items such as papers, files, manuals and records.

A valid driver's license is required as some driving and/or transportation maybe required to take Veterans to medical appointments, job sites, social activities, housing searches and other community resources. Incumbent must complete any driver annual training that may be required by the facility in order to drive a government vehicle.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

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.

If you are unable to apply online view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

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, résumé, 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.

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