Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. This job announcement is only open to current permanent employees of Department of Veterans Affairs. Please submit your most recent non-award SF50 with your application.

Videos

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

• Responsibilities of PCAFC Clinical Assessor:

  • Develops and implements the Caregiver Support Program specific to area of assignment.
  • Ensures compliance and collaboration with local facility and VA Central Office Caregiver Support Program initiatives.

• Administrative Duties:

  • Administers information and analytical systems to enhance quality of service to caregivers, families, and Veterans.
  • Develops and implements information systems to track service activities (visits, referrals, caregiver demographics, etc.).
  • Develops, implements, and evaluates clinical guidelines and protocols for service utilization.

• Clinical Duties:

  • Participates in direct caregiver and Veteran contacts to assess caregiver stress/burden and develop clinical treatment interventions.
  • Advises and collaborates with interdisciplinary teams on caregiver issues.
  • Creates educational tools, programs, and implements training for caregiver needs/issues.
  • Provides education and in-service training to VAMC employees, Veterans, families, and caregivers.
  • Provides ongoing consultation and support to colleagues on caregiver support.
  • Develops and facilitates caregiver support groups and educational programs.
  • Distributes educational materials from VA and other caregiver organizations.

• Interventions:

  • Conducts caregiver and family clinical interventions to identify caregiver stress, psychiatric illness, emotional distress, etc.
  • Applies professional judgment in daily interactions with caregivers and Veterans.

• Referrals and Consultations:

  • Provides referrals to VA medical and mental health services, VA benefits, and community-based social services.
  • Provides referrals or consults for VA programs like Community Residential Care, Respite Program, Community Health Care Coordination, Hospice, Home Based Primary Care, Telehealth, and Community Nursing Home Program.

• Consultation Role:

  • Serves as a major consultant on negotiating processes caregivers, Veterans, and families encounter with government and community agencies.

• Continuous Learning and Collaboration:

  • Stays updated on federal and state legislation assisting caregivers.
  • Maintains a knowledge base of current theory and treatment modalities.
  • Collaborates with patient aligned care team, mental health, and geriatric primary care clinicians for education on caregiver issues.
  • Provides hands-on support group work involvement and trains staff in developing such groups.
  • Develops a library of caregiver support information for distribution in various clinic settings.

• Educational Material:

  • Develops educational material specific to the age group serviced:
    • General and geriatric settings: Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.
    • General, OEF/OIF, post-deployment, and Polytrauma Center settings: PTSD and TBI information.

Preferred Experience: VHA employee, experience with CPRS

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm
Compressed/Flexible: Available
Telework: Ad-Hoc
Travel: Up to 25% may be required.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

NOTE: Prior to accepting a final employment offer, all selected applicants will be required to sign a Memorandum of Understanding regarding deployment responsibilities

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• 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 and maintain CDT physical readiness.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Must be able to meet physical demands which include strenuous physical activity to include carrying persons and equipment, walking long distances over difficult terrain, running, climbing, working long hours in primitive or arduous conditions, long periods of standing, and bending and stooping.
• 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-year 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.
• English Language Proficiency. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English.
• 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 to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work.
• Licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the advanced practice level which included an advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless they are grandfathered by the state in which they are licensed to practice at the advanced practice level (except for licenses issued in California, which administers its own clinical examination for advanced practice) and they must be able to provide supervision for licensure.

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements stated above, the following qualification criteria must be met for each grade. The candidate's qualifications must clearly demonstrate the level of competence required for the grade.

• Experience: At least two years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure and should be in a specialized area of social work practice of which, one year must be equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Senior social workers have experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment and are experts in their specialized area of practice. Senior social workers may have certification or other post-masters 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 a specialty.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
  • Skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations. This includes individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial and/or case management.
  • Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
  • Knowledge in developing and implementing methods for measuring effectiveness of social work practice and services in the specialty area, utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services and to design system changes.
  • Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients in the service delivery area, as well as role modeling effective social work practice skills.
  • Ability to expand clinical knowledge in the social work profession, and to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area.

Preferred Experience and Certifications

• Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), or Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) certification
• Full independent licensure at the advanced practice level
• At least two years should be in an area of specialized social work practice.
• Experience in conducting visits to impacted areas and emergency shelters, possibly in conjunction with VA Disaster Emergency Medical Personal System (DEMPS) or other Emergency Management response protocols

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

Physical Requirements: Eligible applicants must be physically and mentally able to perform efficiently the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, without hazard to themselves or others. Depending on the essential duties of a specific position, usable vision, color vision, hearing or speech may be required. However, in most cases, a specific physical condition or impairment of a specific function may be compensated for by the satisfactory use of a prosthesis or mechanical aid.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your application, resume, C.V., and/or other 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.