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 is open to current permanent employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs (1st Area of Consideration = VA employees of the facility; 2nd Area of Consideration = All other VA employees)

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Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Duties:

• Responsible for the strategic planning and operation of Social Work Service.
• Responsible for ensuring the administrative and clinical supervision of social work staff in their professional role. Incumbent ensures the provision of social work services and/or case management services in a variety of inpatient and outpatient program areas and clinics.
• Oversees all professional social work activities within the medical center ensuring that educational and quality of care functions related to the psychosocial needs of veterans are met.
• Responsible for making decisions regarding work problems presented by subordinate social work supervisors.
• Advise other Service Chiefs on problems involving the relationship of social work activities to the various units and programs.
• make selections for supervisory and non-supervisory positions, hear group grievances
• Develops procedures for and ensures the implementation and achievement of the provision of social work services to medical facility patients on inpatient and outpatient programs.
• Develops and monitors standards of clinical practice/standards of care for Social Work, including development of care guidelines, manuals and guides to professional practice.
• Develops consistent standard operating procedures required to accomplish clinical care interventions and ensures that they are followed. are responsible for developing patient education materials for Social Work.
• Develops and monitors Social Work staff training to ensure that required training is accomplished for purposes of maintaining ongoing skills, keeping up with new developments in the field, orientation of staff to the VA, Joint Commission requirements, licensing requirements, and other VA required training.
• Develops and monitors Functional Statements, and organizational listings (previously PDL), staffing levels, Cost Distribution Reports (CDR) allocations, Decision Support System (DSS) mapping and monitoring. Identifies and prioritizes the training needs of social work staff to ensure that an effective job-related training program exists which meets the needs of Social Work Service, requirements of the medical center and surveying agencies.
• Reviews the utilization of resources by performing such activities as internal reviews, data collection, reviewing and analyzing reports, reviewing contracts, and reviewing performance, to ensure that resources are being used efficiently and effectively.
• Reports results to management as required, both orally and in writing. ensures accountability for staff development within Social Work through needs assessment, training program development and evaluation.
• Develops and monitors Social Work staff training to ensure that required training is accomplished for purposes of maintaining ongoing skills, keeping up with new developments in the field, orientation of staff to the VA, Joint Commission requirements.

Work Schedule: Monday -Friday 7:30 am - 4:00 pm or 8:00 am - 4:30 pm (subject to changed based on the needs of the Facility)
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorize
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
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)
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)
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #:520--02151-F
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.
• Must be able to independently operate Government Vehicle.
• Must provide clean driving record report from the DMV during the pre-employment process.
• 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

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. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English
• Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit)
• 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 the master's degree in social work. Verification of the degree can be made by going tohttp://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/.
  • Exception. 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. For the GS-11 grade level and above, the candidate must be licensed or certified. At the time of appointment, the supervisor, chief social work or social work executive will provide the unlicensed/uncertified social worker with the written requirements for licensure or certification, including the time by which the license or certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed or certified by the deadline.]
    (a)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 asocial 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.
    (b)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.
    (c)Different states have different levels of licensure or certification, making it difficult for VHA staff to determine the independent practice level. Each state, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia completed surveys identifying the level of licensure or certification allowing independent practice. Copies of the surveys are on file in the VHA Office of Care Management and Social Work Services, and a summary spreadsheet of the levels of licensure or certification is available to social work professional standards board members for purposes of determining whether the social worker's level of licensure or certification meets the VHA qualification standards. All states except California use a series of licensure exams administered by the ASWB. Information can be found at https://www.aswb.org/.The ASWB is the association of boards that regulates social work. ASWB develops and maintains the social work licensing examination used across the country and is a central resource for information on the legal regulation of social work.
• Failure to Obtain License or Certification. In all cases, social workers must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure or certification starting from the date of their appointment. Failure to become licensed or certified within the prescribed amount of time will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment.
• Loss of Licensure or Certification. Once licensed or certified, social workers must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment

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: Social Worker (Service Chief), GS-14

• Experience/Education. Experience/Education. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level. The chief social work service must evidence possession of supervisory and management skills. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills in administration, demonstrating progressively more professional competency skills and judgment. 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
• Licensure/Certification. The chief social worker must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs.

1. ) Skill in providing the full range of supervisory duties across multiple service divisions/sections, which would include responsibility for assignment of work to be performed, performance evaluation, selection of staff, and recommendations of awards, advancements, and when appropriate, disciplinary actions
2. Skill in applying legal, ethical, and professional standards to social work practice.
3. Skill in developing, maintaining, and managing social work services in multiple divisions/sections.
4. Ability to ensure compliance with social work practice, policy, and accreditation standards across the continuum of health care.
5. Skill in providing consultation to facility leadership, managers, and other staff on 25 social work qualification standards, practice, competency, productivity, and continuing education requirements
6. Skill in administrative oversight to ensure compliance with social work licensure requirements.

Preferred Experience:
1. 5-years experience in a Social Work leadership role with skills in team management, staff training, and performance evaluation, across multiple physical care delivery sites.
2. 5-years experience demonstrating strong administrative and supervisory skills supporting service programs and engaging with executive members of a health care setting.
3. 5-years experience with accreditation and regulatory standards such as those set by The Joint Commission (T JC), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Office of Inspector General (OIG), and various State Social Work Licensing Boards.

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-14.

How you will be evaluated

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

Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:
1st Area of Consideration - current permanent Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System employees including satellites;
2nd Area of Consideration - All other VA employee

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.