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 is an internal job announcement. This is announcement is open to current permanent Facility employees.

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

Major Duties:

• Manages the administrative and clinical aspects of the PACT Teams located throughout STVHCS including social work coverage and provision of social work.
• Assigned complex veterans and provide coverage of assigned social worker's caseload on an as-needed basis and will supervise administrative social work employees assigned to primary care outpatient clinics.
• Manages and controls the use of data related to these areas regarding day to day functioning and evaluation of processes, procedures, and workload and implement process improvement or change where it is indicated.
• Responsible for making decisions regarding work problems presented by subordinate social workers. Incumbent collaborates with others in negotiating, deciding upon, and/or coordinating social work related changes affecting other programs.
• Makes selections for supervisory and non-supervisory positions, hears group grievances and employee complaints, review disciplinary cases (i.e., those proposing suspensions and removals), and disciplinary problems involving key employees. The individual consults with specialists regarding training needs and decide types of training problems related to the identified problems of the supervised wards/units.
• Develops procedures and ensures the implementation and achievement of the provision of social work services to medical facility patients on PACT teams. The incumbent provides and ensures that professional staff are provided advice, assistance, and consultation to community health, welfare agencies, councils, and other community groups to enhance the provision of social services to Veterans in the community.
• Develops and monitors standards of clinical practice/standards of care for PACT, 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.
• Makes recommendations for recruitment of staff and ensures responsibilities for orientation and continuing education of staff.
• Evaluates and consults on PACT social work role in various clinics. The incumbent manages and directs PACT social work activities within the primary care teams, including interventions to resolve administrative problems and participates in program evaluations.
• The Supervisory Social Worker briefs SWS Leadership orally and in writing on a regular basis concerning matters related to assigned sections in order to provide information required to make effective decisions for program planning.
• Coordinates with Clinic Profile Managers on the administration/file build of clinic grids for scheduling.
• Oversees development of measurable PACT social work treatment protocols and practice models in order to facilitate the use of statistical processes and analysis tools.
• Monitors documentation to ensure that staff completes the PHQ-I9, CSSRS, Comprehensive Suicide Risk Assessment, and Suicide Behavior Overdose Report (when clinically indicated) in the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) on all patients with suicidal ideation and on any patient whose record is flagged "High Risk for Suicide."
• Responsible for the preparation of reports, as assigned by the Social Work Service Chief, Medical Center Director, or Central Office.
• Serves the Medical Center at large in a variety of capacities, such as committee assignments, investigations, personnel matters, and special projects. The incumbent coordinates all inspection scheduling, reporting, and follow-up.
• Consults with other Services, program managers, or care line managers on issues pertaining to Social Work ethics, ethical dilemmas in the delivery of care, and ethical issues within the larger organization.
• May be required to travel to offsite clinic(s)/location(s) to provide direct supervision and conduct field visits of supervisees and engage with stakeholders for the programs to which social workers, under the direct supervision of the incumbent are matrixed.
• Ability to independently organize work, set priorities, and meet multiple deadlines. The incumbent establishes guidelines and performance expectations for staff, which are communicated through the formal employee ePerformance system.

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.
• 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.

• 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.

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:

• 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. 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/.
  • 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.]
    • 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.
    • 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. The ASWB offers three examinations. The master's examination is generally used by states for the independent practice level of licensure or certification, while the advanced generalist and the clinical examinations are used for the advanced practice level of licensure or certification. Differences between the master's and the advanced exams demonstrate the expectation that advanced practice social workers will have a more sophisticated knowledge of practice theory and its application.
  • 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.
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

1. Education and Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills in a specialty area or in administration demonstrating progressively more professional competency and judgment. Candidate 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.
2. Licensure/Certification. Individuals assigned as Supervisory Social Workers must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure.
3. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
   • 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.

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.