Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to current, permanent employees of the Department of Veteran Affairs, Federal employees of other agencies and all U.S. Citizens. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Videos

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Duties include but not limited to:

The incumbent independently manages all consults to include appointment scheduling, room assignments, check in procedures, and overall flow of the clinic. The incumbent collaborates with the ALS team to monitor team development and coordinating with ancillary services including, but not limited to respiratory, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, nutrition, Chaplin, mental health, prosthetics, caregiver support, voluntary service, palliative care, and HBPC to ensure the Veteran's needs are being met.

The incumbent utilizes word processing software to execute several office automations such as storing and retrieving electronic documents and files; activating printers; inserting and deleting text, formatting letters, reports, and memoranda; and transmitting and receiving email.

The incumbent completes comprehensive psychosocial assessments and integrates into an overall plan of care, in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team. The incumbent provides expert level psychosocial interventions, and case management services to veterans with complex medical, social, financial, community and behavioral problems in which routine clinic-based care is not effective.

Completes ongoing assessments and updating treatment plans are done when necessary or on a quarterly basis given the changing needs as health and/or family status changes. The incumbent will address the unique needs of homebound, frail, disabling/chronic and/or palliative/terminally ill veterans.

Independently monitor veterans care, psychosocial and financial status, adjustment to the setting and plans for either continuation of VA funded care. The incumbent provides expert advanced level case management services to Veterans within the ALS clinic, as high-risk patients with complex needs. The incumbent will follow and provide support to veterans admitted to both internal (VA) and external (non- VA) facilities serving veterans with a diagnosis of ALS.

The incumbent will independently monitor veterans and arrange specialized referrals to needed VA and/or community resources (e.g., assisted living facilities, extended care facilities/nursing homes, services available through area agencies on aging, community support groups, and hospice care). The incumbent will collaborate with other service providers in re-assessing the veteran's needs during the eligibility determination process, coordinating access to information needed for the referral.

The incumbent will assess and intervene in any crises presented by the veteran and participate in developing crisis management and safety plans to minimize the event of future crises.

The incumbent establishes and maintains effective therapeutic relations with veterans and their families. The incumbent can independently work with patients and families who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, and social problems utilizing individual, group, and family counseling and therapy.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm
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).
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.
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: Available (ad-hoc)
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 55124-F
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): N/A

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.

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

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/.
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f)

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: Senior Social Worker, GS-12

Experience/Education. The candidate must have 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. Senior social workers 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.

Licensure/Certification. Senior social workers must be licensed or certified by a state 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.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
(a) 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.
(b) Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
(c) 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.
(d) 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.
(e) 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:

• Experience working independently and employing critical thinking.
• Experience prioritizing multiple tasks and meeting deadlines.
• 2 years of experience providing case management services, coordinating community-based referrals, crisis management and creating psychosocial treatment plans.
• Experience with addressing complex psychosocial issues of diverse populations including chronic illness, aging, disability, coping, grief, family dynamics and caregiver burden.
• Medical outpatient and/or inpatient experience and experience working with a medical interdisciplinary team and family team meetings.
• Experience with long-term care planning.
• Experience in tracking and reporting data to VISN or local leadership.

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.

Physical Requirements: Light Lifting (20-11 lbs. occasionally; 10 lbs. or less frequently); Light Carrying (20-11 lbs. occasionally; 10 lbs. or less frequently); Straight Pulling (up to 1 hour); Pushing (1-2 hours); reaching above shoulder; frequent keyboarding (4-7 hours per day); Sitting (4-7 hours per day); Walking (up to 3 hours); Standing (up to 3 hours); Repeated bending (up to1 hour); Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; Correctable near sited and far sited vision; Hearing (aid permitted). Day-today work involves sitting, walking, standing, and carrying light objects. Work is typically performed in a clinical and home setting that exposes the incumbent to the communicable diseases common of the client population.

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.