Clarification from the agency

Current and permanent employees of the Department of Veteran Affairs, Veterans Health Agency.

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Applicants will be sent forward based on application date and time. 50 applicants will be reviewed and if no selections are made, an additional review of the next 50 applicants will be submitted.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

Clinical Functions: The incumbent must use a high level of skill in assessing and treating the complicated psychosocial problems. Incumbent completes thorough psychosocial assessments when the Caregiver is referred and will complete a thorough treatment plan when a Caregivers engages in mental health services. Incumbent will provide psychotherapy with individuals, couples, and families, crisis intervention, supportive counseling, and referral for resources and benefits.

• Maintains high level of skill and expertise to establish and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with Caregivers and/or their families. Independently, they works with Caregivers and their families who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral, and psychosocial problems.
• Completes thorough psychosocial assessments to determine the psychosocial functioning and needs of Caregivers and/or their families. The incumbent must be able to utilize this assessment in facilitating the Caregivers maximum use of treatment for attainment of the highest level of independence that is possible and practicable.
• Participates as a member of a Caregivers Support treatment team and actively participate through collaboration with Caregivers s and family as well as interdisciplinary treatment team members, including but not limited to Psychiatrists, Nurse Practitioners, Psychologists, Social Workers, RNs, Peer Support Specialists and Administrative Support staff, in the development and implementation of a treatment plan.
• Possesses a working knowledge and experience in use of mental health and substance abuse diagnoses and treatment procedures, including acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses
• Facilitates discharge planning through collaboration with Caregivers and their families as well as interdisciplinary treatment team members to ensure that appropriate discharge plans are executed in a timely manner.
• Serves as a liaison between Caregivers and/or their families and VA and community resources in order to ensure thorough delivery of services.
• Possesses knowledge and ability to independently implement treatment modalities, provide counseling and/or supportive groups for Caregivers and families.
• Provides consultation and education to Caregivers and their families regarding community resources, VA benefits, specialty programs, and advance directives. This includes the incumbent's knowledge of the process for accessing and/or coordinating community-based services, including information and referral for additional services from other VA programs, other government programs, and community programs.
• Provides consultation to other treatment teams and staff members regarding psychosocial needs of Caregivers and/or their families and the impact of the identified psychosocial problems on the Caregivers 's health care planning, compliance with treatment, and discharge planning.
• Possesses skills and knowledge to provide case management services to Caregivers and their families throughout the continuum of care. The incumbent will be able to appropriately utilize principles of human growth and development over the life span and will be able to assist Caregivers in coping with the loss and grief experiences from disability and terminal illness.
• Must possess and demonstrate ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing with people from diverse backgrounds.
• Must provide emergency/crisis intervention services to outpatients experiencing acute psychological crises, helping to stabilize these individuals, assisting in the referral arrangements for transfer to a psychiatric facility for inpatient care if necessary and providing follow-up care as needed.
• Responsible for supporting the mission, policies, and procedures of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Veteran Health Administration (VHA), the appropriate Caregivers Integrated Service Network (VISN), and the facility.
• Serves on committees and work groups at the facility as deemed appropriate by the supervisor.
• Furthers one's own professional growth through continuing education and for ensuring continuing education appropriate to the area of assignment.
• Serves on committees and work groups at the facility as deemed appropriate by the supervisor.

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

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm (Must be willing to work Pacific Standard Time)
Telework: Available Remote
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 09452F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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, this part.
• 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).

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: 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 are.

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

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).

Physical Requirements: Physical See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.

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.