Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Videos

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

This position provides both clinical leadership and direct patient care within the Primary Care-Mental Health Integration (PC-MHI) program. The Supervisory Social Worker oversees a small to medium-sized team of professional and support staff, sets clear performance expectations, manages personnel actions, and supports program operations across multiple locations. The role also delivers brief assessments, short-term evidence-based interventions, consultation to primary care providers, and clinical coverage when needed, ensuring high-quality integrated behavioral health services within primary care.

Supervisory & Administrative Duties

• Provides leadership for a small to medium-sized interdisciplinary team, including GS-12 and below.
• Maintains an advanced practice social work license and provides clinical supervision for licensure-seeking staff.
• Oversees administrative and personnel management functions for assigned staff.
• Communicates performance expectations and conducts formal performance management activities.
• Addresses informal complaints and grievances and initiates disciplinary actions as appropriate.
• Offers guidance and support to staff on work-related and administrative matters.
• Reviews and approves or denies leave requests.
• Assigns, coordinates, and reviews work to ensure organizational goals are met.
• Leads planning, development, and implementation of program components.
• Supervises staff across one or more off-site locations where daily oversight may be limited.
• Provides clinical coverage for supervised areas when no other provider is available.
• Maintains a current, valid, unrestricted driver's license to operate a GSA vehicle for travel and outreach.

PC-MHI Clinical Duties

• Conducts brief behavioral health assessments within the primary care setting.
• Provides short-term, evidence-based interventions suited for integrated primary care.
• Delivers patient and family education tailored to behavioral and mental health needs.
• Consults with primary care providers to strengthen preventive, person-centered care.
• Supports primary care provider decision-making and enhances provider-patient relationships.
• Provides care management for an assigned cohort of patients when appropriate.
• Consults with medical center staff on patient care issues, including decision-making capacity.
• Develops culturally sensitive, person-centered treatment plans to address behavioral health concerns.

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.
• 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.

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

• Experience and Education: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency. 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.
• Licensure/Certification: Individuals assigned as a supervisory 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
  (a) Ability to independently organize work, set priorities, and meet multiple deadlines.
  (b) Knowledge of supervisory duties which includes clinical supervision, consultation, negotiation with other departments and quality improvement.
  (c) Ability to ensure provision of clinical social work services.
  (d) Ability to provide staff training and development.
  (e) Skill in interpersonal relationships in dealing with employees, team leaders, and managers.
  
  Assignment: For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. At the GS-12 grade level, supervisory social workers typically have significant personnel management responsibilities for a small to moderate sized professional and non-professional staff, including support staff and professional staff at the GS-12 grade level and below. The supervisory social worker is responsible for the professional and administrative management of an area in a social work service, in a care/product line, or multiple facilities. They provide direct clinical services with or without program coordination responsibilities.

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.