Clarification from the agency

Open to current permanent Department of Veteran Affairs employees, current permanent federal employee of other agencies and all US Citizens. Area of Consideration: Eligible applicants will be reviewed and referred in the following order: 1. Current permanent VA employees of the facility 2. All other VA employee 3. All other applicants. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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The VA Medical Center in Fayetteville, NC, is seeking a Mental Health Specialist for the Primary Care/Mental Health Integration Team. The role involves providing mental health expertise and support within the primary care setting, focusing on veterans with depression, problem drinking, and other psychosocial concerns such as self-harm, anxiety, grief, or adjustment disorders. The incumbent will deliver brief, evidence-based interventions for mild to moderate conditions, collaborate with primary care providers, and coordinate care, including triage and referral for complex or crisis cases requiring specialized mental health or psychiatric hospitalization. The position requires functioning as part of the integrated team within the primary care clinic

Duties include but not limited to:

• Conducts outreach and case-finding activities to identify and screen veterans for psychosocial needs, utilizing independent judgment to implement appropriate treatment modalities.
• Provides individual, family, and group counseling or psychotherapy, utilizing evidence-based practices when available, to address mental health conditions.
• Performs psychosocial assessments independently, using DSM-IV criteria to formulate diagnostic impressions and develop collaborative treatment plans with veterans, families, and interdisciplinary team members.
• Coordinates community-based services, including providing information and referrals to VA programs, other government agencies, and community organizations.
• Identify high-risk veterans and deliver case management services, including crisis intervention, coordination of family conferences, and liaison with family members.
• Maintains knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, treatments, medications, and medical terminology to inform clinical practice.
• Collaborates with the facility's Suicide Prevention Coordinator when clinically indicated for at-risk veterans.
• Establish and sustain effective therapeutic relationships with veterans and their families, utilizing individual, group, and family therapy skills within a psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery framework.
• Provides consultation to VA staff regarding the psychosocial needs of veterans and how these impact health care and treatment adherence.
• Evaluates and improve personal clinical practice through peer reviews, case conferences, and organizational feedback.
• Communicates effectively, both orally and in writing, with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• Maintains working knowledge of veterans' benefits and services, facilitating appropriate referrals based on eligibility and needs.
• Demonstrates courteous, respectful, and tactful interactions with veterans, their families, visitors, and VA staff, handling conflicts constructively and professionally.
• Utilize computer systems, including word processing and data management tools, to document and manage caseloads efficiently.
• Performs duties independently within the primary care setting, reporting to the Chief of Social Work Service or designee, and contributing to team functions and performance measures.
• Support program operations under the oversight of the Mental Health Service Line, adhering to programmatic instructions, evaluating service effectiveness, and participating in continuous improvement activities.

Preferred Experience: Previous Mental Health Experience, Previous Care Coordination Experience

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am -4:30pm
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact vhaedrpprogramsupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
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).
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: Ad-hoc, may be discussed during interview process.
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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation.
• 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 4 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.

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:

GS-11 (Full Performance Level):Experience and Licensure: Appointment to the GS-11 grade level requires completion of a minimum of one year of post-MSW experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the field of health care or other social work-related settings, (VA or non-VA experience) and licensure or certification in a state at the independent practice level. OR
Education: In addition to meeting basic requirements, a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required one year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the applicant's resume must demonstrate all of the following KSAs.

1. Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services.
2. Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, educational, and other backgrounds.
3. Knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities and treatment procedures (i.e. acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology) to formulate a treatment plan.
4. Skill in independently implementing different treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, and social problems to achieve treatment goals.
5. Ability to provide consultation services to new social workers, social work graduate students, and other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment.

Preferred Experience: Previous Mental Health Experience, Previous Care Coordination Experience

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is 11.

Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

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.