Clarification from the agency

Current Department of VA employees with Permanent Appointments are eligible to apply this announcement. ***NOTE*** 1) The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. If you are having issues uploading your resume under the resume option, you can upload as an "Other" document; 2) This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open to the close date, or until this position is filled, which comes first

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The Job functions / Scope of Practices for this Senior Social Worker - Substance Use Disorder (SUD), GS-0185-12, are listed below but not limited to:

A. Provides direct SUD services for HUD-VASH within the Medical Center catchment area.
B. Provides outreach services for HUD-VASH in the community.
C. Provides training for other CBOC members of the multidisciplinary treatment team in areas related to SUD assessment, and life skills and SUD with co-occurring disorders.
D. Independently conducts intake and needs assessment of homeless Veterans and their significant others. Identifies symptoms leading to clinical diagnoses of SUD.
E. Provides all necessary assessment functions, e.g. interviewing, psychosocial histories, and SUD assessments to aid in the development of treatment plans
F. Develops comprehensive treatment plans with the Veteran that address the factors that contributed to homelessness, including SUD and other co-occurring factors within a recovery model framework.
G. Works with the Veteran to realize the Veteran's treatment goals and reassesses and revises goals as indicated by the Veteran's engagement in treatment.
H. Organizes and conducts individual and group case management and SUD treatment, to include early interventions and supportive follow-up to ensure stability in home visits and facility-based contacts.
I. Provides SUD support to the HUD-VASH team as a functional member of this team, to include consultation, interventions, or accompanying other case managers on home visits, when indicated by suspicion of HUD-VASH participant SUD use.
J. Will develop partnerships with community agencies, especially those serving homeless and SUD Veterans, with regular contact and communication.
K. Will provide liaison services with other programs referring homeless Veterans to HUD-VASH to ensure continuity of care and promote successful transition of Veterans from one program to another.
L. Will provide consultative services to SFVAHCS HUD-VASH and Comprehensive Homeless Center, as needed.
M. Will participate in policy making, goal setting, and treatment service planning discussions with other members of HUD-VASH and Homeless Programs.
N. Will provide appropriate clinical documentation for all contacts with or about Veterans.
O. Provides recovery -oriented treatment with the goal of establishing the Veteran independently in the community at the Veteran's highest level of functioning and quality of life.
P. Possess the knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services.
Q. Has the ability to independently assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of patients and their family members and to formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the patient's problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills and assistance needed, in collaboration with the patient, family and interdisciplinary treatment team
R. Possess the knowledge and experience in the use of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities and treatment procedures
S. Possess the knowledge of psychosocial treatment and ability to independently implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical and social problems to achieve treatment goals
T. Has the ability to independently provide counseling and/or psychotherapy services to individuals, groups and families
U. Has the ability to provide consultation services to other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment
V. Has the ability to independently evaluate his/her own practice through participation in professional peer review case conferences, research studies, or other organized means
W. Has the ability to lead team members in the consultative nature of treatment and identify treatment modalities that will affectively guide team members to provide care for Veterans with
addiction issues
X. Has the ability to independently evaluate his/her own practice through participation in professional peer review case conferences, research studies, or other organized means

Duty Location: 3841 Brickway Blvd, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
Tour of Duty: Monday-Friday 8:00a to 4:30p, or determine by the hiring manager
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Travel Demand: This position requires to travel up to 75%, includes home visits, visits to community agencies, visits to care giving facilities in the community etc., depending on the specific assignment.
Driver License: This positions requires to posses the Current and Active California Driver License and maintain a good standing
Physical Demands: This position involves primarily walking, talking, driving, use of the telephone, etc. Strenuous physical activity is not required although it is expected to withstand pressure and stress as part of their day-to-day activities.

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.
• Subject to physical evaluation
• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you might be required to serve a 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.
• 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).

Qualifications

Basic Requirements as Senior Social Worker, GS-0185-12 grade level:

• 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/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.
• English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.
• Grandfathering Provision: May qualify based on being covered in the VA Title 38 Hybrid Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation series, 0185, with permanent appointment and meet the criteria).

Grade Determination as Senior Social Worker, GS-0185-12:

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.

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.

Assignments. 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. Senior social workers are licensed or certified to independently practice social work at an advanced level. Senior social workers typically practice in a major program area such as but not limited to: Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center or Polytrauma Network Site; a Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Center, or a national VHA referral center, such as a national Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or a national Transplant Center, or other program areas of equivalent scope and complexity. The senior social worker may be assigned administrative responsibility for clinical program development and is accountable for clinical program effectiveness and modification of service patterns. Assignments include clinical settings where they have limited access to onsite supervision such as CBOCs or satellite outpatient clinics. The senior social worker collaborates with the other members of the treatment team in the provision of comprehensive health care services to Veterans, ensures equity of access, service, and benefits to this population, ensures the care provided is of the highest quality. The senior social worker provides leadership, direction, orientation, coaching, in-service training, staff development, and continuing education programs for assigned social work staff. They serve on committees, work groups, and task forces at the facility, VISN and national level, or in the community as deemed appropriate by the supervisor, Social Work Executive or Chief of Social Work Services. This assignment is to be relatively few in number based on the size of the facility/service and applying sound position management. This assignment must represent substantial additional responsibility over and above that required at the full performance grade level and cannot be used as the full performance level of this occupation.

References: See Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO) website for VA specific qualification standards: VA Qualifications Standards - Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO)

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.