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

The GS-11 Social Work Case Manager supports Veterans experiencing complex mental, emotional, behavioral, physical, and psychosocial challenges. The incumbent provides counseling, crisis intervention, discharge planning, resource navigation, and advocacy to help Veterans maximize treatment outcomes and successfully transition across levels of care. The social worker also provides guidance to students and staff, participates in research or program evaluation, and may cover suicide prevention functions when needed.

Duties include but are not limited to:

Clinical Duties:

• Independently assess and treat complex psychosocial problems impacting Veterans receiving inpatient mental health care.
• Provide individual and group treatment to support stabilization, recovery, and safe discharge from inpatient psychiatric care.
• Use the social work process-including psychosocial assessment, diagnosis, and treatment to develop recovery-oriented care management plans in collaboration with the interdisciplinary team.
• Evaluate the need for mental health services and make appropriate referrals for individual, group, marital, and family treatment.
• Demonstrate sensitivity to cultural, ethnic, and age-specific needs and appropriately adjust intervention plans.
• Fully participate in developing, planning, implementing, and evaluating interdisciplinary treatment plans.
• Coordinate care with the interdisciplinary team to ensure continuity for Veterans and family members.
• Perform rapid assessments and develop treatment plans during crises; respond to emergencies per facility policies.
• Provide supportive counseling for grief, disability, terminal illness, and other adjustment challenges.
• Educate and consult with medical staff regarding social work case management, VA policy, and clinical best practices.
• Document all interventions in CPRS and ensure accurate hand-off communication; competently utilize Mental Health Suite.
• Assist in safety planning, involuntary holds, and guardianship procedures in accordance with legal and regulatory standards.
• Complete referrals to VA and community programs, including nursing homes and residential treatment facilities, aligned with treatment team recommendations.
• Develop and utilize VA and non-VA community resources to support Veterans and families.
• Advocate for Veterans and families to ensure access to needed services within VA and the community.
• Assist Veterans and families with advance directives, guardianships, and applications for health care, home care, and extended care services.
• Travel as required to provide care management services, functioning independently when off-site.
• Provide weekend clinical coverage to ensure continuity of services.
• Provide facility-level coverage of suicide prevention activities when the Suicide Prevention Coordinator is unavailable.
• Assist with orientation of new or covering social workers, demonstrating leadership within the program.
• Participate in research and program evaluation activities as appropriate.

Administrative Duties

• Support VA, VHA, VISN, and facility missions, policies, and procedures.
• Serve on committees, work groups, and task forces at the facility, VISN, or national level.
• Keep supervisor informed of challenges and recommend solutions related to assigned responsibilities.
• Maintain professional growth through appropriate education and adhere to the NASW Code of Ethics.
• Maintain productivity and quality consistent with facility and Social Work Service standards.
• Participate in interdisciplinary team meetings, facility meetings, and Social Work Service meetings, sharing knowledge gained through experience and education.
• Comply with EEO, security, and safety policies, as well as all policies related to social work practice.

Work Schedule: 8:00 AM to 4:30 pm including weekend
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorize

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.
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• 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/.
  • 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.
  • Failure to Obtain License or Certification: In all cases, social workers must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure or certification starting from the date of their appointment. Failure to become licensed or certified within the prescribed amount of time will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment.
  • Loss of Licensure or Certification: 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.

Grade Determinations:
In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

Social Worker, GS-11:

(1) 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,

(2) 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.

(3) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

• Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services.
• Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, educational, and other backgrounds.
• 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.
• Skill in independently implementing different treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, 8 medical, and social problems to achieve treatment goals.
• 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.

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-11.

Physical Requirements: 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.