Clarification from the agency

This position is open to current, permanent Employees under Social Work Service Lines, Richmond VAMC. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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

The Senior Social Worker supports Veterans in low level interventions (ASAM Level 1.0 and lower) for substance use disorders and facilitates warm handoffs/transitions between levels of care. The SUDPCMHI Senior Social Worker works within a stepped care model, treating Veterans with Substance Use Disorders as well as other concurrent mental health problems that impact a Veteran's risk and protective factor profile for return to use.

Collaboratively works with the treatment team, VA and community health care providers, and the Veteran to increase adherence to the treatment plan, treat underlying mental health conditions that reinforce or maintain use behavior, and identify and address any psychosocial barriers to recovery. The Senior expected to use both Evidence Based Psychotherapy (EBP) and Evidence Based Psychosocial Interventions (EBPI) and evidence-informed psychosocial interventions, as part of their clinical work with Veterans and families. The Senior Social Worker primary function is the delivery of individual and group psychotherapy for SUD, which may include, but is not limited to Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for SUD (CBT-SUD), as well as other Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) consistent interventions. The incumbent's clinical work may also at times include the use of evidence-based practices for other related conditions such as chronic pain (CBT-CP), depression (IPT, ACT, CBT-D), insomnia (CBT-i), anxiety, etc. as needed, and in support of the primary goal of abstinence/harm reduction and maintenance for substance use disorders.

• Utilizes Measurement Based Care (i.e., PHQ9, GAD7, etc.) as part of clinical assessment and on-going reassessment to inform treatment goals and adjust clinical approach based on data, ultimately improving treatment outcomes.
• Completes comprehensive risk assessments using the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) and other clinical measures. Completes Comprehensive Suicide Risk Evaluation (CSRE) and MH Safety Plan as clinically indicated.
• Completes appropriate psychosocial, risk, and diagnostic assessments, as clinically indicated, to determine the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and/or their families. The incumbent must be able to utilize assessments to inform treatment planning.
• Competent in diagnosing mental health and substance use conditions and identifying correlating evidence-informed or EBP/EBPI treatment interventions as first line considerations in treatment planning.
• Use shared decision making to independently develop a Veteran-centered treatment plan for Veterans, or to contribute to an existing treatment plan.
• Possesses knowledge and ability to independently provide EBP, EBPI, and evidence informed episodes of care to treat and assist Veterans with recovering from substance use disorders and other co-occurring mental health conditions.
• Adept at establishing and maintaining effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans and their supportive others.
• Can work collaboratively with Veterans and their families who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral, and psychosocial problems.
• Maintains general knowledge of Veteran's benefits and services, community resources, and process for making appropriate referrals to community and other governmental programs or agencies.
• Provides consultation and education to Veterans and their families and facilitates referrals based upon Veterans' needs and eligibility.
• Serves as a liaison between Veterans and/or their families and VA and community resources to ensure thorough delivery of services. When appropriate and feasible, the Social Worker will educate and encourage the Veteran to advocate on his/her own behalf, thus fostering a sense of independence and empowerment.
• Provides education related to VA and community resources, entitlements, Advance Directives/Living Will (including psychiatric interventions) and will refer Veterans and family members/significant others to the appropriate interdisciplinary team member for identified health education needs.
• Responsible for maintaining a variety of databases critical to the functioning on the program and for monitoring patient attendance and, in coordination with the medical director, reviewing and responding to positive urine drug screen results.

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Telework: Ad-hoc
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the 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 examination/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.
• Physical Requirements. Work is sedentary but also demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, typing, and carrying light items.
• 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/.
  • 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.
• Grandfathering Provision. The following is the standard grandfathering policy for all title38 hybrid qualification standards. Please carefully review the qualification standard to determine the specific education and/or licensure/certification/registration requirements that apply to this occupation.

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

Social Worker (Program Coordinator), GS-12

• Experience and 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. 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, the candidate 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.
  • Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is 12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS12.

Physical Requirements: Work is sedentary but also demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, typing, and carrying light items.

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.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position:

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reading Comprehension
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

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.