Clarification from the agency

Open to current permanent Department of Veterans Affairs employees, current permanent Federal employees of other agencies and all US Citizens. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position.

Videos

This Social Work position is located at VA Western New York Healthcare System (VAWNYHS) in the Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) program. VAWNYHS is a complexity level 1B facility that includes two (2) medical campuses and six (6) rural Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC). They utilize interdisciplinary models of care coordination, collaboration, streamlined clinical work processes, commitment to evidence-informed staffing and evidence-based clinical practices.

Major duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to:
-Responsible for Veterans in the Health Care for Homeless Veteran Case Management Program, ensuring Veterans receive safe, quality services.
-Provides outreach services to engage homeless Veterans.
-Independently conducts interviews and assessments for the purpose of connection to VA and community-based services, resources and care.
-Possesses extensive knowledge of eligibility criteria for VA homeless programs, local housing resources and how to access the local homelessness system.
-Assists unhoused Veterans to enroll in VA healthcare and apply for local, state or federal benefits, including social security or VA service connection.
-Advocates on behalf of Veterans who may have encountered barriers to accessing shelter, housing or care.
-Collaborates with local emergency departments, military treatment facilities, police, and other community partners who may encounter unhoused Veterans in need of services.
-Educates Veterans about available resources in the local community, providing referrals for requested services and ensuring linkages to programs.
-Coordinates care serving as an advocate on behalf of the veterans to ensure comprehensive delivery and linking and referring veterans to the VA Medical Center, VA Regional Offices and/or community agencies.
-Functions effectively within interdisciplinary teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-making to achieve quality patient care.
-Collaborates with the entire HCHV team to ensure high quality, effective, Veteran-centered services at the patient and programmatic levels.
-Collaborates with HCHV leadership/team members to develop/enhance educational materials to promote care coordination services.
-Responsible for obtaining/maintaining training in Tele-mental Health and all other virtual modalities supported by the VA and provides virtual care to Veterans when clinically appropriate.
-Act as advocate when it serves the best interest of the Veteran and family members/caregiver. When appropriate and feasible, educate and encourage the Veteran to advocate on his/her behalf, thus fostering a sense of independence and empowerment.
-In the event of a medical or psychiatric emergency, staff will follow the protocol of his/her respective mental health unit/program and Western New York HCS.
-Documents Social Work interventions and activities in patient's clinical record and ensures appropriate handoff when transferring of patient care. The incumbent will enter all Veteran/family contacts in the electronic medical record using appropriate note titles and templates. This information will be entered in a complete, confidential, and professional manner to ensure the information on the Veteran is shared with other VA staff.
-Establishes and maintains positive working relationships with employees, volunteers, consumers, and stakeholders within the VA and outside community agencies.
-Attends all appropriate staff meetings (e.g. HCHV team meetings, Social Work staff meetings, Social Work meetings, discharge planning meetings, supervision meetings, committee meetings, workgroups, etc., as appropriate) and perform other duties as required. The incumbent participates in committee assignments and initiatives, as deemed necessary by the service manager.
-Will collaborate in the performance improvement processes and comply with performance measures as required by the VA for their specific population and/or program.
-Collaborate with the Veteran's' primary care team members to coordinate monitoring activities making recommendations for referral of Veterans to a variety of appropriate programs such as health MHICM, PRRC, etc.
-Maintaining awareness of suicide treatment options and making recommendations as indicated.
-Assures high risk patients have completed and received a copy of safety plan which documents patient goals.
-Collects and reports data related to risk behaviors, safety plan completion, outreach activities and high-risk monitory as required by local administration, VISN, and VACO OMHSP.
-Other duties as required.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm
Telework: Available on an Ad-Hoc basis only
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 74973F/74974F
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact VISN2EDRPCoordinators@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
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.
• 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

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens according to 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).
• 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.
  • 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.
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

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).

Creditable Experience. The candidate must have knowledge of current professional social work practices. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics associated with current professional social work practice. The experience or education must be post-Masters of Social Work (MSW) degree. Experience and education satisfying this requirement must be active professional practice, which is paid/non-paid employment as a professional social worker, as defined by the appropriate state licensing board.

Quality of Experience. Experience is only creditable if it is obtained following graduation with a master's degree in social work and if it includes work as a professional social worker directly related to the position to be filled. Qualifying experience must also be at a level comparable to social work experience at the next lower level.

Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time work week. For example, one week of full-time credit is equivalent to two weeks of part-time work.

Fellowships or Post-Graduate Training. Fellowship and post-graduate training programs are typically in a specialized area of clinical practice, i.e., group or family practice. Training as a fellow or post-graduate may be substituted for creditable experience on a year-for-year basis.

Practicum in a VA Setting. A VHA practicum experience may not be substituted for experience, as the practicum (field placement) is completed prior to graduation with a master's degree in social work.

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-9
Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
(a) Ability to work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills.
(b) Ability to assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, and to formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the Veterans problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed.
(c) Ability to implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups to achieve treatment goals. This requires judgment and skill in utilizing supportive, problem solving, or crisis intervention techniques.
(d) Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies.
(e) Fundamental knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures. This includes acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses/injuries; common medications and their effects/side effects; and medical terminology.

Social Worker, GS-11
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. AND

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
(a) Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services.
(b) Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational and other diversified backgrounds.
(c) 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.
(d) 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.
(e) 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: An applicant with case management experience, experience working with Veterans, the community, and mental health/substance abuse is preferred.

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. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-09 to GS-11.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Areas of Consideration:
Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:
1. Current, Permanent Employees of the WNY VA Healthcare System to include Current and Past Health Professions Trainees..
2. Current, Permanent Employees of the Agency - Veterans Affairs.
3. All other applicants - US Citizens.

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.