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Social Worker Associate

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until September 29, 2023. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be May 1, 2023. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled.

Overview

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Job canceled
Open & closing dates
04/12/2023 to 09/29/2023
Salary
$51,713 to - $67,231 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 8
Location
Reno, NV
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
50% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
8
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
CBSW-11890125-23-VE
Control number
719216300

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Duties

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The primary purpose of the position is to provide services that enhance and support services provided through all aspects of the HCHV program. The Social Work Associate reports directly to the Supervisory Social Worker, HCHV. Within a framework of priorities, develops a mutually acceptable plan to identify the work to be done.

Major duties include, but are not limited to:

  • The social work associate provides to assistance social workers in the HCHV programs, doing those services which support the social workers case management and treatment activities.
  • Must have high-level working knowledge of computers and computer software, particularly spreadsheets, graphs, tables, and databases. Knowledge of procedure, forms, formats, documents, and statistical techniques to be able to compile and organize reports.
  • Participates in interdisciplinary and patient care conferences, consisting of but not limited to colleagues of different professions, different programs, and Veterans and their families, related to HCHV needs/plans.
  • Participates in program planning and in the development of sound working relationships with other VASNHCS programs, community agencies, and other governmental and community agencies.
  • Knowledge and understanding of Federal policies related to the development of affordable housing.
  • Knowledge and understanding of Contracted Officers Representative (COR) functions and related fiscal and budgetary issues
  • Knowledge of management theories, principles, and techniques relating to human resources, financial management, interpersonal communications, and their interrelationships in order to adapt and implement policies and procedures concerning administrative activities; and elicit cooperation and acceptance of recommendation and interpretations.
  • Is responsible for insuring the reports are submitted accurately and timely.
  • The incumbent will assist HCHV case managers, Contract Housing Coordinator, and Grant & Per Diem Coordinator in the timely completion of paper work needed by the Northeast Program Evaluation Center (NEPEC), the Public Housing Authorities (PHA's), and community agencies.
  • Duties require the transportation of veterans and their families to the agencies in Reno and Carson City to view apartments, etc. view apartments, etc.
  • Insuring that agencies receive appropriate information accurately and timely to insure that housing and access to community services is not delayed unnecessarily.

Work Schedule: Full Time, Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm
Telework: Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Social Worker Associate/PD045340
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
.Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

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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
  • You may be required to serve a probationary period
  • Subject to background/security investigation
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
  • Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
  • Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/29/2023.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-08 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade.
Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

DRIVER'S LICENSE REQUIREMENT: A driver's license in the State or Territory in which assigned may be required. If required, candidates must pass a Federal service driving test.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in major fields of study such as: social welfare, sociology, psychology, public administration, philosophy, education, anthropology, history, economics and/or English. IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application to meet the basic education requirement for this position.
AND,

GS-8 EXPERIENCE: Two years of experience as a social welfare worker or social work assistant in a voluntary, public, social, or health agency. One year of this experience must have been in a medical setting and equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-7) in Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include: providing assistance and service support as prescribed by social workers in conjunction with patients' treatment plans; interviewing patients; using general counseling techniques and crisis intervention techniques to assist clients; obtaining and compiling data; and organizing mental health and medical treatment needs. NOTE: Your experience must be fully documented in your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

  • Analytical Thinking
  • Communication
  • Organizational Awareness
  • Problem Solving
  • Veteran and Customer Focus


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.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Physical Requirements: Applicants must be physically and mentally able to efficiently perform the essential functions of the position without hazard to themselves or others. Depending on the essential duties of a specific position, usable vision, color vision, hearing, or speech may be required. However, in most cases, a specific physical condition or impairment will not automatically disqualify an applicant for appointment. The loss or impairment of a specific function may be compensated for by the satisfactory use of a prosthesis or mechanical aid. Reasonable accommodation may also be considered in determining an applicant's ability to perform the duties of a position. Reasonable accommodation may include, but is not limited to: the use of assistive devices, job modification or restructuring, provision of readers and interpreters, or adjusted work schedules. All positions involving Federal motor vehicle operation carry the additional medical requirements specified in 5 CFR, part 930, subpart A.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

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 WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

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.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the 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.

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