Clarification from the agency

Open to current, permanent employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs. First consideration will go to VISN 22 employees. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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VISN 22 Clinical Resource Hub (CRH) Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI) Social Work position is under the general supervision of the CRH Telemental Health Hub Deputy Chief. CRH is a repository of clinical and administrative staff that serve Veterans Affairs facilities within VISN 22. Staff within CRH are expected to provide interprofessional services to VISN facilities that are underserved or experiencing gaps in clinicians due to the inability to match provider supply with demand.

Primary duties are to provide mental health services using the Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI) model to multiple VISN facilities virtually and in-person as part of an interprofessional primary care team (PACT). The incumbent works as part of a virtual and in-person primary care team, together with patient site care team members, to provide primary care to Veterans. Clinical Video Telehealth (CVT) is the primary modality for treatment, though this position may require occasional travel to VISN medical centers or Community Based Outreach Clinics (CBOC).

Duties may include, but are not limited to :

• A professional social worker assigned to a CRH Primary Care Team must use a high level of skill in assessing and treating the complicated psychosocial problems of Veterans referred to the Behavioral Health Clinic.
• Completes thorough psychosocial assessments when the Veteran is initially referred to Behavioral Health and will complete a thorough treatment plan when a Veteran engages in mental health services.
• Will provide psychotherapy with individuals, couples, and families, crisis intervention, supportive counseling, and referral for resources and benefits.
• Facilitates patient and family education appropriate to the primary care setting and the specific presenting mental or behavioral health issues.
• Provides consultation services for telehealth primary care providers and other PACT staff to maximize the effectiveness of their interventions in reducing health-risk behaviors and enhancing health-promoting behaviors, with a significant emphasis on a prevention-oriented model of care.
• Supports Primary Care Provider (PCP) decision-making, building on PCP interventions and improving PCP-patient working relationships
• Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions including: individual and group therapies for a full range of behavioral, adjustment and lifestyle problems.
• May be involved in the training of Social work trainees, medical students, medical and psychiatric residents, nursing students, fellows and other graduate or post-graduate trainees, as appropriate.
• Provides staff and student didactic training and consultation as requested in content areas of scholarly and/or clinical expertise.
• Supports the mission, policies, and procedures of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the appropriate Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN), and the facility.
• Serves on committees and work groups at the facility as deemed appropriate by the supervisor.
• Furthers one's own professional growth through continuing education and for ensuring continuing education appropriate to the area of assignment.
• Provides assistance with the orientation and learning of less experienced social workers and to serve as a preceptor for social work students when appropriate.
• Serves as a consultant to other VISN medical center staff and trainees and assists in their formulation of the psychological characteristics and appropriate treatment expectations regarding their patients.
• May be involved in training other VISN facilities in PACT and/or telehealth.
• May assist with, develop, and/or facilitate development and implementation of VISN CRH and site specific PCMHI programming.
• Demonstrates knowledge and skill in the use of software applications for drafting documents and data management as well as other computer systems in use by the VHA.
• Maintains a level of productivity and quality consistent with the complexity of the assignment and consistent with Social Work standards, Joint Commission standards, and facility standards.
• Documents in the Veteran's electronic medical record chart.
• The incumbent is responsible for all other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 0800 - 1630 MST
Remote: Position is remote eligible and is currently exempted from return to office (RTO) requirements. Remote exempted positions are reviewed every 6 months and DOES NOT imply permanent remote work status. This position may be required to report to an office in the future.
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov 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.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• 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 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).
• 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:

• Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g this part).
• 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/.
  • 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:
Senior Social Worker, GS-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.
• 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
• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
  • 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.

Preferred Experience: 2 years experience in Primary Care Mental Health Integration.

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

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.
Active listening, reading, observing and evaluating verbal and nonverbal behavior, walking, speaking, writing reports, writing policies and procedures, writing clinical notes, using office equipment such as computers, telephones, fax machines, photocopy machines and driving.

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.

Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume, as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

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.