Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents. This job is open ONLY to current, permanent, Federal employees of the Charles George VA Medical Center.

Videos

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

The position requires that the Senior Social Worker serves in a two-way subject matter expert role. First, the social worker serves as the subject matter expert regarding Community Care services for Social Work Service. Conversely, the incumbent provides social work expertise to the Community Care Service.

The incumbent provides all aspects of Primary Care Social Work available to veterans with a VA-based Patient Aligned Care Team to veterans who need social work as part of Community Care Standard Episode of Care {SEOC). This includes both veterans who may have ongoing social work needs and have Community Care Primary Care and veterans who may have short-term social work needs specific to a SEOC associated with other Community Care consults.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Screening/Assessment: The social worker will develop an assessment of the Veteran in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, Veteran, family members, and significant others, whenever possible.
• Treatment Planning/Goal Setting: The social worker is responsible for developing the treatment plan and setting achievable treatment goals with the Veteran/family in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team members.
• Referral to service providers: Throughout the course of treatment, the social worker is the subject matter expert on VA and/or community resources.
• Resource Development: The social worker is responsible for developing a resource file of VA and community social service programs and will refer the Veteran to needed services.
• Advocacy: The Social worker understands the intimidation of bureaucracy and will act as an advocate when it serves the best interest of the Veteran/family.
• Crisis Intervention: Social worker is experienced in making rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans to maintain patient in the home, for admission to acute, short term and/or long-term placements.
• Education/Health promotion and prevention: Social worker will provide education related to VA and community resources, entitlements,
• Coordination of non-institutional and institutional services: The Social worker is responsible for the coordination of the referrals of non-institutional services such as ADHC/CADHC, inpatient hospice, home hospice, skilled and non-skilled homecare services in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team members.
• Supportive counseling: The Social worker will provide the Veterans and their caregivers with ongoing supportive counseling.
• Administrative responsibilities: The social worker will enter all Veteran/family contacts in the electronic record using appropriate formats and templates.
• Community Liaison: The incumbent is the primary point of contact between WNCVAHCS and all outside facilities seeking Community Living Center (CLC), Contract Nursing Home (CNH), or Community Care Network (CCN) services. To include, long-term care (LTC), short-term rehabilitation (STR), short-stay skilled (SSS), and respite services if available under each listed program.
• Community Care Social Work- Dialysis: The Senior Social Worker is also responsible for specific care coordination needs for veterans receiving Community Care outpatient dialysis. The Charles George VAMC (CGVAMC) does not currently include on-site outpatient dialysis as an offering. All veterans needing outpatient dialysis with VA as payors receive services via Community Care SEOC's.
  The incumbent provides the following supports specific to this population:
  • Care Coordination/Case Management Functions
  • Administrative Functions

Performs other duties, as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00AM-4:30PM

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 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:

• 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: Applicants must 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.
Note: A doctoral degree in Social Work may NOT be substituted for the master's degree in social work.

Licensure: Social Workers at the GS-12 level 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.

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: GS-12 Senior Social Worker
Experience/Education:
The candidate must have at least two (2) years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure and should be in a specialized area of social work practice, which one (1) year must be equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment. Candidate may have certification or other post-master's degree 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 must be able to provide supervision for licensure.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: In addition to to the Experience and Licensure above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

1. 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.
2. Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.

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

Physical Requirements: Must able to sit at a desk to work at a computer, engage in light to moderate physical activity including sitting, walking, bending, and carrying supplies. The Social Work Supervisor must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands, exercise patience, and control emotions, with reasonable accommodation, if necessary, without endangering the health and safety of the social worker or others. This position also requires close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading; and repetitive motions of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.

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.