Social Worker HUD VASH

VA Careers - Social Work: Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

• Assesses the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and family members to formulate and
  implement a treatment plan.
• Completes thorough assessments to determine the presenting problem to determine in-home factors impacting the problem and to determine obstacles to treatment and/or follow through with recommended treatments.
• Makes psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
• Uses Housing First and other evidence-based practice models to promote Veteran engagement and self-efficacy.
• Develops and implement methods for measuring effectiveness of social work practice and services in the specialty area utilizing clinical feedback and outcome evaluations to improve treatment services.
• Coordinates the delivery of specialized and complex psychosocial physical and mental illness services and programs.
• Serves as a liaison between Veterans and/or their families and VA and community resources to ensure thorough delivery of services.
• Facilitates action for community placements through collaboration with Veterans and their families as well as interdisciplinary treatment team members to ensure that appropriate community placements are completed in a timely manner beginning with the process of obtaining a HUD-VASH voucher from the Public Housing Authority (PHA) through the lease up process.
• Provides consultation and education to Veterans and their families regarding community resources VA benefits and specialty programs including the process for accessing and/or coordinating community-based services information and referral for additional services from other VA programs other government programs and community programs.
• Makes appropriate referrals to community and other governmental programs or agencies based on the benefits and services.
• Assess psychosocial problems often at a time when the Veteran is experiencing crisis and include the provision of short-term and long-term solution-focused counseling with Veterans and/or their families.
• Provides case management services to Veterans and their families throughout the continuum of care.
• Conducts home visits with the intent of removing barriers for access to care supporting housing stability and assessing social and community integration.
• Implements treatment modalities provide educational classes and/or supportive groups for Veterans and families with clinical supervisory support.
• Provides case management with members of the outpatient interdisciplinary team and home and community-based services. This includes liaising with community professionals regarding needed services for Veterans and/or their families.
• Provides subject matter consultation to colleagues on the psychosocial treatment of patients with housing-related issues.
• Provides consultation to other treatment team and staff members regarding psychosocial needs of Veterans and/or their compliance with treatment.
• Advocates on behalf of Veterans and their families with landlords Public Housing Authorities community providers and internal VA stakeholders.
• Reviews agreements between Section 8 landlords Public Housing Authorities and the VA in establishing appropriate referral sites for HUD-VASH placements.

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.
• You may be required to serve a trial period.
• 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 ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers 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).

Qualifications

***This is an open continuous announcement until February 27 2026. Qualified applicants will be considered and referred as vacancies become available. ***

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 - You must be a citizen of the United States

English Language Proficiency - You must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f)

Education and/or Experience Combination - You must possess a masters 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 masters degree in Social Work.

License or Certification* - You must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the masters degree level.

*Exception - For assignments at the GS-9 level VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations. VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed or certified at the independent masters level within three years of their appointment as a social worker.

Grade Determinations:

Social Worker Quals GS-0185-9

GS-09 Social Worker -Knowledge Skills and Abilities: In addition to meeting the basic requirements to qualify for the GS-09 you must demonstrate the following Knowledge Skills and Abilities:

Ability to utilize counseling skills when working with Veterans and family members.

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.

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.

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients staff and representatives of community agencies.

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 Quals GS

GS-11 Licensure Requirement: You must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the masters degree level.

GS-11 Experience or Education Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements to qualify for the GS-11 you must possess 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. Examples of specialized experience include but are not limited to: Working under close supervision in program areas that do not require specialized knowledge or experience. Identifying behaviors or symptoms of abuse neglect or exploitation; providing education on advance directives and advanced care planning; providing social work case management; acting as a patient/family member/caregiver advocate with community service providers/agencies; assessing the psychosocial functioning and needs of patients and their family collaboration with the patient family and interdisciplinary treatment teams identifying strengths weaknesses coping skills and psychosocial acuity. Maintaining a current network of internal and external resources to educate the patient and/or family members/caregivers and assist with appropriate referrals.-OR-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.

Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities
In addition to the experience above you must demonstrate the following Knowledge Skills and Abilities:

Knowledge of community resources how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services and ability to coordinate services.

Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic educational and other backgrounds.

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.

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.

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.

Drivers License: A current valid state-issued Drivers License is required for this position. NOTE: We cannot accept photographs therefore; please do not submit a copy of your license with your application package. If an interview is requested you will be required to provide a copy of your current valid state-issued Drivers License.