Social Worker (Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Centralized Screening Team)

Duties include but not limited to: The incumbent is a professional social worker assigned to the Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Centralized Screening Team of Quality Resource Service. The incumbents primary responsibilities include serving as part of a team that will screen Veterans for transfer or admission to residential programming within VISN 10. They must use a high level of skill in assessing the complicated psychosocial problems of the Veterans being referred for placement and determining the least restrictive setting for the Veteran referred. They will complete screenings and assessments make necessary follow-up telephone calls and assist with managing the coordination of the Veterans placement into the least restrictive setting.

They are competent in data management and reviews and updates data bases related to the Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (MHRRTP). They collaborate with providers to assist in determining the program and/or setting that is the best fit for the Veteran. They interact with various community providers and agencies to ensure coordination of care and education of referring providers the Veteran and their caregivers about the screening process. They provide support to Veterans while awaiting admission and to assess for future needs prior to admission. The incumbent provides Veterans mental health and/or substance abuse screenings; they may also provide a range of intervention therapies includingeducational individual or group therapies. The incumbent is required to exercise clinical judgment and decision making in the decisions made and treatment recommendations made. The incumbent performs administrative functions such as participating in team meetings; maintains accurate records of their clinical interactions; and collaborates with other team members and with professionals paraprofessionals volunteers and others in VA facilities and community agencies to help Veterans recognize and resolve their problems and needs.

VA Careers - Social Work: Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm
Telework: Ad-hoc telework maybe available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 93629A or 93628A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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 ( 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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation.
• 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.

• 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.

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.
• 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 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. A doctoral degree in social work may not be substituted for the masters degree in 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 masters degree level.
  • 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.

• Ability to work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic cultural ethnic educational and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills.
• 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.

• 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 cultural ethnic educational and other diversified 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.
• Preferred Experience: