Social Worker-Suicide Prevention Case Manager

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Duties will vary by grade but at the GS-11 level:

• Weekly clinical contact as needed for high-risk Veterans discharged from inpatient status for the first thirty days -post-discharge while identified as high-risk in collaboration with other treatment team members;
• Ongoing clinical contact as needed for Veterans deemed at high risk for suicide following national guidelines and those Veterans placed on the high-risk list;
• Preparation and updates in conjunction with the primary mental health team of the suicide-specific assessment treatment plan safety plan and follow-up notes including treatment plan updates;
• Provision of minimum monthly clinical case management contact with all high-risk Veterans in the program;
• Coordination of all elements of mental health and primary care including active communication with all providers involved in the provision of comprehensive care to high-risk Veterans;
• Provision of evidence-based treatment to high-risk Veterans (i.e. group individual Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) and completion of specialized training and/or certification in evidence-based treatment for high-risk behavior (e.g. Dialectical Behavior Therapy);
• Review/provision of comprehensive discharge planning and social service referrals to high-risk Veterans and families;
• Participation in administrative committees associated with tracking and monitoring of high-risk Veterans and serving as back-up to Suicide Prevention Coordinator and other Suicide Prevention Case Managers as needed;
• Provides case management services while utilizing professional skill objectivity insight advanced clinical training and experience to interpret data identify viable treatment options and recognize potential high-risk factors acuity and needs for services;
• Obtains any relevant HIPAA clearances to allow transmittal of facility data on suicide attempts and individuals at risk and transmitting the data following cyber security requirements as applicable for this sensitive data;
• Ensuring that identified high-risk Veterans have a 24-hour resource number to call and ways to get assistance if an immediate crisis should occur;
• Respond to consults from the National Veterans Crisis Line and internal facility calls regarding suicidal Veterans; m. Other related duties as assigned.

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.
• 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

NOTE: THE 2-PAGE RESUME REQUIREMENT DOES NOT APPLY TO THIS OCCUPATIONAL SERIES. FOR MORE INFORMATION REFER TO REQUIRED DOCUMENTS BELOW.

To qualify for this position applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

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: 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. Verification of the degree can be made by going to 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 masters degree level. Current state requirements may be found by going to 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.
• 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.

1. Ability to work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic cultural ethnic educational and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients staff and representatives of community agencies.
5. 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.

1. Knowledge of community resources how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services and ability to coordinate services.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.