Senior Social WorkerCase Manager (BHIP)

Senior Social Worker/Case Manager (BHIP) has direct oversight and responsibility for the functioning of one Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) Team within the outpatient mental health clinic. The incumbent is responsible for the day-to-day oversight and functioning of the program as well as long-term outcome evaluation and efficiency. This includes attending program meetings and solving problems which arise within and outside of the BHIP section of the Mental Health Service.

Duties include but are not limited to:

• BHIP consists of several multi-disciplinary teams of mental health providers who work together to ensure Veterans mental health and related needs are met. Each BHIP team structure consists of up to four team-lets with up to four psychiatric providers on each team. The incumbent in this position will function as an administrative supervisor for one BHIP team the incumbent is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of one BHIP team and ensure coordination of all mental health and related services for each Veteran assigned to their respective BHIP team.
• The incumbent is delegated the full scope of authority and responsibility for the administration and coordination of said program and their staff to include performance standards and evaluations workload evaluation competencies proficiencies and all other personnel related responsibilities. The incumbent assumes professional technical and administrative responsibilities for social work programs extended to these areas. The incumbent collaborates with supervisory clinical leads outside of social work (i.e. psychology nursing psychiatry) in evaluating their employees clinical skills. The incumbent is responsible for various control points assigned to the program within the assigned areas.
• The incumbent is delegated the full scope of authority and responsibility for the administration and coordination of said program and their staff to include performance standards and evaluations evaluation of their clinical skills in conjunction with their discipline-specific program areas (social work substance abuse etc.) workload evaluation competencies proficiencies and all other personnel related responsibilities. The incumbent assumes professional technical and administrative. responsibilities for social work programs extended to these areas. The incumbent is responsible for various control points assigned to the program within the assigned areas. The incumbent manages and controls the use of data related to these programs regarding day-to-day functioning and program conjunction with the BHIP Program Coordinator and Mental Health Outpatient Section Chief plans organizes and directs administrative operational patient and personnel activities for the service.
• The incumbent is a role model for the interns and non-clinically licensed social workers as well as senior social workers and social worker psychotherapists within BHIP demonstrating the ability to apply social work principles to clinical and psychotherapeutic practices. The incumbent will demonstrate a sensitivity to and knowledge about the influence on the services provided of ethnic cultural and individual differences. Consistent with the expectation of all advanced practice level social workers the incumbent meets all of the requirements consistent with functioning as a licensed independent practitioner (LIP) within this medical center. The incumbent is competent to function in any of the following areas and provides specialized clinical services within the Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP). These include any of the following options:
  • Performing specialized treatment of complex mental health issues for patients referred to or within the Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) incorporating complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of Veteran patients including making biopsychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses with approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
  • Providing evidence-based individual group and family psychotherapy as clinically indicated in the treatment of a wide variety of mental health disorders and behavioral deficits for patients referred to or within the Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP).

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.
• 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

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.
• 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 Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).

• Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements applicants 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.
• Experience and Education. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills in a specialty area or in administration demonstrating progressively more professional competency and judgment. Candidate may have certification or other post-masters 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.
• Licensure/Certification. Individuals assigned as Supervisory Social Workers must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level and must be able to provide supervision for licensure.
• Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities. In addition to the experience above candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
  • Ability to independently organize work set priorities and meet multiple deadlines.
  • Knowledge of supervisory duties which includes clinical supervision consultation negotiation with other departments and quality improvement.
  • Ability to ensure provision of clinical social work services.
  • Ability to provide staff training and development.
  • Skill in interpersonal relationships in dealing with employees team leaders and managers.

• Significant experience providing diagnostic assessments and time-limited evidence-based psychotherapy; experience with leadership management and/or program coordination