Senior Social Worker (Caregiver Support Program Coordinator)

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Administers and evaluates information systems to monitor and improve caregiver Veteran and family services.
• Develops and implements clinical guidelines and protocols for service utilization.
• Communicates directly with caregivers and Veterans to assess stress and coordinate clinical interventions.
• Advises and collaborates with interdisciplinary teams regarding caregiver needs.
• Creates and delivers educational tools and training for VA staff caregivers families and Veterans.
• Develops and facilitates caregiver support groups and educational programs.
• Serves as a liaison among VA departments and community partners.
• Conducts needs assessments wellness contacts and program evaluations for quality improvement.
• Provides referrals to VA and community resources including medical mental health and social services.
• Maintains knowledge of current federal and state caregiver legislation and available resources.
• Collects analyzes and reports program data to leadership and the national Caregiver Support Program.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Telework: As determined by the agency policy
Virtual: This is not a virtual position
Travel Required: 75% or less
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not Authorized

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• 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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination and maintain CDT physical readiness.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Must be able to meet physical demands which include strenuous physical activity to include carrying persons and equipment walking long distances over difficult terrain running climbing working long hours in primitive or arduous conditions long periods of standing and bending and stooping.
• 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-year 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public 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.

Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship: Citizen of the United States
• English Language Proficiency. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English.
• Education: Must 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. Note: 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: Candidates must be licensed by a state to independently practice social work 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.

Grade Determinations GS-12 Senior Social Worker: In addition to the basic requirements stated above the following qualification criteria must be met for each grade. The candidates qualifications must clearly demonstrate the level of competence required for the grade.

• Experience: Must haveat 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. Senior social workers have experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment and are experts in their specialized area of practice. Senior social workers may have certification or other post-masters 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.
• Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities. In addition to the experience above candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
  • 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.
  • Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Preferred Experience:

• Work experience with caregivers or the VA Caregiver Support Program
• Specialized knowledge of practice typically related to the adult and geriatric population
• Experience with coordinating tasks resources and timeliness
• Versatile with strong ability in working with multiple databases and applications

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard please visit Requirements: Eligible applicants must be physically and mentally able to perform efficiently the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation without hazard to themselves or others. Depending on the essential duties of a specific position usable vision color vision hearing or speech may be required. However in most cases a specific physical condition or impairment of a specific function may be compensated for by the satisfactory use of a prosthesis or mechanical aid.