Social Worker Acute MedicineSurgery

Clinical work of this position includes the provision of discharge planning crisis intervention short-term solution-focused or problem solving focused evidence based interventions with Veterans and/or their family members/significant others/caregivers on the acute care medicine surgery neurology and intensive care inpatient units.

Major duties include but are not limited to:

• Conducts psychosocial assessments establishes treatment and discharge plans to include goals and executes treatment and discharge plans. Evaluates outcomes of interventions. Works with a wide variety of individuals from various socioeconomic cultural ethnic educational and other diversified backgrounds.
• Will assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of patients and their family members to formulate and implement a treatment/discharge plan identifying the patients problems strengths weaknesses coping skills and assistance needed.
• Knowledge of human development and behavior (physical and psychological) and the differential influences of the environment society and culture.
• Works with patients and families who are experiencing emotional medical and social problems utilizing individual group and family counseling skills.
• Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with clients staff and representatives of local community agencies.
• Collaborates with other service providers in assessing/reassessing the Veterans needs during inpatient stay and makes appropriate warm hand off referral to the Veterans assigned PACT Specialty Clinic and/or other appropriate clinical social worker for follow up post discharge.
• Knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses disabilities and treatment procedures to include acute chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries; common medications and their effects/side effects; and medical terminology for the purpose of ensuring a comprehensive assessment of biopsychosocial barriers to health and well-being.
• Documents social work interventions and activities timely and as directed by standard operating procedures in the patients electronic medical record and ensures appropriate warm hand off when transferring the patients care to another service/clinical setting. Working knowledge and skill in the use of word processing data management electronic health record MS Office and other computer software.
• Knowledge of veterans benefits and services relating to special programs service-connected compensation non-service connected pension. The social worker facilitates referrals based upon veterans needs and eligibility. The social worker may serve on committees councils workgroups and/or task forces. The social worker serves as liaison to community agencies and networks with agency representatives as related to assigned job duties for facilitating continued patient care in another setting.
• Communicates effectively both orally and in writing with people from varied backgrounds.

• Knowledge of medical and mental diagnoses and terminology.
• Experience in discharge planning and case management in an Acute care health and/or mental health setting.
• Knowledge of community resources to support Veterans experiencing significant social determinants of health.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30AM to 4:00PM
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement: Social Worker - Acute Medicine/Surgery FS #50010F (GS-11) and 50009 (GS-9).
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Not authorized

Additional Benefits
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment full time employees with a total family income below $144000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave 13 days of sick leave 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth adoption or foster care placement of a child.

• 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 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.
• 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.

Applicants must meet the requirements by the closing date of this announcement. 07/22/2026

BASIC REQUIREMENTS. The basic requirements for employment as a VHA social worker are prescribed by statute in 38 U.S.C. 7402(b)(9) as amended by section 205 of Public Law 106-419 enacted November 1 2000. To qualify for appointment as a social worker in VHA all applicants must meet the following:

• 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. Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 Part II chapter 3 section A paragraph 3j this part.
• Education. Have a masters degree in social work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).
• Licensure. Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-185 series in VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the masters degree level.
  • GS-9 Exception. 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. 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 independent practice level.
• Grandfathering Provision. All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of the Social Worker Qualification Standard - GS-0185 - September 10 2019 are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title series and grade held including positive education and licensure or certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

• Experience Education and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements.
• Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above you must demonstrate all of the following KSAs on their resume and in their experience. Please ensure your resume/CV/application contains sufficient information to support the level of experience/education/training listed below; otherwise we will not be able to award you credit for the experience/education/training you claim. If selected you may be required to submit narrative responses then.

• (a) Ability to utilize a Veteran centric approach when providing interventions and counseling for Veterans their family members caregivers and survivors.
• (b) 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.
• (c) 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.
• (d) Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients staff and representatives of community agencies.
• (e) 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.

• Experience. Appointment to the GS-11 grade level requires completion of 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 nonVA experience).

• Education and Licensure. In addition to meeting basic requirements 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. You must attach additional transcripts to support this substitute.
  • Licensure or certification at the independent practice level is required at the GS-11 level.

• Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above you must demonstrate all of the following KSAs on their resume and in their experience. Please ensure your resume/CV/application contains sufficient information to support the level of experience/education/training listed below; otherwise we will not be able to award you credit for the experience/education/training you claim. If selected you may be required to submit narrative responses then.
  • (a) Knowledge of community resources how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services and ability to coordinate services.
  • (b) Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic educational and other backgrounds.
  • (c) 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.
  • (d) 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.
  • (e) 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.