Social Worker (Addiction Treatment Center)

Major duties and responsibilities of the Addiction Treatment Center Social Worker include:

• Provide case management and care coordination to facilitate appropriate delivery of health care services incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
• Link the Veteran with services resources and opportunities to maximize the Veterans independence health and well-being.
• Conduct timely assessments of at-risk Veterans and their family or caregivers who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical behavioral health financial legal and psychosocial problems.
• Provide a range of interventions and treatment modalities which may include individual group and family counseling or psychotherapy.
• Independently formulate and implement a treatment plan including measurable achievable goals identifying the Veterans needs strengths weaknesses coping skills and psychosocial acuity.
• Serve on committees work groups and task forces at the facility and VISN level or in the community.
• Provide subject matter consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of Veterans offering professional options based on experience expertise and role modeling effective social work practice skills.
• Provide mental health and psychosocial assessment and diagnostic services for Veterans with a broad range of mental health issues including services for patients with a myriad of mental health and psychosocial needs requiring diagnostic and intervention skills.
• Provide consultation and psychoeducation to Veterans and Veteran families on topics including community resources Advance Directives VA benefits budgeting activities of daily living and recovery goals.
• Provide consultation to health care providers about assessment findings and treatment plan for patients to ensure that care is coordinated collaborative and integrated within the Medical Center. Take a lead clinical role in case consultation.
• Develop implement and document the mental health treatment plan for an assigned caseload of patients as indicated and appropriate for the specific job setting and duties of the social worker.
• Coordinate community-based services including information and referral for additional services from other VA programs other government programs and community agencies.
• Fulfill ethical responsibilities to Veterans colleagues and VA in accordance with NASW Code of Ethics VHA Code of Ethics and local ethics policies. This includes compliance with all laws and regulations related to confidentiality and release of information protecting Veterans personal identifying information.
• Develop working relationships with the community and VA providers to whom referrals are most often made and become knowledgeable with what community and VA resources are available to Veterans.
• Maintain accurate training records in accordance with VA policies and state licensure requirements. Evaluate own practice through professional peer review case conferences and other means.

• 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.
• 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.

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

BASIC REQUIREMENTS.

• 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).
• 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. (COPY OF TRANSCRIPT WITH CONFERRED DATE REQUIRED).
• Licensure/Certification. 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 (COPY OF LICENSE REQUIRED FOR GS-11).
  • 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.
  • Failure to Obtain License or 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.
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).