Social Worker (HUD-VASH)

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information refer to Required Documents below.

VA Careers - Social Work: Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Duties may include but are not limited to:

• Engages homeless Veterans especially those who are chronically homeless and are highly vulnerable to homelessness verifying a Veterans status eligibility for VHA health care through the eligibility office family income and clinical need for program participation.
• Conducts clinical assessments to ensure appropriateness of placement into the program: Assessing Veterans through comprehensive bio-psychosocial evaluations to determine acuity status.
• Facilitates and provides access to appropriate treatment and supportive case management services to Veterans in HUD-VASH by coordinating Veteran-centered care across service providers including VHA and non-VHA providers (individually or in groups).
• Provides informational / educational groups based on need or specific areas of focus such as understanding the Public Housing Authority (PHA) the housing search process tenancy rights and responsibilities developing interpersonal skills budgeting and maintaining sobriety and/or harm reduction strategies.
• Assisting the Veteran with housing placement beginning with the process of obtaining a HUD-VASH voucher from the PHA through the lease up process.
• Conducts regular home visits based on the acuity level of the Veteran to assess their housing stability social and community integration
  and recovery process.
• Obtains all required safety training including training related to suicide risk reduction and working safely with high-risk Veterans in both office and community settings such as but not limited to those with severe mental illness and substance use disorder (SUD) those with a history of violence and those with an involvement with the justice system.
• Provides interventions in reducing psychosocial stressors to lessen suicide risk and assist with safety planning in support of VHA mission and goal to reduce suicide for our Veterans.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) Authorized: This position is eligible for EDRP a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of your start date. Approval award amount (up to $200000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. Contact for questions/assistance. Learn more
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).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)Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work experience or military service experience.
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.
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)
Telework: Ad-hoc based on management approval
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

• 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.

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

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
• 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
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f)
• 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. In addition to the experience above the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
  • (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 and Licensure. 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 non-VA experience) and licensure or certification in a state at the independent practice level.
  • NOTE: For appointment licensure or certification at this level please refer to paragraph 3c. OR
• Education. 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.
• Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities. In addition to the experience above candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
  • (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.