Social Worker (PACT)

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Establishes and maintains effective relationships with Veterans in the Primary Care Clinic and/or their families.
• Utilizes knowledge of the PACT team approach and the role of each health and allied health care team members including the role of the social worker in the PACT model.
• Assures timely appropriate and patient-centered care is provided during each stage of care and facilitates transitions across VHA facilities and with community providers. Utilizes a Whole Health Patient-Centered approach with the goal of empowering and equipping the Veteran to direct their own health and well-being and to live their life to the fullest.
• Completes comprehensive psychosocial assessments to determine the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and/or their families. Utilizes this assessment in facilitating the Veterans maximum use of treatment for attainment of the highest level of independence that is possible and practicable.
• Assesses for signs symptoms and behaviors of abuse neglect exploitation and/or intimate partner violence when providing services to Veterans and caregivers and serves as a consultant regarding abuse neglect exploitation and intimate partner violence to multidisciplinary team members.
• Bases decisions on social work practice skills professional judgment and the expertise regarding the Veterans self-care capability the family support system the Veterans health care needs and possible consequences.
• Utilizes working knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses disabilities and treatment procedures including acute chronic and traumatic illnesses substance abuse disorders common medications and their effects/side effects and medical terminology.
• Utilizes knowledge and understanding of caregiver stressors while conducting caregiver assessments and provides appropriate caregiver specific interventions.

• 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 evaluation/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.

Health Profession Trainees (HPTs) 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. 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 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.

1. All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard 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. For employees who do not meet all of the basic requirements in this standard but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it the following provisions apply:
2. Such employees in an occupation that requires a licensure or certification may be reassigned promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level or changed to lower grade within the occupation but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
3. Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
4. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all of the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.
5. If an employee who was retained in an occupation listed in 38 U.S.C. 7401(3) under this provision leaves that occupation the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.

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

• Knowledge of community resources how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services and ability to coordinate services.
• Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic educational and other backgrounds.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

• Medical Inpatient and Outpatient Social Work Experience.
• 2 years of experience providing case management services.
• Experience coordinating community based services including information education and referrals.
• Experience working with an interdisciplinary team.
• Experience addressing psychosocial issues of aging illness disability coping and grief.