Social Worker

Resume Requirement: Your resume must be detailed include the following information: Job title description of duties beginning and ending date (month/year) of employment; and average hours worked per week.

VA Careers - Social Work: incumbent will be responsible for providing direct clinical care for Veterans with a serious mental illness (SMI) while under the direct clinical supervision of a licensed clinical social worker with the relevant experience to provide clinical supervision.

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• 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).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See Additional Information below for details.

Resume Requirement: Your resume must be detailed include the following information: Job title description of duties beginning and ending date (month/year) of employment; and average hours worked per week.

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

• Citizenship. Citizen of the United States.
• 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.
• Education. Masters degree in social work (MSW) 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 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 masters degree in social work.

• GS-09 Experience: None beyond the basic requirements listed addition to the experience above the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
  1. Ability to work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic cultural ethnic educational and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients staff and representatives of community agencies.
  5. 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.

• GS-11 Experience/Education: Applicants must 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.

• 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.

1. Knowledge of community resources how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services and ability to coordinate services.
2. Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic cultural ethnic educational and other diversified backgrounds.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-09 to GS-11.

Preferred Experience: Experience providing mental health services to people with serious mental illness and related co-morbidities including substance use disorder. Experience providing fieldwork related to mental health services.

References: VA Handbook 5005 Part II Appendix G39 - Social Worker Qualification Standard.

Physical Requirements: Pre-employment physical will be conducted in accordance with VA Handbook position requires standing and walking frequently and may have prolonged standing. There are also times when the work requires siting for long periods of time. The incumbent may carry light items such as books files or a laptop computer. Duties require ability to walk distances communicate verbally in a clear manner which includes normal hearing and manual dexterity.