Senior Social Worker

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.

01Basic Requirements

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. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Education-Please submit transcript. Have a master's 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 master's degree in social work. Verification of the degree can be made by going to http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the 4 accreditation standards for a masters of social work. Licensure-Documentation Required.

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 master's degree level. Current state requirements may be found by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/ Grandfathering Provision.

All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date (9/10/2019) 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.

02Grade Determinations

In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Senior Social Worker, GS-12 Experience/Education. The candidate must have at least two years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure and should be in a specialized area of social work practice of which, one year must be equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Senior social workers have experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment.

Senior social workers are experts in their specialized area of practice. Senior social workers may have certification or other post-masters training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship or equivalent supervised professional experience in a specialty. Licensure/Certification-Documentation Required.

Senior social workers must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level which included an advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless they are grandfathered by the state in which they are licensed to practice at the advanced practice level (except for licenses issued in California, which administers its own clinical examination for advanced practice) and they must be able to provide supervision for licensure. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations. This includes individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial and/or case management. Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.

Knowledge in developing and implementing methods for measuring effectiveness of social work practice and services in the specialty area, utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services and to design system changes. Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients in the service delivery area, as well as role modeling effective social work practice skills.

Ability to expand clinical knowledge in the social work profession, and to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area. Assignments. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Senior social workers are licensed or certified to independently practice social work at an advanced level.

Senior social workers typically practice in a major program area such as but not limited to: Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center or Polytrauma Network Site; a Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Center, or a national VHA referral center, such as a national Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or a national Transplant Center, or other program areas of equivalent scope and complexity. Other assignments may be found in the qualification standards of this occupational series.

03Preferred Experience

Prefer minimum of 5 years post licensure experience in independently assesses the psychosocial functions and needs of individuals and families from diverse backgrounds. Able to formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the patient's problems, strength's, needs, challenges and coping skills. Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services.

Social Worker is responsible for reviewing and coordinating all phases across the continuum of care, this includes primary care, specialty care, mental health care, acute care, extended care, and others. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12.

04Physical Requirements

Work requires extreme patience and controlling of emotions. Day-to-day work involves sitting, walking, standing, and carrying light objects. Work is typically performed in a clinical setting that exposes the Social Worker to communicable diseases common to the hospital setting. Able to meet the physical demands of the position, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. They must have good manual dexterity.

Must be able to express or exchange ideas by means of spoken and written words. Must be able to view and read information on computer screens. The job entails walking, standing, bending, pushing, traveling among several different stories/floors, sitting, working on a computer, carrying objects up to 15 pounds.

VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU The Senior Social Worker will empower positive outcomes for Veterans and the healthcare system through independent clinical decision-making, expert case consultation, and advanced social work practice. As a leader, mentor, and educator, this position supports the development of frontline staff, provides clinical supervision and guidance, and helps shape the next generation of social workers through student oversight and training.

Serving as a trusted subject matter expert, this role drives excellence in complex case management, care coordination, and professional education across the healthcare system. Functions include, but are not limited to: Utilize available data sources to proactively identify patients for screening/triage, assessment, treatment planning, case management and care coordination.

Receive referrals from a variety of sources to include triage, consults, walk-in visits, phone calls, and warm hand-offs from internal and external stakeholders. Conduct comprehensive psychosocial and behavioral health assessments by integrating clinical findings to identify Veterans' strengths, needs, goals, and presenting concerns, and develop effective treatment and discharge plans that support recovery and well-being.

Expand clinical knowledge in the profession by writing policies, standard operating procedures, and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area. Perform case findings in identifying and screening patients for psychosocial, behavioral health or mental health needs. Identify high-risk patients and provide case management, care coordination, crisis intervention, family conferencing, and liaison services to support treatment and care planning.

Serve as a subject matter expert and provide consultation services to multidisciplinary colleagues and students regarding the psychosocial, behavioral health and mental health needs and treatment of Veterans Serve as a mentor and educator to social work students, promoting excellence in clinical practice, professional development, and Veteran-centered care.

Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of patient flow and healthcare system processes to ensure the efficient delivery of psychosocial, behavioral health, and mental health services within the assigned specialty area. Work Schedule: 8am - 4:30pm, Monday through Friday Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 52091F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized