Senior Social Worker - Veterans Justice Program (VJP)/Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV)

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. Education. 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 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 master's degree level.

Current state requirements may be found by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/. 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.] 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).

02Grade Determinations

In addition to the basic requirements as stated above, the GS-12 Senior Social Worker must meet the following requirements: Experience and 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 judgement.

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/source of study and internship or equivalent supervised professional experience in a specialty. Licensure/Certification.

Individuals assigned as 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 must be able to provide supervision for licensure. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) 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, (b) Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice, (c) 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, (d) 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, (e) 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.

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-12.

03Physical Requirements

The work is primarily sedentary but requires distance driving for outreach, court, correctional facility, and community-based visits. May require occasional lifting (10-35 lbs), reaching above shoulder, and twisting of the neck. Requires frequent keyboarding and sitting (4-7 hours per day), walking up to 6 hours per day, or standing up to 8 hours per day, with frequent climbing or descending of stairs and some bending. Requires the ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The Senior Social Worker provides advanced, independent social work services for Veterans experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness through the Veterans Justice Outreach/Homeless-Chronically Mentally Ill Veterans programs.

The position conducts comprehensive psychosocial assessments; develops, implements, and evaluates individualized treatment and case-management plans; provides crisis intervention and evidence-based clinical services; and coordinates care across VA, community, legal, housing, and behavioral-health systems. The incumbent serves as a clinical resource and program leader, ensuring Veterans receive timely access to housing, medical, mental-health, substance-use, and supportive services.

Duties include maintaining thorough documentation, monitoring outcomes and barriers to care, advocating for Veterans' needs, consulting with interdisciplinary partners, and supporting program operations in accordance with VA policies and professional social-work standards. Conduct comprehensive psychosocial assessments and identify housing, clinical, legal, financial, and support needs. Develop and manage individualized treatment, recovery, and case-management plans.

Provide clinical interventions, crisis management, and referrals for behavioral-health and substance-use concerns. Coordinate services with VA providers, community agencies, courts, correctional settings, housing programs, and other stakeholders. Assist Veterans in obtaining and sustaining safe housing and accessing benefits and supportive resources. Advocate for Veterans and address barriers that interfere with treatment engagement, stability, and recovery.

Maintain accurate, timely clinical documentation and monitor progress toward treatment and program goals. Consult with interdisciplinary teams and serve as an advanced practice resource on homelessness and justice-involved Veteran needs. Support program quality, compliance, outreach, and outcome-monitoring activities.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00am - 4:30pm Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator 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) 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 $144,000 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: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized NPI/Taxonomy code: Required; must be eligible for an NPI number as a condition of employment.