Summary

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (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 appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) 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.

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Duties

VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU

VA Careers - Licensed Clinical Social Worker: https://youtube.com/embed/U_xC25QsN0w

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Duties & skills needed to be successful in this position include, but are not limited to:

• Responsible for ensuring that homeless or at-risk of homelessness veterans are considered as primary participants for program acceptance. The incumbent verifies the veteran's status, eligibility for VA medical care, & eligibility for program participation. The incumbent screens veterans for admission into HUDNASH utilizing established prioritization & acuity scales.
• Responsible for providing case management for a caseload of veterans in the HUD- VASH program. The incumbent is responsible for reviewing agreements between Section 8, landlords, Public Housing Authorities, & the VA in establishing appropriate referral sites for HUD-VASH placements.
• Performs site visits of HUD-VASH apartments to ensure that veterans reside in safe environments in compliance with local housing codes.
• Serves as the subject matter expert on Tribal/HUDNASH relations. The incumbent will develop behavioral health related training curriculum & conduct trainings for Tribal communities, providers & VA staff.
• Responsible for collecting & submitting HUD-VASH Program participant data as outlined by HOMES evaluation procedures.
• Active participant in the treatment planning process with other disciplines. The incumbent is responsible for completing, documenting, & updating comprehensive biopsychosocial assessments & individualized treatment plans with veteran input according to Medical Center policies & Joint Commission & CARF accreditation standards.
• Responsible for providing HUD-VASH case management. Case management is defined as the provision of services by VA clinical staff to homeless veterans & includes all activities to provide appropriate treatment & maintain veterans in HUD approved stable housing. The incumbent will provide individual, family & group counseling as appropriate.
• Coordinates care including serving as an advocate on behalf of the veterans to ensure comprehensive service delivery & linking & referring veterans to the VA Health Care System, VA Regional Offices and/or community agencies.
• Provides guidance, emotional support & employs methods & techniques to maintain a therapeutic relationship to assist the veteran in working towards healthy problem-solving, self-­empowerment & decision-making. Highly developed professional skills are routinely used to motivate clients to resume more effective control of their own life.
• Complies with criminal conflict of interest laws & Executive Branch Standards of conduct to avoid conflicts of interest while serving as the HUD-VASH Case Manager.
• Actively participates in the HUD-VASH Program conference calls & attends training offered.
• Actively participates in program planning & development, advising the supervisor of shifting trends with caseloads & identifying the need for & making recommendations on program procedure or policy changes based upon work experiences.
• Takes responsibility for improving professional skills, participating in planning & executing specific staff development projects, attending seminars & institutes, & participating in training programs of other disciplines as requested.
• Works with VA Health Care System multi-disciplinary teams & community agencies to strive for developing more effective & efficient ways of delivering healthcare services to HUD-VASH Program veterans. The incumbent attends community meetings as requested/required, representing the VA Homeless Programs in a professional, collaborative manner.
• Provide consultation/education to veterans & families on community resources, advance directives, & VA benefits.
• Act as a consultant to other team/staff members.
• Act as liaison between VA & community resources, to include marketing & public relation duties as needed.
• Address Advance Directives & Organ Donation in accordance with the standards of their work area.
• Provide wellness/prevention education & facilitate patient/family support groups as appropriate.
• Participate in committee assignments, as deemed necessary by the service manager.
• Assist patients & their significant others with coping & dealing with the loss & grief experiences in disability, terminal illness, & death.
• Document clinical interventions & activities in patient's clinical record utilizing CPRS & ensure appropriate hand off when transferring of patient care.
• Maintain familiarity & responsibility for all performance measures relating to the HUD-VASH Program.
  
  

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm

EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact vhaedrpprogramsupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more

Telework: Ad-hoc

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 52617

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• 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.
• 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. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• 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).
  
  

Qualifications

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:

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  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 & written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C.
• 7403(f).
• 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.
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  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 SW Licensure Summary by State.
  
  

Grade Determinations:

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: 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.
  
  

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is 12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is 12.



Physical Requirements: Traveling throughout the medical center and community is required, as is performing activities involving sitting, walking, and standing, bending, and carrying such items as books, papers, and files. In carrying out responsibilities it will be necessary for the incumbent to travel into the community where he/she conducts interviews with the Veterans, their families, representatives of community health and welfare agencies and law enforcement agencies. The incumbent must possess current driver's license and drive a government vehicle in carrying out professional duties.

Education



Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized

Pay: Competitive salary & regular salary increases.

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) & 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)

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

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• Help A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  
  

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.