Senior Social Worker (E-Range)

Major Duties:

• Frequent, direct contact with patients to provide therapy and support, with increased frequency of contacts in times of crisis.
• Flexibility in Veteran contact (Veterans are seen in any location within reasonable geographic and safety guidelines, and with any E-RANGE team clinician who can provide assistance).
• A focus on strengthening the patient's ability to address acute and chronic problems and improving overall quality of life.
• Use of naturalistic community settings for teaching and modeling problem-solving skills.
• Provision of continuity of care within the framework established by E-RANGE. This includes collaborating and consulting with other interdisciplinary treatment teams and programs to promote and enhance patient care.
• Outreach and assertive provision of services to treatment resistant patients.
• Mobilization of environmental and organizational supports, including family members, professionals, and other interested parties. This involves undertaking individual, family, and group therapies as well as educational programs for Veterans, families, and staff, and linking patients to other VA programs and community resources.
• Participation in team staffing regarding patient selection, determination of treatment plans and goals, progress evaluation, discharge planning, and aftercare.
• Assertive and consistent work with inpatient teams to assure continuity of care by providing consultation regarding clinical needs, treatment plans, and case management services for assigned patients. Promotes appropriate treatment, rehabilitation, and expeditious discharge of assigned patients, consistent with program goals and individual treatment plans, and works to reduce psychiatric hospitalizations and dependency.
• Active involvement in readmission decisions, utilizing established procedures.
• Completion of clinical documentation according to E-RANGE and Medical Center Standards. This includes responsibility for required clinical records as well as E-RANGE forms for evaluation and monitoring of service delivery and outcomes for the E-RANGE team, Outpatient Clinic, and staff at Northeast Program Evaluation Center (NEPEC).
• Collaboration with other clinical programs and product lines that share in the care of assigned E-RANGE patients. Maintains effective working relationships with other professional and administrative personnel both within the Medical Center and in the community to pursue programmatic and treatment goals.
• Documentation of patient care as prescribed by E-RANGE and Medical Center Directives. Also documents any problem areas concerning implementation of the program and personal activities within the programs, providing suggestions for resolving such issues consistent with E-RANGE and Medical Center policies and procedures.
• Engagement with VA, community, professional organizations, and individuals as needed to carry out assigned developmental and implementation responsibilities. This includes representing the program by screening Veterans for participation in any aspects of the program.
• Supervision and participation in the training of Social Workers, volunteers, and master's level students, as well as involvement in orientation, training, and staff development programs related to E-RANGE and the hospital. Assumes responsibility and shows initiative for own learning and professional development.
• Maintaining accurate records of relevant training and participation in continuing education per VA policies and state licensure. Evaluates own practice through professional peer review, case conferences, and other organizational means. Completes all mandatory VA trainings in a timely manner.
• Fulfilling ethical responsibilities to Veterans, colleagues, and VA in accordance with NASW Code of Ethics, VHA Code of Ethics, and local Ethics policies, including compliance with all laws and regulations related to confidentiality, release of information, and protection of Veterans' personal identifying information.
• Documenting in the Veteran medical record in accordance with Social Work and medical center policies, and requirements of The Joint Commission. This may include a Social Work screening and/or development of a biopsychosocial assessment and treatment plan within the required time frame. Progress notes are timely and reflect progress toward treatment goals. Outcomes are evaluated and documented.
• Performs other related duties as assigned

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Off duty rotational on-call is a requirement of this position.
Bargaining Unit: Yes
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact visn15edrp@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance.
Telework: Adhoc ONLY
Functional Statement #: 00000000

Conditions of employment

• 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.
• 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, driver's 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 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.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• 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.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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. The basic requirements for employment as a VHA social worker are prescribed by statute in 38 U.S.C. § 7402(b)(9), as amended by section 205 of Public Law 106-419, enacted November 1, 2000. To qualify for appointment as a social worker in VHA, all applicants must meet the following:

• Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g this part).
• 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/.
• Grandfathering Provision. The following is the standard grandfathering policy for all title 38 hybrid qualification standards. Please carefully review the qualification standard to determine the specific education and/or licensure/certification/registration requirements that apply to this occupation.
• Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Grade Determinations: Senior Social Worker, GS-12

(1) 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.
(2) 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.
(3) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates 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.

(4) 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. The senior social worker may be assigned administrative responsibility for clinical program development and is accountable for clinical program effectiveness and modification of service patterns. Assignments include clinical settings where they have limited access to onsite supervision such as CBOCs or satellite outpatient clinics. The senior social worker collaborates with the other members of the treatment team in the provision of comprehensive health care services to Veterans, ensures equity of access, service, and benefits to this population, ensures the care provided is of the highest quality. The senior social worker provides leadership, direction, orientation, coaching, in-service training, staff development, and continuing education programs for assigned social work staff. They serve on committees, work groups, and task forces at the facility, VISN and national level, or in the community as deemed appropriate by the supervisor, Social Work Executive or Chief of Social Work Services. This assignment is to be relatively few in number based on the size of the facility/service and applying sound position management. This assignment must represent substantial additional responsibility over and above that required at the full performance grade level and cannot be used as the full performance level of this occupation.

Preferred Experience: Includes advanced clinical work with individuals living with serious mental illness, particularly in community-based or recovery-oriented settings. Candidates should demonstrate proficiency in evidence-based practices, such as Social Skills Training (SST), Illness Management and Recovery (IMR), Motivational Interviewing, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Experience with Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) principles, interdisciplinary team collaboration, and intensive case management is highly desirable. Additional preferred qualifications include prior experience supervising or mentoring social workers, participation in program development, and leadership in quality improvement initiatives.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit .

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12

Physical Requirements: Light Lifting (15 lbs. and under); Light Carrying (15 lbs. and under); Both hands required; Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; Near vision correctable at 13" to 16"; Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; Hearing (aid permitted); emotional and mental stability.