Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration Logo
Position Title
Social Worker (Mental Health Clinic)
Agency
Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration
Announcement Number
CBTC-10883626-20-GP Opens in new window
Open Period
Monday, August 24, 2020 to Wednesday, September 16, 2020
For preview purposes only. To apply, please return to the USAJOBS announcement and click the Apply button.
Eligibilities
1. Are you an employee of the facility indicated for this position?
This includes: Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. and meets interchange agreement requirements). This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent.

To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50).  Your SF-50 must include enough information to be able to determine that time-in-grade requirements have been met (if applicable) and include your position title, pay plan/series/grade, tenure and the type of appointment (i.e. Competitive or Excepted).  Please be aware that award SF-50's do not always include this pertinent information.
(limit characters)
2. Are you a Veterans Health Administration employee?
This includes: Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. and meets interchange agreement requirements). This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent.
(limit characters)
Preferences
1. Select the locations you want to be considered for. You must choose at least one location. (limit characters)
2. Please select the appropriate response(s) regarding your referral eligibility: (limit characters)
3. The North Florida/South Georgia VA Healthcare System is recruiting for several Social Workers to work within the following programs: Mental Health Clinic, Community Reintegration and Recovery Service (Outreach), and the Health Care for Homeless Veterans Program (HCHV ). (limit characters)
Assessment 1
Thank you for your interest in a career with the North Florida/South Georgia VA Healthcare System. Applicants must meet all of the following basic requirements to qualify for the position of Social Worker, occupational series GS 0185. (limit characters)
The following set of questions are related to the Basic (or minimum) Qualification requirements for all Social Worker positions with the Department of Veterans Affairs. (limit characters)
Select “Yes” or “No” to the following question(s). (limit characters)
1. English Language Proficiency: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirement of this position.

Are you proficient in spoken and written English?
(limit characters)
2. Basic Education:
You must meet the basic education requirement to be eligible for the Social Worker, GS-0185, job series. Individuals must have a master's degree in social work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

NOTE: 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.

Do you have at least 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) OR a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work?
(limit characters)
3. 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/.

Do you possess a full, current, and unrestricted state license to practice social worker positions in a state, territory or Commonwealth of the United States (i.e., Puerto Rico), or in the District of Columbia?
(limit characters)
4. Grade Determination Social Worker GS-11:
Experience/Education:
Appointment to the GS-11 grade level requires completion of 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.
OR
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.

Assignments at the GS-9 level: Social workers at the GS-9 entry level are typically assigned to program areas that do not require specialized knowledge or experience. Duties may include but are not limited to: identifying behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect or exploitation; providing education on advance directives and advanced care planning; providing social work case management; acting as an advocate with appropriate VA and community service providers/agencies when it serves the best interest of the Veteran and family members/caregiver; assessing the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members identifying the Veteran's strengths, weaknesses, coping skills and psychosocial acuity, in collaboration with the Veteran, family, and interdisciplinary treatment teams; maintaining a current network of internal and external resources to educate the Veteran and/or family members/caregivers and assist with the appropriate referrals. Since social workers at this level are not practicing at an independent level, they should not be assigned to program areas where independent practice is required, such as in a CBOC, unless there is a licensed social worker in the program area who can provide supervision for practice. GS-9 social workers provide psychosocial services in the assigned area under supervision

Do you you have at least 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 or a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work OR 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.
(limit characters)
5. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the education, experience and license requirements above, you must be able to demonstrate all of the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) for appointment at this grade level (GS 11) and assignment:

(a) Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services.
(b) 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.
(c) 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.
(d) 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.
(e) 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.
(limit characters)
RESUME REMINDERS: Your resume must include the following information for each job listed:
  • Job title Duties Performed (be as detailed as possible)
  • Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008)
  • Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week)
Please be aware that your answers will be verified against information provided on your resume. Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all the questions by addressing your work experience in detail. Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we can fully evaluate your qualifications. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy. We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications.
(limit characters)
Transcript Reminder: You must submit a copy of your Transcripts with your application. The copy of Transcripts may be official or unofficial, however they should contain: your name, the institution's name, city and state as well as the degree/courses earned and the DATE the degree was conferred (limit characters)