USA Staffing

Position Title: Senior Social Worker
Agency: Veterans Health Administration
Announcement Number: CBTB-12597892-25-CDP Opens in new window
Open Period: Friday, November 8, 2024 to Tuesday, September 30, 2025

For preview purposes only. To apply, please return to the USAJOBS announcement and click the Apply button.

1. Which of the following items describes your current or recent (within the last five years) political appointee service?

If you responded yes to any of the items below, you will need to include a SF-50 specifying your prior service.

A. Yes, I am considered a political appointee as described under 5 U.S.C. sections 5312 through 5316.

B. Yes, I am considered a Non-career Senior Executive Service (SES), Limited Term SES, Limited Emergency SES Executive Branch employee.

C. Yes, I am considered a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or appointee who served in a political capacity under agency-specific authority in the Executive Branch.

D. Yes, I am considered a political appointee in the Executive Branch (as described in a., b. or c above) in a covered position in an agency having an interchange agreement with OPM, which allows movement from the agency's system to the competitive civil service.

E. None of the above. I am not considered a current or recent (last 5 years) political appointee as described above in items a, b, c, or d.

Your resume must include the following information for each job listed:

Job title Duties (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)
Series and Grade, if applicable, for all Federal positions you have held
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 of the questions by addressing your work experience in detail.

Recommended: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to 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. Do not include a photograph or video of yourself, or any sensitive information (age, date of birth, marital status, protected health information, religious affiliation, social security number, etc.) on your resume or cover letter. We will not access web pages or encrypted, and digitally signed documents linked on your resume or cover letter to determine your qualifications.

2. Are you willing to accept the conditions of employment as indicated in the announcement?

A. Yes

B. No

By submitting your application, you are certifying, to the best of your knowledge and belief, all the information submitted by you with your application for employment is true, complete, and made in good faith, and that you have truthfully and accurately represented your work experience, knowledge, skills, abilities and education (degrees, accomplishments, etc.). The information you provide as part of your application may be investigated. You are also certifying, and acknowledging, that misrepresenting your experience or education, or providing false or fraudulent information in, or with your application, may affect your eligibility for appointment and/or continued employment. False or fraudulent statements may be punishable by fine or imprisonment (18 U.S.C. 1001).

3. Choose the Program Area you want to be considered? You must make one choice.

A. The Senior Social Worker in the Mental Health, Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (MH RRTP), often referred to as the Domiciliary or Dom, functions as part of an interdisciplinary mental health team, which consists of a clinical pharmacist, nurses, nurse practitioners, peer specialists, physician assistant, psychologist, social workers, vocational rehabilitation staff, etc. The MH RRTP senior social worker independently diagnoses mental disorders, conducts psychological and/or cognitive screenings and/or assessments, and provides psychotherapy for Veterans for a variety of mental health conditions as a part of a general mental health residential treatment program, in which treatment and services are delivered in person. Senior social workers may be involved in program evaluation and/or research activities, and may provide clinical supervision to various disciplines and levels of training.

B. The Senior Social Worker in the Mental Health, Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) functions as part of an interdisciplinary mental health team, which consists of other social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, care managers, peer support specialists and clinical mental health pharmacists. The BHIP Senior Social Worker independently diagnoses mental health disorders, conduct psychological and/or cognitive screenings and provides psychotherapy for patients for a variety of mental health conditions as a part of a general mental health program. Senior Social Workers may be involved in program evaluation and/or research activities, and may provide clinical supervision to various disciplines and levels of training.

C. The Senior Social Worker in the Mental Health, Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI) provides a full range of mental health services to Veterans enrolled in the Primary Care clinics. Services include diagnostic, psychological, and cognitive screening assessments; psychotherapy; psychoeducation and caregiver support; and prevention-oriented services, with an emphasis on the application of time-limited, evidence-based approaches. The PCMHI Senior Social Worker utilizes evidence-based and best practice approaches to assist Veterans, caregivers, and staff in managing behavioral factors associated with chronic medical problems and in promoting medical compliance. The clinician functions as a full member of the Primary Care clinic teams and provides ongoing team consultation services to other Primary Care clinic team members. PCMHI Senior Social Workers may be involved in program evaluation and/or research activities, and may provide clinical supervision to various disciplines and levels of training.

D. The Senior Social Worker in the Mental Health, Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center (PRRC) works collaboratively and collegially within a multidisciplinary Veteran-centered team, providing psychosocial rehabilitation services to Veterans living with severe mental illness using evidence-based practices in a recovery-oriented treatment setting with a focus on community integration. PRRC services include: 1) a wide range of rehabilitation and recovery services for Veteran with serious mental illness (SMI); 2) collaboration and advocacy for Veterans with SMI and their family members; and 3) education and training of staff, Veterans, families, and community members to promote the transition from maintenance models of treatment to the contemporary rehabilitation and recovery model. Senior social workers may be involved in program evaluation and/or research activities, and may provide clinical supervision to various disciplines and levels of training.

E. The Senior Social Worker in the Mental Health, Workplace Violence Prevention (WPV) will assist in the delivery of evidence-based care for patients who have patient record flags for disruptive behavior. The senior social worker provides education and interventions to patients and VA staff, monitors response to and outcomes of intervention. The senior social worker collaborates with patients/VA staff with the goal of assisting those Veterans in modifying behaviors so that their flags can be removed after required 2-year period. The senior social worker will be responsible for monitoring patients who have behavioral flags and/or may be at increased risk for becoming flagged for disruptive behavior, providing education and support to patients, caregivers, and staff regarding best practices to mitigate risk for increased violence, and collaboratively making appropriate case decisions using the lens of evidence-based threat management practice.

F. Would like to be considered for all Program Areas.

Thank you for your interest in the Senior Social Worker position with with the Department of Veteran Affairs, VA Augusta Health Care System, August, GA. The following section is used to determine basic requirements for appointment in the federal government and qualification for a Senior Social Worker. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Select the appropriate answer to each of the following questions based on your current level of education and/or experience that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position. When answering the questionnaire, remember that your experience and education are subject to verification by investigation. Please read the announcement in its entirety and review your responses for accuracy before you submit this questionnaire. Your Resume must provide specific examples or documentation of your experience as proof to support your answers. Your failure to adequately document your experience, education, or certification on your resume may result in you being found not qualified for this position. No assumptions are made regarding your qualifications.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: In order to qualify for this position, you must meet the Basic Requirements as well as the additional qualification requirements.

Select “Yes” or “No” to the following question(s).

1. Citizenship: Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3g.)

Are you a Citizen of the United States?

A. Yes

B. No

2. Education: Applicants 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). 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 meet this requirement?

You must submit transcripts (unofficial is sufficient) with your application.

A. Yes

B. No

3. Licensure/Certification: 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.

Do you meet the above requirement?

You must submit a copy of your unexpired License/Certification with your application.

A. Yes

B. No

4. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. ? 7403(f).

Do you meet the above requirement (proficient in both spoken and written English)?

A. Yes

B. No

GRADE REQUIREMENTS:

Select “Yes” or “No” to the following question(s).

5. Senior Social Worker, GS-12: Candidates must meet ALL of the following requirements to qualify at the GS-12 grade level.

(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. Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to: Assesses and documents identified behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and/or intimate partner violence; use of clinical social work skills and knowledge to maintain Veteran privacy and confidentiality per policies, handbooks or directives; and acts as an advocate with appropriate VA and community service providers and agencies when it serves the best interest of the Veteran and family members/caregiver. Assesses the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, identifying the Veteran's strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and psychosocial acuity. Provides case management and care coordination to facilitate appropriate delivery of health care services, incorporates complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of Veterans, including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.

AND

(2) 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 they must be able to provide supervision for licensure. (Copy of current licensure required.)

AND

(3) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). 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.

Do you meet all of the requirements listed above for the GS-12 grade level?

You must fully detail this experience in your resume. Failure to do so may result in a not qualified rating.

A. Yes

B. No

RESUME REMINDER - Your resume must include the following for each job listed:
1) Job Title and Grade Level/Salary (for all Federal positions you have held). In order to show that you meet time-in-grade, you must document grades you have held and how long you have held them.
2) Duties (you must include enough detailed information to support your specialized experience)
3) Month, day and year start/end dates (e.g. 04/02/2007 to 04/13/2008)
4) Full-time or Part-time status (include hours worked per week for each job listed)
5) Full Name and Address of Employer Resume Must Support Response. 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 of the questions by addressing your work experience in detail.

RECOMMENDATION: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to 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.

Transcript Reminder - If you are basing your qualifications on Education, or a combination of education and experience, or if the position requires a college education to qualify, you must submit Official or Unofficial copies of college transcripts to support your educational claims.

Select “Yes” or “No” to the following question(s).

6. Certify: I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, all of the information included in this questionnaire is true, correct, and provided in good faith. I understand that if I make an intentional false statement, or commit deception or fraud in this application and its supporting materials, or in any document or interview associated with the examination process, I may be fined or imprisoned (18 U.S.C. 1001); my eligibility may be canceled; I may be denied an appointment; or I may be removed and debarred from Federal service (5. C.F.R. part 731). I understand that any information I give may be investigated and that responding "No" or providing no response to this item will result in me not being considered for this position.

Do you certify that, to the best of your knowledge and belief, all of the information included in this questionnaire is true, correct, and provided in good faith?

A. Yes

B. No

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