- Position Title
- Social Worker
- Agency
- Veterans Health Administration
- Announcement Number
- CBSV-12709734-25-YG Opens in new window
- Open Period
- Monday, March 24, 2025 to Monday, March 31, 2025
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.
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.
2.
Are you a current/past/upcoming VHA Health Professions Trainee (HPT) Graduate?
An HPT may be VA-paid, Without Compensation (WOC), or a participant of the VA Health Professional Scholarship Program that has been appointed to a temporary position in one or more VHA medical facilities performing clinical or research training experience to satisfy program or degree requirements.
To verify your standing as a current/past/upcoming HPT graduate, you must submit a copy of your latest Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50), the FL-294 (or a WOC appointment letter).
An HPT may be VA-paid, Without Compensation (WOC), or a participant of the VA Health Professional Scholarship Program that has been appointed to a temporary position in one or more VHA medical facilities performing clinical or research training experience to satisfy program or degree requirements.
To verify your standing as a current/past/upcoming HPT graduate, you must submit a copy of your latest Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50), the FL-294 (or a WOC appointment letter).
3.
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.
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.
4.
Are you currently employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs within the VISN the position is located?
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.
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.
Preferences
1.
Select the lowest grade you are willing to accept for this position.
2.
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.
If you responded yes to any of the items below, you will need to include a SF-50 specifying your prior service.
Your resume must be submitted in English and 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.
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).
Assessment 1
BASIC REQUIREMENTS: The following section is used to determine your eligibility for this vacancy. Your application must provide acceptable proof of your status. Please choose an answer for each of the following items to identify which of the following descriptions applies to you.
Select “Yes” or “No” to the following question(s).
1.
English Language Proficiency -
Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. ? 7403(f).
Are you proficient in spoken and written English?
Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. ? 7403(f).
Are you proficient in spoken and written English?
2.
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 (http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation) to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work.
Note: 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.
Do you have a master's degree in social work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) or pending completion of educational requirements of a mater's degree in social work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)?
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 (http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation) to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work.
Note: 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.
Do you have a master's degree in social work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) or pending completion of educational requirements of a mater's degree in social work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)?
3.
Licensure -
To apply for the GS-9 Grade Level:
Exception: This exception only applies at the GS-9 grade level. VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations. VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed or certified at the independent, master's level within three years of their appointment as a VA Handbook 5005. Failure to Obtain License or Certification within the prescribed amount of time will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment.
To apply for the GS-11 Grade level:
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/ (http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/).
Are you independently licensed or agree to obtain license or certification by a state to independently practice social work within 3 years?
To apply for the GS-9 Grade Level:
Exception: This exception only applies at the GS-9 grade level. VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations. VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed or certified at the independent, master's level within three years of their appointment as a VA Handbook 5005. Failure to Obtain License or Certification within the prescribed amount of time will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment.
To apply for the GS-11 Grade level:
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/ (http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/).
Are you independently licensed or agree to obtain license or certification by a state to independently practice social work within 3 years?
EXPERIENCE: The following section is used to determine your eligibility for this vacancy. Your application must provide acceptable proof of your experience. Please choose A (Yes) or B (No) for each of the following items to identify which of the following descriptions applies to you.
Select “Yes” or “No” to the following question(s).
4.
Minimum Requirement for GS-9 Level (Entry Level) Experience -
In addition to meeting all the basic requirements listed above, you must be able to demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities:
In addition to meeting all the basic requirements listed above, you must be able to demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities:
- Ability to work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills.
- Ability to assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, and to formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the Veterans problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed.
- Ability to implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups to achieve treatment goals. This requires judgment and skill in utilizing supportive, problem solving, or crisis intervention techniques..
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies.
- Fundamental knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures. This includes acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses/injuries; common medications and their effects/side effects; and medical terminology.
5.
Minimum Requirement for GS-11 Level (Full Performance Level) Experience -
In addition to meeting all the basic requirements listed above you must have at least 1 full year of post-MSW experience equivalent to the GS-9 level and licensure in a state at the independent practice level, 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.
AND
Must be able to demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities:
In addition to meeting all the basic requirements listed above you must have at least 1 full year of post-MSW experience equivalent to the GS-9 level and licensure in a state at the independent practice level, 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.
AND
Must be able to demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities:
- Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.