- Position Title
- Social Worker - Research
- Agency
- Veterans Health Administration
- Announcement Number
- CARX-25-12724036-KBu Opens in new window
- Open Period
- Thursday, April 24, 2025 to Monday, May 5, 2025
For preview purposes only. To apply, please return to the USAJOBS announcement and click the Apply button.
Eligibilities
1.
Are you a current permanent Federal employee from an agency other than Department of Veterans Affairs?
To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your latest Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50) or equivalent personnel action form.
To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your latest Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50) or equivalent personnel action form.
2.
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.
Preferences
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.
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).
2.
In accordance with VA Notice 22-13: Pre-Employment References Policy, pre-employment reference checks have been incorporated into the selection process. Hiring officials must conduct pre-employment reference checks with a current or previous supervisor prior to HR staff extending a tentative offer.
In the textbox below, please provide the name, telephone number and email address of at least 4 professional references. Two of these references must be a current or previous supervisor. If two supervisory references are not available, provide the name, telephone number and email address of individuals who were in a position to directly observe your work.
Please also indicate in the textbox below if you prefer to be contacted before your current or previous supervisor is contacted, or if you prefer to provide your references upon request.
*Note: Hiring Officials may request alternate/additional references.
In the textbox below, please provide the name, telephone number and email address of at least 4 professional references. Two of these references must be a current or previous supervisor. If two supervisory references are not available, provide the name, telephone number and email address of individuals who were in a position to directly observe your work.
Please also indicate in the textbox below if you prefer to be contacted before your current or previous supervisor is contacted, or if you prefer to provide your references upon request.
*Note: Hiring Officials may request alternate/additional references.
3.
I authorize my application information being shared with hiring managers for similar positions. I understand this option may not result in further consideration for additional positions nor will it impact my application for this announcement.
4.
Would you accept a temporary appointment?
5.
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. Are you proficient in basic written and spoken English?
In order to receive appropriate consideration, you should submit proper documentation if you are claiming eligibility for Veterans' Preference, which includes a copy of your DD-214 (member copy 4 or earlier version that shows character of service). Applicant's claiming 10-Point preference should also submit an SF-15, Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference along with the required documentation listed on the form (such as verification of service-connected disability percentage).
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 a copy of your transcripts with your application.
Assessment 1
Select the appropriate answer to each of the following questions based on your current level of education 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. You may be asked to provide specific examples or documentation of experience or education as proof to support your answers, or you may be required to verify a response by a practical demonstration of your claimed ability to perform a task.
Basic Requirements: The below requirements apply to all Veterans Health Administration (VHA) social worker (GS-0185) positions. Select the appropriate answer to each of the following questions based on your current level of experience and/or education that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position.
1.
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/.
Are you licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level?
Are you licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level?
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 to verify that the social work degree meets the 4 accreditation standards for a masters of social work.
Do you meet the education requirement for Social Worker?
Do you meet the education requirement for Social Worker?
Selective Placement Factor: This position includes a skill, knowledge, ability or other worker characteristic basic to -and essential for- satisfactory performance of the job. Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. Evidence of the Selective Placement Factor must be reflected in your resume.
3.
The Selective Placement Factor for this position is: Do you have experience leading functions related to health services research initiatives that support grant-funded research and meet Institutional Review Board (IRB) research requirements?
Experience: This section includes questions about the experience requirements for this vacancy. Carefully read the following descriptions below, select ONE statement below that best describes how you meet the requirements for a Social Worker - Research, GS-0185-12. To be creditable, experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Read all responses before making your selection. Failure to provide the required information will render your application ineligible for consideration. From the responses below, select ONE response that best describes how you meet the experience requirements for this position. Note: Experience MUST be substantiated in your resume. Failure to provide the required information will render your application ineligible for consideration.
4.
GS-12 Experience: Do you possess one year of experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level? Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills in administration, demonstrating progressively more professional competency skills and judgment. The candidate may have a certification or other post-master's degree training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship, or equivalent supervised professional experience. Experience is defined as participating in research and quality improvement projects related to the care of veterans through research; performing social work-related research and management information activities; participating in research related tasks such as recruiting potential study participants and administrating study measures or interventions; and assisting in the development of quantitative and qualitative research protocols to investigate research hypothesis, quality improvement, implementation, and program assessment.
AND
Do you possess the following technical Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)?
AND
Do you possess the following technical Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)?
- Ability to implement social work research methodology, health services research, and the peer review processes in the preparation of study proposals meeting the guidelines of various funding agencies.
- Ability to formulate a research study, from conceptualization of the research problem through the implementation, analysis, interpretation, and reporting phases.
- Skill in the use of computer input and analysis of social science data including the use of statistical packages.
- Knowledge of the principles of scientific reporting for publications in peer reviewed journals and for presentation at scientific and professional meetings.
- Ability to develop realistic goals and objectives, translate management needs, and concerns into operational terms that can be subjected to empirical study and analysis, and communicate the results in both verbal and written form.
- Knowledge of current and standard literature in disciplinary field and literature sources, including VA reporting requirements, recurring and non-recurring statistical reports, as well as computer files, forms, and procedures created to support them.
- Skill in the critical review and synthesizing of large amounts of information into cogent presentations, translating management needs and concerns into operational terms that can be subjected to empirical study and analysis.
- Knowledge in preparing research project budgets, using VA guidelines in the management of funds, monitoring and evaluating the appropriateness of research funding requests in coordination with Fiscal Service and the R&D Administrative Officer.