Senior Social Worker

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Reno (NV); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking a Senior Social Worker for the Addiction and Substance Use Disorder program. The role will provide specialized psychosocial assessments, treatment planning, and crisis stabilization for Veterans with SUD and co-occurring disorders.

Work with interdisciplinary teams to coordinate referrals, deliver evidence-based therapies, and support care transitions. Telework eligibility and growth opportunities are available within VA policies.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in social work from CSWE-accredited school.
• Must be licensed/certified to independently practice social work at the MSW level.
• US citizenship; English proficiency (spoken and written).
• Grandfathering provisions may apply for current VA employees in this occupation.

Responsibilities

• Represent the ADTP/SUD program with professionalism when engaging Veterans and families.
• Provide specialized SUD assessments, relapse prevention, and crisis management.
• Coordinate referrals within RRTP/outpatient teams to ensure timely care.
• Offer evidence-based therapies (CBT for SUD, Motivational Interviewing).
• Advise and mentor staff on best practices in SUD treatment and crisis intervention.
• Ensure warm handoffs and continuity of care after discharge.

Skills

Oral communication

Written communication

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Crisis intervention

Education

MSW from CSWE-accredited program

Tools

CRM/records systems

Job description

Summary

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) - a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval - award amount (up to $200 -000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
• 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/
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f)
• May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria)
• 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
• All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title - series and grade held - including positive education and licensure or certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation
• For employees who do not meet all of the basic requirements in this standard - but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it - the following provisions apply: Such employees in an occupation that requires a licensure or certification - may be reassigned - promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level - or changed to lower grade within the occupation - but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions
• Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed - on a temporary or permanent basis - until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard
• Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation - who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all of the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation
• If an employee who was retained in an occupation listed in 38 U.S.C. 7401(3) under this provision leaves that occupation - the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation
• NOTE: If social workers covered under the grandfathering provision of the 1991 Federal law regarding licensure or certification of VHA social workers leave the GS-0185 social work series - they lose the grandfathering protection
• If they choose to return at a later date to the GS-0185 series - they must be licensed or certified to qualify for employment as a social worker
• Grade Determinations: Senior Social Worker - GS-12 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
• 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
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above - candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 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
• Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice
• 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
• 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
• 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
• References: VA Handbook 5005/120 - Part II - Appendix G39 - Social Worker Qualification Standard - GS-0185 - Veterans Health Administration - dated September 10 - 2019
• Driver's License: Candidate must have a current state issued driver's license
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 Employee Occupational Health Service

Duties

• VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Represent the ADTP/SUD program with professionalism when working with Veterans - interdisciplinary providers - community agencies - and family/support systems
• Serve as a subject matter expert in SUD specialty care - including withdrawal management needs - co occurring disorders - and evidence based SUD treatment options
• Collaborate with Addiction Medicine - Psychiatry - Primary Care - ED/inpatient teams - and RRTP staff to ensure coordinated responses for complex or acute Veterans requiring early intervention
• Provide education and consultation across the medical center regarding SUD assessment - treatment planning - crisis stabilization - and recovery oriented supports
• Use extensive knowledge of VA and community SUD programs - detoxification and rehabilitation services - crisis centers - sober supports - and behavioral health agencies when arranging referrals
• Coordinate referrals within the SUD specialty clinic to RRTP - outpatient mental health - primary care - and community resources - ensuring timely linkage based on clinical urgency and Veteran preference
• Assist Veterans and caregivers in navigating care transitions - including those discharged from inpatient settings and those with minimal treatment engagement but recurring crisis service use
• Complete biopsychosocial assessments and independently diagnose substance use disorders and co occurring mental disorders - particularly for complex or acute Veterans requiring stabilization or withdrawal management
• Incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment planning within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice - considering medical - psychiatric - trauma - environmental - and social determinants of health
• Identify co morbid complications through brief assessment and rapid formulation - including withdrawal risk - intoxication related danger - overdose risk - medical instability - or psychiatric decompensation
• Document comprehensive assessments that include strengths - limitations - risk factors - coping strategies - and support systems to guide treatment and care coordination
• Provide specialized consultation to staff - trainees - and interdisciplinary teams on complex SUD presentations - motivational approaches - co occurring disorders - crisis mitigation - and referral pathways
• Advocate for Veterans facing barriers to care - stigma related to addiction - or challenges navigating the VA system
• Encourage Veterans and caregivers to advocate for their own needs - supporting autonomy and recovery oriented care
• Provide comprehensive - evidence based psychotherapeutic interventions - including individual - family - and group psychotherapy for SUD and co occurring conditions
• Offer evidence based therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for SUD - Motivational Interviewing - Contingency Management - relapse prevention strategies - and programmatically indicated modalities
• Identify when specialty consultation is needed and make referrals to appropriate medical - psychiatric - or mental health services
• Provide psychoeducation - counseling - and care coordination for Veterans experiencing medical complications related to substance use - ensuring collaboration with Addiction Medicine and inpatient teams
• Complete clinical reminders and SUD related screening tools within approved scope of practice and clinical privileges
• Make rapid assessments and develop crisis management plans for Veterans experiencing psychiatric instability - acute withdrawal - suicidal ideation - intoxication related risk - or medical emergencies
• Maintain access to crisis resources and collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to ensure warm handoffs - appropriate admissions - and safety focused interventions
• Serve as an essential interdisciplinary team member for Veterans at high risk for suicide or overdose - ensuring appropriate monitoring - risk management - and treatment coordination
• Provide community outreach to complex Veterans who frequently use emergency or crisis services but exhibit limited treatment engagement
• Monitor follow up services using dashboards and tracking tools to meet SAIL expectations and ensure continuity of care after inpatient discharge
• Coordinate point of care testing (urine drug screens - breathalyzer testing - vital signs) with interdisciplinary team members as clinically indicated
• Provide guidance - mentoring - and role modeling to colleagues and trainees regarding best practices in SUD treatment - crisis intervention - and recovery focused care
• Work Schedule: 8:00am - 4:30pm Monday - Friday Telework: This position is eligible for telework on an Ad- Hoc Basis per agency policy EDRP Authorized: (Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.) Contact [e-mail] - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
• Learn more Financial Disclosure Report: Not required