Senior Social Worker - HUD-VASH

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Tacoma (WA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

US Department of Veterans Affairs in Tacoma, WA seeks a Senior Social Worker (GS-12) with a Master’s in Social Work and state licensure. The role requires advanced practice expertise, two years post-licensure in a specialized area, and the ability to supervise licensure candidates.

Certification or post-master training may be part of the profile. The position emphasizes expert psychosocial interventions, differential diagnosis, and program evaluation to inform clinical practice and policy

Qualifications

• Specialized interventions in psychosocial treatment.
• Ability to differentiate diagnoses and apply clinical judgment.
• Experience measuring outcome effectiveness of social work services.
• Ability to provide supervision for licensure and share expertise.

Skills

Specialized interventions

Differential diagnosis

Outcome evaluation

Clinical supervision

Policy development

Education

Master's in Social Work (CSWE-accredited)

Advanced practice licensure/certification

Job description

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.

Basic Requirements

• Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g this part).
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).
• 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. (COPY OF TRANSCRIPT WITH CONFERRED DATE REQUIRED)
• 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. (COPY OF ADVANCE PRACTICE LICENSE REQUIRED FOR GS-12)

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 (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.

Preferred Experience

5 years of Case Management.

References

For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://department.va.gov/employees/va-qualifications-standards/.

Position Level

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12.

Physical Requirements

Moderate lifting and carrying (15-44 lbs.), pushing, operation of motor vehicle, ability to distinguish basic colors, and hearing (aid may be permitted). Environmental factors include outside and inside, working closely with others, and working alone.