Senior Social Worker - Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program - Substance Use Disorder

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Chelsea (ME); On-site; USD 92,000 - 121,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking a Senior Social Worker for the Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program specializing in Substance Use Disorder. This position includes providing comprehensive services to Veterans, ensuring compliance, and leading educational initiatives within a supportive team environment.

Benefits

37-50 days of annual paid time off

Parental leave after 12 months of employment

Child care subsidy for qualifying employees

Traditional federal pension and 401K options

Qualifications

• Must have a master's degree in Social Work from an accredited school.
• Licensed or certified to practice social work at the master's level.
• At least two years of experience post-licensure.

Responsibilities

• Provide a full range of services including counseling, case management, and care coordination.
• Ensure compliance with ethical standards and documentation policies.
• Supervise and train students and interns as necessary.

Skills

Counseling

Case Management

Psychoeducation

Therapeutic Communication

Education

Master's degree in Social Work

Job description

Senior Social Worker - Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program - Substance Use Disorder

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Senior Social Worker - Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program - Substance Use Disorder

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U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provided pay range

This range is provided by U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

Base pay range

$92,869.00/yr - $120,734.00/yr

Summary

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

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Duties

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

The Senior Social Worker is the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Specialist for the Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (RRTP) Program. This position provides coordination with VISN for referrals to RRTP Programs in VISN 1.Position will oversee clinical case management in Domiciliary to ensure compliance and clinical expectations.

Duties may include, but are not limited to:

• Provide a full range of services within the Social Work Scope of Practice based on Veteran needs, acuity level, and preferences for care. Services may include, but are not limited to, the following: individual, family, and group therapy; case management, discharge planning; resource linkage; and care coordination.
• Provide consultation and psychoeducation to Veterans and Veteran families on topics including community resources, Advance Directives, VA benefits, budgeting, activities of daily living, and recovery goals.
• Act as a consultant to other team/staff members and take a lead clinical role in case consultation.
• Fulfill ethical responsibilities to Veterans, colleagues and VA in accordance with ethics policies. This includes but is not limited to: compliance with all laws and regulations related to confidentiality and release of information; protecting Veterans' personal identifying information.
• Document all Veteran care in the electronic health record in accordance with facility policy, VHA Directive 1162.05 (and revisions), and program-specific Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Ensure compliance with standards and expectations of Joint Commission and other relevant accrediting bodies. Assist program leadership in accreditation preparation and continuous readiness activities as requested.
• Actively participate in program planning and development, advising the supervisor of shifting Veteran care needs and identifying the need for SOP or policy changes.
• Provide supervision, training and education to students, interns, or unlicensed Social Workers as requested.
• Maintain familiarity and responsibility for all behavioral health performance measures. Assist in development and maintenance of operational plans and strategic goals related to these measures.
• Responsible for participation and leadership in process improvement, system redesign, and/or other applicable workgroups and committees, to include creation of standard work documents or strategic plan implementation.
• Take responsibility for improving professional competencies by participating training programs and continuing education.
• Primary administrative oversight of the enrollment of Veterans into the MH RRTP, ensuring rapid access to care in accordance with the VHA Handbook;
• MH RRTP Outpatient and inpatient consult administrative management;
• Program evaluation to identify and address barriers to program enrollment/engagement and rapid access;
• Formally supervise trainees & unlicensed staff in the provision of specialty addictions assessment and SUD stabilization;
• Actively participate in facility committees relevant to SUD specialty care.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.
  
  

Work Schedule: Full-time; Monday - Friday 7:30 am - 4:00 pm

Compressed/Flexible:Not Authorized



Recruitment/Relocation Incentive: Not Authorized

EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact Jaime Perez at [e-mail], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more

EDRP Assignment Code: B3

Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).

Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)

Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.

Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.

Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.

Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA

Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)

Telework: Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 000000

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized



Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Preference Eligible - 1 year trial period
• Non-preference eligible - 2 year trial period
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
  

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship - You must be a citizen of the United States
• English Language Proficiency - You must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f)
• Education and/or Experience Combination - You must possess 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.
  
  Note: A doctoral degree in Social Work may NOT be substituted for the master's degree in Social Work.
• License or Certification - You must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level.
  
  

Senior Social Worker GS-12:

Licensure Requirement: You 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 must be able to provide supervision for licensure.

Experience Requirement: You must possess 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: ???assessing and documenting identified behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and/or intimate partner violence; use of clinical social work skills; maintaining patient privacy and confidentiality per policies, handbooks or directives; acting as an advocate with appropriate community service providers and agencies when it serves the best interest of the patient and family members/caregiver; independently assessing the psychosocial functioning and needs of patients and their family members, identifying the patient's strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and psychosocial acuity. Applicable experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment.

In addition to the experience above, you must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• 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.
  
  

Preferred Experience: Substance use disorder treatment: stepped or transitional continuum of care: residential or intensive outpatient substance use treatment: Dual diagnosis: VA experience.



Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

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 Services.

Education


IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.



Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

NOTIFICATIONS:

• Due to a critical staffing shortage, 38 U.S.C.
• 7412 waives the requirement to apply Veterans' preference for this job announcement.
• This position is in the Excepted Service.
• Narrative responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) will be required from the selectee in order to proceed with the appointment.
• This position is a AFGE Bargaining Unit position.
• This position is covered by a special rate or locality-based comparability pay.
• Incomplete applications will not be considered.
• Selectee may be required to work at any VA Maine Healthcare System campus, as needed.
• May be required to attend conference at other facilities or other VA sites on occasion.
• The incumbent may be required to travel to other VA campuses and CBOC's.
• Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held.
  
  

Additional information

This is an open continuous announcement until September 19, 2025. Qualified applicants will be considered and referred as vacancies become available.

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

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• Help A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  
  

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

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