Social Worker

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Menlo Park (CA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The US Department of Veterans Affairs seeks a Social Worker, GS-9 or GS-11, to provide comprehensive psychosocial care for Veterans and their families. Core duties include assessment, counseling, and care coordination within VHA guidelines.

Eligibility includes a CSWE-accredited MSW, state licensure, and adherence to VA policies. Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) eligibility may apply; refer to VA Education Loan Repayment Services for details.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in social work from CSWE-accredited school.
• Licensed or certified to independently practice social work at the master’s level.
• U.S. Citizenship required; non-citizens only per VA policy if recruitment of citizens is not possible.
• Doctoral degree cannot substitute for a MSW; licensure exception applies at GS-9 only.

Responsibilities

• Provide veteran-centric interventions and counseling for Veterans, families, caregivers, and survivors.
• Assess psychosocial functioning and develop/implement treatment plans with identified problems and needs.
• Apply various treatment modalities with individuals, families, and groups to achieve goals.
• Establish and maintain effective relationships; communicate with clients, staff, and community agencies.

Skills

Counseling

Psychosocial assessment

Community resources

Communication

Medical terminology

Education

MSW degree

Job description

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. 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.

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). A doctoral degree in social work may not be substituted for a 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 master's of Social Work.
• Licensure: Persons hired or reassigned to social work positions 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/.
• Exception: VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations. This exception only applies at the GS-9 grade level. For the GS-11 grade level and above, the candidate must be licensed or certified.

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).

Grade Determinations

In addition to the above for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

Social Worker, GS-9

• Experience, Education, and Licensure: None beyond the basic requirements.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
  • Utilize a Veteran centric approach when providing interventions and counseling for Veterans, their family members, caregivers, and survivors.
  • Assess the psychosocial functioning needs of Veterans and their family members to formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Social Worker, GS-11

• Experience and Licensure: Appointment to the GS-11 grade level requires completion of a minimum of one year of post-MSW experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the field of health care or other social work-related settings (VA or non-VA experience) and licensure in a state at the independent practice level.
• Education: In addition to meeting basic requirements, 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.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
  • Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to the community and other governmental agencies for services, and the 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, 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 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 needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment.

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-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-09 to GS-11.

Physical Requirements

See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.