Social Worker

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 98,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs within the HCHV program seeks a Social Worker to provide psychosocial support to chronically homeless Veterans. The role emphasizes assessment, treatment planning, and coordination with community services to secure stable housing under HUD/VASH.

Candidates must have an MSW from a CSWE-accredited program and be licensed or eligible for licensure. Experience with Veterans' benefits and housing programs is preferred.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited program.
• Licensure or certification required for independent practice in state.
• Eligibility for licensure within state prerequisites is described for GS-9/GS-11 levels.

Responsibilities

• Assess Veterans and family members' psychosocial functioning and needs; formulate and implement a treatment plan.
• Apply treatment modalities with individuals, families, and groups to achieve goals.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients, staff, and community agencies.
• Provide consultation to new social workers and students on psychosocial needs and treatment compliance.

Skills

Counseling skills

Psychosocial assessment

Treatment planning

Crisis intervention

Interagency collaboration

Education

MSW from CSWE-accredited program

Licensed/certified social worker

Job description

The Social Worker practices in the Healthcare for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Program. The Housing Specialist functions as part of the Housing and Urban Development/VA Supportive Housing Program (HUD/VASH) within the HCHV Program. HUD/VASH is an intensive case management program serving chronically homeless and homeless Veterans aimed at providing psychosocial services to Veterans to obtain and maintain stable housing utilizing HUD's Section 8 voucher system. 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). 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/.
  • 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. For appointments at the GS-9 grade level, VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed or certified at the independent, master's level within three years of their appointment as a Social Worker.
  • Failure to Obtain License or Certification. In all cases, social workers must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure or certification starting from the date of their appointment. Failure to become licensed or certified within the prescribed amount of time will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment.
  • Loss of Licensure or Certification. Once licensed or certified, social workers must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment.

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). In order to be considered under this provision, applicants must submit an SF-50 showing their initial appointment as a Social Worker with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Preferred Experience:

Homeless experience, working in the community, experience with mental health and substance use disorders. General knowledge of veterans' benefits and services relating to special programs, service connected compensation, and non-service connected pension.

Grade Determinations

Social Worker, GS-9 level:

Experience, Education, and Licensure.

None beyond the basic requirements.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

• Ability to work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills.
• Ability to assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, and to formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the Veterans problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed.
• Ability to 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.
• Ability to 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 level:

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 or certification in a state at the independent practice level.

OR

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. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

• Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and 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 and 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 in 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 psychosocial needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment.

References:

VA Handbook 5005/120, PART II, APPENDIX G39 dated September 10, 2019The full performance level of this vacancy is the GS-11 level. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-9 to GS-11.

Physical Requirements:

This work is primarily sedentary but also requires some standing, walking, bending, lifting and carrying of items. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.