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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 09/17/2025.

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 the CSWE website to verify if that social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a master 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: Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 - Part II - chapter 3 - section A - paragraph 3j Grade Determinations: GS-12 Senior Social Worker (1) 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
• (2) 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
• (3) Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above - candidates must demonstrate all of the following 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
• References: VA Handbook 5005/120 - Part II - Appendix G39 - Social Worker Qualification Standard 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: The incumbent must be able in overall good health - able to sit at a desk working at a computer - engage in light to moderate physical activity including sitting - walking - bending - and carrying supplies
• Applicants must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands - exercise patience - and control emotions - with reasonable accommodation if necessary - without endangering the health and safety of the applicant or others.

Duties

• The Primary Care Social Worker is a fully licensed clinical social worker assigned to VHABHS outpatient primary care clinics - including women's health - CBOC's and telehealth
• The incumbent's primary focus is to provide independent - advanced practice social work services and interventions to eligible veterans with highly complex health and mental health problems
• Veterans in this clinic tend to have a wide range of serious - and sometimes severe - crises with a lack of community or familial support
• They are often unable to comply with treatment and have major deficits in coping skills
• Clinical social work and case management interventions are provided as a means of assisting veterans in order to meet their biological - psychological - social - and environmental needs
• The Primary Care Senior Social Worker is also assigned administrative responsibility for clinical program development and is accountable for clinical program effectiveness and modification of service patterns
• Duties include - but are not limited to: Utilize evidence-based tools and information to support the health and wellbeing of patients
• Work with veterans to create unique personalized health plans built upon the veteran's goals - beliefs - medical conditions - and life circumstances
• Collaborate with Veterans to find proactive opportunities that support the innate healing response through nutrition - stress management - movement - and mindful awareness
• Help veterans identify what really matters in their life - so the decisions made are patient-driven and engage veterans to adopt a holistic view of healthcare
• Support the patients by providing them with the appropriate skillset to manage their chronic medical conditions and to maintain optimal health
• Whole health concepts will be shared in group and individual coaching sessions
• Mentor/trainer to assist other employees in the PACT team to develop whole health skills in their practice
• Incorporate whole health practices throughout VA Boston Primary Care clinics
• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Monday through Friday - 8:00 a.m
• to 4:30 p.m
• Compressed/Flexible: Not authorized Functional Statement #: F03076 Telework: May be authorized at Supervisory discretion
• Telework Ad-Hoc work can be performed on an as needed basis anywhere other than a VA facility or using VA-leased space (example: home)
• Virtual/Remote Work: Not Authorized Recruitment Incentive: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact Karen Chapman at karen.chapman@va.gov - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
• Learn more Financial Disclosure Report: Not required 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) NOTIFICATIONS: This position is in the Excepted Service
• Current Federal employees may 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
• This is not a Bargaining Unit position
• This position is covered by a special rate
• The incumbent may be required to travel to other VA campuses and CBOC's
• Narrative responses to the knowledge - skills and abilities (KSAs) will be required from the selectee in order to proceed with the appointment
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Due to a critical staffing shortage - 38 U.S.C. § 7412 waives the requirement to apply Veterans' preference for this job announcement.