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. This is an Open Continuous Announcement. *** This Vacancy announcement has been extended until September 30 - 2025 Qualified Applicants will be considered and referred every 2 weeks or until position (s) are filled. This position may close without prior notice***

Qualifications

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:

• The basic requirements for employment as a VHA social worker are prescribed by statute in 38 U.S.C. § 7402(b)(9) - as amended by section 205 of Public Law 106-419 - enacted November 1 - 2000
• To qualify for appointment as a social worker in VHA - all applicants must meet the following: United States 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
• Note: 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
• Licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work 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
• 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)
• GS-11 Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates
• 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
• NOTE: For appointment licensure or certification at this level please refer to paragraph 3c
• 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: (a) Knowledge of community resources - how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services - and ability to coordinate services
• (b) Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic - educational - and other backgrounds
• (c) 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
• (d) 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
• (e) 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 Preferred Experience: None 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-11
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - Employee Occupational Health Services.

Duties

• This is an Open Continuous Announcement
• *** This Vacancy announcement has been extended until September 30 - 2025 Qualified Applicants will be considered and referred every 2 weeks or until position (s) are filled
• This position may close without prior notice*** The Clinical Social Worker is a critical position in the Charleston VAMC Housing and Urban Development-Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program and is under the supervision of the Supervisory Social Worker for the HUD-VASH Program
• The HUD VASH Program is a collaborative effort - supported through HUD housing choice voucher and VA's Provision of intensive case management services by acuity level
• The primary goal of HUD/VASH is to move Veterans and their families out of chronic homelessness
• SOCIAL WORKER DUTIES: Including but not limited to: Providing case management to a minimum caseload of 25 Veterans in the HUD-VASH Program
• Interviewing clients - completing psychosocial assessments and treatment plans and update as outlined by the program and CARF accreditation
• Verifying the Veteran's homeless status
• x Ensuring that chronically homeless Veterans are considered the primary participants for program acceptance
• Completing HOMES electronic forms in a timely manner
• Reviewing agreements between Section 8/housing authority staff - private landlords and the VA in establishing appropriate referral sites for HUD-VASH placements
• Completing site visits of HUD-VASH units to ensure that Veterans reside in safe environments in compliance with local housing codes
• Coordinating care - including serving as an advocate on behalf of Veterans to ensure comprehensive service delivery and linking and referring veterans to the VA Medical Center - VA Regional Offices and/or community agencies
• Complying with criminal conflict of interest laws and Executive Branch Standards of conduct to avoid conflicts of interest while conducting regular duties
• Actively participating in the HUD-VASH Program conference calls and attending training offered by VA Central Office and/or VISN 7
• Following local policy and SOPs for the HUD-VASH Program
• Performing accountability functions to document all contacts with patients/facilities in the electronic medical record and also completes any required/requested reports as needed per VAMC and respective professional service policies Working with VAMC inter-disciplinary teams and community agencies to strive for developing more effective and efficient ways of delivering services to HUD-VASH Program participants
• Participating in discharge planning with other disciplines and is responsible for ensuring that discharge plans are executed in a manner that is timely and appropriate
• x Providing individual - family and group counseling as needed
• Providing consultation/education to Veterans and their families on community resources - advance directives and VA benefits
• Being a liaison between the VA and community agencies - to include marketing and public relations duties as needed
• Total Rewards - Social Work - Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: 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
• Contact the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
• Learn more Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases 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: Ad-Hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 534-58544F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized