Social Worker - BHIP Therapist

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

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Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

• Incumbent is assigned to the Montana VAMC catchment area and provides comprehensive services to Veterans and their families. The age of patients treated is generally between 18 and 75. In the provision of services, employee recognizes age-related needs & demonstrates knowledge and care appropriate to age group.
• Provides a full range of psychosocial assessment services & psychiatric diagnoses of mental disorders, particularly for complex or unusually difficult patients in a variety of modalities, including face to face or telemental health.
• Develops a psychosocial assessment of the veteran in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the Veteran, & family members/significant others.
• Demonstrates an understanding of the range of treatment & skills needed for all adult patients, being sensitive to human growth & development, age-appropriate needs & concerns of the Veteran, & be able to provide current & advanced techniques to the treatment of this Veteran population.
• Possess a working knowledge & experience in use of medical & mental health diagnoses: disabilities, & treatment procedures, including acute, chronic & traumatic illnesses. Working within the interdisciplinary treatment team, the incumbent will share in the development of a treatment plan with the Veteran based on this psychosocial assessment.
• Responsible for contributing to the development of the treatment plan & setting achievable treatment goals with the Veteran, family members/significant others & other Outpatient Mental Health clinical staff.
• Responsible for facilitating discharge planning.
• Provides individual, family, & group psychotherapeutic treatment of mental and emotional disorders and emotional pain using evidence-based psychological methods, or evidenced informed treatment, to include shared decision making with the veteran.
• Collaborates with other service providers in reassessing the veteran's needs.
• Responsible for educating the Veteran & family members/significant others of the available services & assisting them in establishing the appropriate referrals based on the Veteran's preference or that of his surrogate decision-maker.
• Acts as an advocate when it serves the best interest of the Veteran and family members/caregiver. When appropriate & feasible, the incumbent will educate and encourage the veteran to advocate on his/her own behalf, thus fostering a sense of independence and empowerment.
• Experienced in making rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans for admission to mental health inpatient & residential programs. The incumbent has access to multiple resource directories in addition to previously developed resources and SOPs to meet the demands of a crisis. In the event of a medical or psychiatric emergency: staff will follow the protocol of his/her respective mental health unit/program and VA Montana Healthcare System.
• Provides education related to VA and community resources, entitlements, Advance Directives/Living Will and will refer veterans and family members/significant others to the appropriate interdisciplinary team member for identified health education needs.
• Reviews the progress notes from the other providers to accurately determine the strengths and limitations of each veteran.

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: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact View email address on click.appcast.io, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more

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 : Ad hoc

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 55515-A & 55516-A

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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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.
• 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 ( 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).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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 :

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken & 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. 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 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
  • 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. At the time of appointment, the supervisor, chief social work or social work executive will provide the unlicensed/uncertified social worker with the written requirements for licensure or certification, including the time by which the license or certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed or certified by the deadline.

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 :

GS-9

Experience, Education, & Licensure: None beyond the basic requirements.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

• Ability to utilize counseling skills when working with Veterans and family members.
• Ability to assess the psychosocial functioning & needs of Veterans & their family members, & to formulate & implement a treatment plan, identifying the Veterans problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, & assistance needed.
• Ability to implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, & groups to achieve treatment goals. This requires judgment & skill in utilizing supportive, problem solving, or crisis intervention techniques.
• Ability to establish & maintain effective working relationships & communicate with clients, staff, & representatives of community agencies.
• Fundamental knowledge of medical & mental health diagnoses, disabilities, & treatment procedures. This includes acute, chronic, & traumatic illnesses/injuries; common medications & their effects/side effects; & medical terminology.

GS-11.

Experience & 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) & 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, & 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 & other governmental agencies for services, & ability to coordinate services.
• Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments & treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational & other diversified backgrounds.
• Knowledge of medical & mental health diagnoses, disabilities & treatment procedures (i.e. acute, chronic & traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications & their effects/side effects, & medical terminology) to formulate a treatment plan.
• Skill in independently implementing different treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, & groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, & social problems to achieve treatment goals.
• Ability to provide consultation services to new social workers, social work graduate students, & other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients & the impact of psychosocial problems on health care & compliance with treatment.

Preferred Experience: Experience providing evidence based treatments and tele-health based treatment.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

The full performance level of this vacancy is 11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of 9 to 11.

Physical Requirements: The work involves the physical activities typically associated with office-based mental health practice. No extreme physical demands are needed. The work does require a high degree of patience and emotional control, due to the intrinsic nature of mental health practice.

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: 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:

Additional information

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.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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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.