Social Worker

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 a complete review of the EDRP application. 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. Resume requirement: Your resume must be detailed and include the following information – job title, description of duties, beginning and ending date (month/year) of employment, and average hours worked per week. 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 and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f). Education – Master's degree in social work (MSW) from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Graduates of schools in candidacy do not meet this requirement until the school is fully accredited. A doctoral degree in social work may not be substituted for a master’s degree. 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 at 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. Grade determinations – GS‑09: experience, education, and licensure: none beyond the basic requirements listed above. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate ALL of the following KSAs at the GS‑09 level: ability to work with veterans and family members from diverse backgrounds using counseling skills; assess psychosocial functioning and needs; formulate and implement treatment plans; identify strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed; implement treatment modalities; and establish and maintain effective working relationships and communication with clients, staff, and community agencies. Fundamental knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, treatment procedures, medications, and medical terminology. Assignments – Individuals assigned as GS‑9 grade level social workers are considered to be at the entry level and are closely supervised. GS‑11: Experience and licensure – Applicants must have a minimum of one year of post‑MSW experience equivalent to the GS‑9 grade level and hold state licensure or certification at the independent practice level. Alternatively, a doctoral degree in social work may substitute for one year of clinical experience. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate ALL of the following KSAs at the GS‑11 level: knowledge of community resources and referral coordination; independently conduct psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions; implement treatment modalities with individuals, families, and groups; and provide consultation services to new social workers, graduate students, and staff about psychosocial needs and impact on health care and treatment compliance. Assignments – Social workers at this level are licensed or certified to independently practice. They are assigned to all program areas, including inpatient/outpatient medicine, surgery, mental health, neurology, rehabilitation medicine, and geriatrics. Physical requirements – Standing, walking frequently, prolonged standing, occasional sitting for long periods, carrying light items. Ability to communicate verbally and listen with normal hearing and manual dexterity. Duties The Social Worker provides direct care/case management mental health services in the San Diego ASPIRE Center Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program. The ASPIRE Center program’s patients present with a wide variety of health care needs, including substance use history, medical issues, mental health problems, and co‑occurring disorders. Establish and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with veterans in the ASPIRE Center and/or their families. Independently work with veterans and their families experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral, and psychosocial problems. Utilize psychosocial assessment to facilitate veterans’ maximum use of treatment for attainment of the highest level of independence. Possess working knowledge and experience in using medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures, including acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses, common medications and their effects, and medical terminology. Apply principles of human growth and development over the life span and assist veterans in coping with losses and grief from disability and terminal illness. Facilitate discharge planning through collaboration with veterans, families, and interdisciplinary treatment team members to ensure appropriate discharge plans are executed promptly. Participate as a member of the interdisciplinary treatment team and provide consultation services to other staff regarding psychosocial needs and impact on health care and treatment adherence. Demonstrate effective communication skills, both orally and in writing, with people from varied backgrounds. Use software applications for drafting documents and data management as well as other computer systems in use by the VHA. Work schedule: Monday – Friday 0700‑1600 (tour is flexible within timeframe). Recruitment incentive: 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. Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. Paid time off: 37‑50 days of annual paid time 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 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 the total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401(k) with up to 5% in contributions. VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long‑term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement). Telework: Not available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000. Permanent change of station (PCS): Not authorized. #J-18808-Ljbffr U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs