Senior Social Worker (Liaison)

Summary

This Senior Social Worker is assigned to the VHA Liaison Program and works closely with the MTF treatment team as an independent practitioner. The social worker uses advanced practice skills and expertise to provide ongoing consultation regarding complex discharge planning issues - VA health care benefits - resources - and facilities. This requires intimate knowledge of VHA programs and services nationwide and the ability to match Veteran needs with appropriate resources.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

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: 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 38 U.S. Code)
• 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 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
• English Language Proficiency
• Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f)
• GRADE DETERMINATIONS
• In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates
• Senior Social Worker - GS-12
• 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
• 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
• 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: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12
• Physical Requirements: The physical demands of this position require moderate lifting and carrying (15-44 pounds)
• pushing (up to 6 hours)
• the ability to distinguish basic colors
• and hearing (aid may be permitted)
• Environmental Factors: Work may be performed outside and inside and you must be able to work alone and closely with others.

Duties

• This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until September 30 - 2026
• The first cut-off dates for referral of eligible applications will be 5/11/2026
• All eligible applicants will be reviewed and referred to the hiring manager no later than 5/18/2026
• Eligible applications received after 5/11/2026 will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis
• Duties and responsibilities of the VHA Liaison include: Develop relationships and collaborate with the MTF social workers - nurses - case managers - managed care staff - and discharge planners to identify patients ready for discharge to a VA health care facility and to obtain clear referral information and authorization for VHA to treat those still on active duty
• Meet with the Service Member and/or family to provide education and an overview of VA benefits and resources to address medical and psychosocial needs
• In collaboration with the MTF treatment team - the Liaison must use advanced clinical skills to assess the patient and/or family in the interest of helping the Service Member reach optimal psychosocial function
• Collaborate with the MTF clinical staff to identify the VA health care facility where care will be transferred
• Transmit information by PDX or Network Health Exchange to ensure ease of registration and enrollment
• Document all liaison activity in the electronic health record - use standardized templates as well as the Federal Case Management Tracker or its equivalent
• Communicate transfer plans to the patient and family while determining any unique patient or family needs
• Communicate ongoing needs of the patient and family to the receiving VA health care facility M2VA program manager to further facilitate a seamless transition of care and modify service patterns to enhance customer service
• Identify gaps in the transition system and collaborate with the MTF and DoD staff and other departments to enhance the transition process
• Maintain contact with the M2VA program manager and the MTF staff - coordinate transfer of care upon discharge from the MTF - and identify and obtain additional information needed from MTF staff to optimize the transfer of care
• Interpret VHA general administrative guidelines - clinical management policies - directives - handbooks - nationwide patient care initiatives - VA - and VBA policies and procedures - public law - federal regulations - Joint Commission and Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities - and other program-specific guidelines
• Utilize the above guidelines and exercise judgement to design - write - develop - coordinate - and implement plans - data collection - reporting requirements - and evaluation of transition services provided by VHA staff
• The incumbent is recognized as an expert to develop and interpret guidance for a seamless transition
• Meet the needs of customers while supporting the VA mission
• consistently communicate and treat customers (Veterans - their representatives - visitors - and all VA staff) in a courteous - tactful - and respectful manner
• provide customers with consistent information according to established policies and procedures
• and handle conflict and problems by dealing with customers constructively and appropriately
• Effectively communicate with and utilize other disciplines (e.g. - nursing - medicine) to facilitate and implement treatment plans
• Collaborate with community stakeholders to foster positive community VA relations
• Consistently relate to supervisors - co-workers - patients - visitors - and the general public in a courteous and cooperative manner - contribute to the effective operation of the social work program
• Anticipate and avoid potential causes of conflict and actively promote cooperation among coworkers
• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Mon - Fri - 8:00am to 4:30pm
• Recruitment/Relocation Incentive: Not authorized
• Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized
• 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)
• 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: Not available
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 000000
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.