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 complete review of the EDRP application.

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Duties

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The Clinical Social Worker in this position provides direct services to adult and geriatric veterans enrolled in the Home Based Primary Care (HBPC) Program with high quality case management, clinical treatment, advocacy, and coordinate linkage with appropriate VA and community service providers/agencies as needed by the client. This is in collaboration with other members of the HBPC Team or other interdisciplinary treatment teams as appropriate.

This position is responsible for assessment, planning, and provision of case management services in the HBPC Program at the Finger Lakes HCS. The Clinical Social Worker coordinates a variety of activities including outreach, interdisciplinary activities, psychosocial assessments, treatment planning, consultation/education to Medical Center staff and community based service providers, the collection and maintenance of statistical data, program planning evaluation and modification, and the supervision of students as assigned.

Major Duties:

• Screening/Assessment - The Social Worker will develop an assessment of the veteran in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the veteran, and family members/significant others, whenever possible.
• Treatment Planning/Goal Setting - The Social Worker is responsible for contributing to the development of the treatment plan and setting achievable treatment goals with the veteran, family members/significant others and other HBPC clinical staff.
• Referral to service providers - Throughout the course of treatment, the Social Worker is the subject matter expert on VA and/or community resources.
• Resource Development - The Social Worker is responsible for using the current Social Work resource file of VA and community social service programs and enhancing the content to the benefit of veterans.
• Advocacy - The Social worker understands the intimidation of bureaucracy and will act as an advocate when it serves the best interest of the veteran and family members/significant others.
• Crisis Intervention - The Social Worker is experienced in making rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans. The Social Worker has access to multiple resource directories in addition to previously developed resources to meet the demands of a crisis.
• Education/Health promotion and prevention - The Social Worker provides education related to VA and community resources, entitlements, Advance Directives/Living Will and will refer veterans and families/significant others to the appropriate interdisciplinary team member for identified health education needs.
• Coordination of non-institutional and institutional services - The Social Worker is responsible for the coordination of the referrals of non-institutional services such as HBPC, ADHC/CADHC, home hospice and skilled and non-skilled homecare services in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team members.
• Supportive counseling - The Social Worker will provide the veterans and their caregivers with ongoing supportive counseling.
• Administrative responsibilities - The Social Worker will enter all veteran/family contacts in the electronic record using appropriate formats and templates.
• The Social Worker effectively communicates with and utilizes community agencies to facilitate treatment, discharge planning, and continuity of care.
• The employee's relationship with supervisors, co-workers, patients, visitors, and the general public is consistently courteous and cooperative in nature, and overall contributes to the effective operation of the case management program.
• The incumbent willingly accepts additional and special assignments that are necessary to meet program goals or customer needs.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Work Schedule : 7:30am-4:00pm

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

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 # : 21S10-A

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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• 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.
• 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

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 : Social Worker, GS-11

• 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. 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.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11.

Physical Requirements: Work is sedentary but also demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, and carrying light items.

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 for 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.