Social Worker

Summary

The Acute/Critical Care Social Worker serves Veterans, the families and caregivers receiving inpatient and outpatient Acute Medicine, Surgical and Critical Care who experience a range of acute and chronic conditions within the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee, WI.

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Duties

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Major Duties of the Acute Care Social Worker Include :

Patient Care

• Independently assesses the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, identifies the Veteran's strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and psychosocial acuity.
• Collaborates with the Veteran, family/caregiver and interdisciplinary treatment team, with the social worker facilitating the delivery of healthcare services, with the ability to identify family/caregiver stressors and refers them to community or VA referral resources.
• Formulates and implements a care plan including measurable, achievable goals identifying the Veterans' needs, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and psychosocial acuity.
• Provides psychosocial interventions with Veterans and their families/caregivers who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, behavioral health, financial, legal, and psychosocial problems.
• Collaborates with the Community Care team and Facilitates Community Care referrals based upon Veteran needs and eligibility
• Provides case management and care coordination to facilitate appropriate delivery of healthcare services, incorporates complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of Veterans, including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved scope of practice. The social worker links the Veteran with services, resources, and opportunities, in order to maximize the Veteran's independence, health, and well-being.
• The social worker conducts timely assessment of at-risk Veterans in crisis to identify immediate needs, evaluate risk, and initiate safety plan as appropriate. As a mandatory reporter, assesses and documents identified behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and/or intimate partner violence. Reports assessed abuse, neglect, and exploitation to appropriate authorities in accordance with established policy.
• Maintains complete, accurate, timely and confidential medical record documentation.
• Acts as an advocate with appropriate VA and community service providers and agencies when it serves the best interest of the Veteran and family members/caregiver.

Professional Relationships

• The social worker establishes and maintains ongoing education for and outreach to Veterans, community agencies, students, and staff, to facilitate understanding of social work interventions specific to the Veteran/military population.
• Meets the needs of customers while supporting VA missions.
• Consistently communicates and treats customers (Veterans, their representatives, visitors, and all VA staff) in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner.
• Provides the customer with consistent information according to established policies and procedures.
• Manages disagreements, conflicts, and problems with internal and external consumer constructively and appropriately.

Administration

• Tracks and analyzes data to evaluate and enhance the quality of services provided.
• Uses sound judgment in the interpretation of trends and patterns, application of guidelines, and recommendations to the management team.
• Participates on medical center, VISN and/or national councils, committees and workgroups as assigned.
• Consults with and guides colleagues, models effective social work practice skills, teaches or provides orientation to less experienced social workers, develops innovations in practice interventions, and provides clinical supervision for social work licensure or certification.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

VA Careers - Social Work :

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Work Schedule : Full Time to include Weekend and Holiday Rotation Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized

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 (annual leave, f sick leave, paid Federal holidays per year)Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.

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.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

**Please see Special Note for Applications in How to Apply Below for Resume Details**

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.
• 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: Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j.
• Education: Must 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.

• Licensure: You must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level.

Exception to Licensure: 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.**

Grade Determinations : GS 9

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities :

In addition to meeting the basic requirements for this occupation, candidates must demonstrate all of the Following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs)

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

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

Examples of specialized experience include but are not limited to:

• Working under close supervision in program areas that do not require specialized knowledge or experience.
• Identifying behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect or exploitation; providing education on advance directives and advanced care planning; providing social work case management; acting as an advocate with community service providers/agencies when it serves the best interest of the patient and family members/caregiver;
• assessing the psychosocial functioning and needs of patients and their family members identifying strengths, weaknesses, coping skills and psychosocial acuity, in collaboration with the patient, family, and interdisciplinary treatment teams;
• maintaining a current network of internal and external resources to educate the patient and/or family members/caregivers and assist with the appropriate referrals.

-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.

In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

1. Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services.
2. Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, educational, and other backgrounds.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.

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

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 9 to GS 11.

Physical Requirements:

The work is primarily sedentary. Physical demands do not exceed those of a typical office setting. There may be some walking, standing, twisting, turning, sitting, pushing, bending, repetitive keyboarding, or carrying of 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.