Social Worker Program Coordinator - Pain Clinic

Summary

The Advanced Clinical Social Worker assigned to the Pain Management Clinic serves as an integral member of the interdisciplinary pain management team. The incumbent provides evidence-based psychosocial assessment, intervention, and care coordination for Veterans experiencing chronic pain, including associated psychosocial, behavioral health, and social determinants of health challenges.

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Duties

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This position will be filled with either a Psychologist or Social Worker.

Psychologist applicants, please apply to : CBSS-12959875-26-SO

Social Worker applicants , please apply to: CBSS-12959876-26-SO

VA Careers - Social Work :

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

This one position may report to either the Topeka, KS medical facility or Leavenworth, KS medical facility.

Duties to include but not limited to:

Clinical Responsibilities:

• Conduct advanced, psychosocial and behavioral health assessments for Veterans with complex chronic pain syndromes.
• Provide specialized evidence-based psychotherapies for chronic pain, including CBT-CP, CBT-I, ACT, MI,and behavioral activation approaches.
• Conduct suicide-specific evaluations including C-SSRS, CSRE, and safety planning interventions.
• Deliver complex care planning.
• Provide clinical case consultation to Behavioral Health, Primary Care, Pain Medicine, Physical Therapy,Whole Health, PCMHI, and community partners.
• Utilize advanced clinical decision-making to determine level of care, referral needs, care coordination intensity, and clinical risk mitigation strategies.
• Implement interdisciplinary treatment pathways for high-risk or high-utilization Veterans with chronic pain.
• Use telehealth-specific clinical competencies.
• Provide family or caregiver interventions to enhance understanding of chronic pain, reduce accommodation behaviors, and support engagement in evidence-based treatment modalities.

Administrative Responsibilities:

• Assist with clinic workflow optimization, population-level management strategies, and development ofchronic pain care algorithms within the Pain Clinic.
• Leads or co-leads program evaluation efforts.
• Participate in facility and VISN chronic pain initiatives.
• Develops educational materials and trainings for interdisciplinary staff.
• Serves as a Pain Clinic subject matter expert on psychosocial factors influencing opioid risk mitigation,behavioral health relapse prevention, and treatment adherence.
• Contributes to policy/procedure development.

Behavioral Health Coordination & Interdisciplinary Care:

• Serve as a primary behavioral health liaison for the Pain Clinic.
• Participate in interdisciplinary pain huddles.
• Coordinate care for Veterans with co-occurring mental health conditions.
• Manage complex transitions of care.
• Engage in shared treatment planning with Behavioral Health and Pain teams.
• Conduct behavioral risk assessments related to maladaptive pain responses.
• Provide consultation on opioid tapering support.
• Lead or participate in interdisciplinary case conferences for high-risk Veterans with chronic pain.
• Ensure continuity of care for Veterans with frequent hospitalizations or ED visits related to pain.

Academic / Teaching / Training:

• Provide training to interdisciplinary trainees and new staff.
• Serve as a clinical preceptor for social work trainees.

Other Significant Responsibilities:

• Participates in regional or national VHA pain practice groups, workgroups, or communities of practice.
• Contribute to development of Veteran self-management resources, psychoeducational tools, andgroup curricula.
• Assist in grant proposals, pilot initiatives, or quality innovations related to pain management orbehavioral health integration.

Work Schedule : Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:3-pm

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 (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 # : 000000

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 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

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 fullyaccredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Graduates of schools ofsocial work that are in candidacy status do not meet this requirement until the School ofSocial Work is fully accredited. A doctoral degree in social work may not be substitutedfor 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 seriesin VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work atthe master's degree level. Current state requirements may be found by going to
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and writtenEnglish to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

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 (Program Coordinator), GS-12

Experience and Education. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency. Candidate may have certification or other post-master's degree training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship, or equivalent supervised professional experience.

Licensure/Certification. Individuals assigned as social worker program coordinator must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure.

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

(a)Knowledge of program coordination and administration which includes consultation, negotiation, and monitoring.

(b)Knowledge and ability to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the program.

(c)Ability to supervise multidisciplinary staff assigned to the program.

(d)Skill in organizing work, setting priorities, meeting multiple deadlines, andevaluating assigned program area(s).

(e)Ability to provide training, orientation, and guidance within clinical practice.

Preferred Experience: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain (CBT-CP)

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12.

Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation and would generally not require a pre-placement examination.

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.