Caseworker/Mental Health Clinics

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.

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 - this part

Education Requirement: 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

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

At the time of appointment - the supervisor - chief social work or social work executive will provide the unlicensed/uncertified social worker with the written requirements for licensure or certification - including the time by which the license or certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed or certified by the deadline

For appointments at the GS-9 grade level - VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed or certified at the independent - master's level within three years of their appointment as a social worker

Most states require two years of post-MSW experience as a prerequisite to taking the licensure/certification exam - and VHA gives social workers one additional year to pass the licensure/certification exam

In states such as California - Washington - and others where the prerequisites for licensure exceed two years - social workers must become licensed at the independent - master's level within one year of meeting the full state prerequisites for licensure

A social worker who does not yet have a license that allows independent practice must be supervised by a licensed independent practitioner of the same discipline who is a VA staff member and who has access to the electronic health record

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: GS-9 (Entry Level): Experience and Licensure: None beyond the basic requirements

For appointments at the GS-9 grade level - VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed or certified at the independent - master's level within three years of their appointment as a social worker

Most states require two years of post-MSW experience as a prerequisite to taking the licensure/certification exam - and VHA gives social workers one additional year to pass the licensure/certification exam

Ability to utilize a Veteran centric approach when providing interventions and counseling for Veterans - their family members - caregivers - and survivors

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

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients - staff - and representatives of community agencies

Fundamental knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses - disabilities - and treatment procedures

and medical terminology

GS-11 (Full Performance Level): 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

Knowledge of community resources - how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services - and ability to coordinate services

Knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses - disabilities and treatment procedures (i.acute - chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries - common medications and their effects/side effects - and medical terminology) to formulate a treatment plan

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

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

All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package

We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications

It is strongly recommended that you write to each KSA in your application package

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

Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

The incumbent will practice in outpatient mental health as part of Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) team

The incumbent will provide direct patient care by offering psychotherapy to veterans

They will to determine needs of veterans and family members and actively participate in the treatment planning process

The incumbent will conduct psychosocial assessments to determine needs of veterans and family members

The incumbent is an active participant in the treatment planning process with other disciplines

The incumbent will coordinate and refer care with other disciplines and will be responsible for ensuring that the treatment plan is executed in a manner that is timely and appropriate

The incumbent will provide individual - family and group therapy as appropriate

The incumbent will provide consultation/education to veterans and families on community resources - advance directives and VA benefits

The incumbent will act as liaison between VA and community resources - to include marketing and public relation duties as needed

The incumbent will - as appropriate - supervise the practice of social work students - or a less experienced social worker The incumbent will maintain data and statistical compilations to comply with TJC - VA and medical center policy and procedures

The incumbent will document interventions and activities in patient's clinical record utilizing CPRS and ensure appropriate hand-off when transferring of patient care

Ability to work with patients and families who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric - medical - and social problems utilizing individual - group - and family therapy skills

Ability to assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of patients and their family members - and to formulate and implement a treatment plan - identifying the patient's problems - strengths - weaknesses - coping skills - and assistance needed

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients - staff - and representatives of community agencies

Ability to communicate effectively - both orally and in writing - with people from varied backgrounds

Basic skill in the use of computer software applications for drafting documents - data management - and tracking

Ability to learn and utilize software programs in use by VHA

Knowledge of community resources - how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services - and ability to coordinate services

Ability to independently assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of patients and their family members and to formulate and implement a treatment plan - identifying the patient's problems - strengths - weaknesses - coping skills and assistance needed - in collaboration with the patient - family and interdisciplinary treatment team

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30am-4:00pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive

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: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Create a Job Match for Similar Jobs 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.

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