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:

• Citizenship
• Be a citizen of the United States
• 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
• 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 https://www.cswe.org/Accreditation 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 http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/.Exception: 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
• For the GS-11 grade level and above, the candidate must be licensed or certified
• GRADE DETERMINATION GS-09 Experience, Education, and Licensure
• None beyond the basic requirements
• In addition, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Ability to utilize counseling skills when working with Veterans and family members
• 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 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
• 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
• 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 (1) 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
• 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, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services
• Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, educational, and other backgrounds
• 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
• 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
• 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)
• Preferred Experience: Fully licensed Advanced practice Social Work license
• experience providing evidence-based psychotherapy in an outpatient mental health setting
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• 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-09 to GS-11
• Physical Requirements: Physical demands of the work are generally minor, as the position requires sitting, standing, and walking
• The emotional demands can be stressful in working with high-risk for suicide veteran population and their families
• A high level of self-awareness is essential
• Work, divided between office and clinical settings, is primarily sedentary
• May require prolonged standing, moderate walking, and manual dexterity
• Requires carrying light items, such as books, files, or laptop computer.