Senior Social Worker

Major Duties:

This Senior Social Worker PTSD Clinical Team (PCT) has experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment. At least two years should be in an area of specialized social work practice. The incumbent is licensed or certified by a state area of specialized social work practice. The incumbent is licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level which included an ASWB advanced generalist or clinical examination unless they are grandfathered by the state in which they are licensed to practice at the advance practice level. The Senior Social Worker may have certification or other post masters training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship or equivalent supervised professional experience in a specialty.

The advanced practice social worker can be further differentiated from the independent practice social worker by incumbent ability to expand clinical knowledge in the profession provide consultation and guidance to colleagues role model effective social work practice skills teach or provide orientation to less experienced social workers develop innovations in practice interventions and provide clinical supervision for social work licensure or certification.

The Social Worker independently provides clinical psychosocial and case management services to eligible Veterans and their family members to meet biological psychological social and environmental needs. Veterans treated come primarily from the John J. Pershing catchment area. Their health care and psychosocial problems and needs are complex and require a high degree of clinical oversight and creative problem solving. Services are provided in the John J. Pershing VAMC and in the community. The incumbent is required to interact not only with the patient but also family significant others community agencies and other staff.

a. Interviews Clients and Conducts Psychosocial Assessments.
Interviews Veterans and their family members/significant others to establish facts about the Veterans situation presenting problems and their causes and the impact of such problems on the Veterans functioning and health as part of a comprehensive psychosocial assessment. Interprets and explains VAs treatment and benefit programs.
b. Makes Psychosocial Diagnoses.
Independently evaluates the clients situation including the Veterans reaction and ability to deal with it and arrives at a reasoned conclusion. Based on the psychosocial assessment uses professional judgment and advanced practice skills to make a diagnosis. Assesses at-risk factors and develops a preliminary disposition plan involving the Veteran and family or significant others. Performs insightful assessment of serious and complicated cases involving psychiatric illness involving psychiatric catastrophic medical conditions dementia and other high-risk diagnoses. Makes independent professional decisions and recommendations for agency action.
c. Plans Effective Treatment.
Develops psychosocial treatment plans in coordination with interdisciplinary team members including goals for psychosocial clinical treatment. Using known available resources and the initial assessment of the Veterans likelihood to accept differing types of assistance make initial and continuing decisions regarding use of VA and non-VA services and referrals. Arrives at a reasoned conclusion as to the preferred course of agency action. Provides independent consultation and makes recommendations to interdisciplinary team on course of treatment. Serves as liaison for the John J. Pershing Medical Center/Health Care System Mental Health and Behavior Medicine in providing mental health services to John J. Pershing patients. Coordinates screening of patients for specific mental health programs such as PCT and provides ongoing treatment per mental health program guidelines.
d. Implements Treatment.
Provides clinical services to Veterans and family members/significant others in support of the Veterans treatment. Gives advice guidance emotional support and other assistance. Provides individual and group counseling services including psychotherapy in some settings. Assists and encourages Veterans and significant others in facing problems thinking them through evaluating the situation realistically considering alternative courses of action and arriving at plans for using resources to resolve problems.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Off duty rotational on-call is a requirement of this position.
Bargaining Unit: Yes
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Telework: Adhoc ONLY
Travel: Occasional travel may be required.
Functional Statement #:

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• 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 drivers 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.

• 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.

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. The basic requirements for employment as a VHA social worker are prescribed by statute in 38 U.S.C. 7402(b)(9) as amended by section 205 of Public Law 106-419 enacted November 1 2000. To qualify for appointment as a social worker in VHA all applicants must meet the following:

• Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3 section A paragraph 3g this part).
• Education. Have a masters 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 masters 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 masters degree level. Current state requirements may be found by going to Provision. The following is the standard grandfathering policy for all title 38 hybrid qualification standards. Please carefully review the qualification standard to determine the specific education and/or licensure/certification/registration requirements that apply to this occupation.
• Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 Employee Occupational Health Services.
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).

• (a) Skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations. This includes individual group and/or family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial and/or case management.
• (b) Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
• (c) Knowledge in developing and implementing methods for measuring effectiveness of social work practice and services in the specialty area utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services and to design system changes.
• (d) Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients in the service delivery area as well as role modeling effective social work practice skills.
• (e) Ability to expand clinical knowledge in the social work profession and to write policies procedures and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area.