Social Worker
Job Location:
Ann Arbor, MI - USA
Yearly Salary:
Posted:
Application Deadline:
Vacancies:
Job Summary
These positions are located in Social Work Service at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. The incumbent provides social work services to the inpatient medical/surgical and Medical Intensive Care Units. The incumbent is responsible for the management coordination and provision of social work services to Veterans and their families.
- Provide social work services to the inpatient medical/surgical and Medical Intensive Care Units.
- Responsible for the management coordination and provision of social work services to Veterans and their families.
- Complete thorough psychosocial assessments to determine the presenting problem in-home factors impacting the problem and obstacles to treatment and/or follow through with recommended treatments.
- Conduct psychosocial assessments as appropriate for treatment planning.
- Independently provide crisis intervention services if needed seeking to address cause as well as the presenting complaint.
- Coordinate family conferences and serves as liaison to family members.
- Formulate a care plan with goals objectives barriers and needs.
- Effectively manage crises and can effectively use his/her problem-solving skills in an independent manner to assist the Veteran family staff and community providers in solving problems.
- Demonstrate problem-solving skills in patient-focused discussions with team members peers and supervisor.
- Provide case management services to Veterans and families as needed throughout the continuum of care.
- Participate in discharge planning with interdisciplinary team members and will be responsible for ensuring that discharge plans are executed in a manner that is timely and appropriate.
- Provide treatment intervention in collaboration with the Veteran and family guardian caregiver interdisciplinary treatment team and community members.
- Implement treatment modalities to provide supportive counseling for individuals families and groups.
- Establish therapeutic relationships with Veterans and families mediate difficulties and measure outcomes of treatment interventions.
- Assist patients and their significant others with coping and dealing with the loss and grief experiences in disability terminal illness and death.
- Coordinate community-based services including information and referral for additional services from other VA programs other government programs and community agency programs.
- Provide education to community care partners regarding general VA benefits and services during care coordination for Veterans.
- Follow Veteran/Caregiver through continuum of health care.
Work Schedule: Full time Monday - Friday 07:30am - 4:00pm
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 $144000 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: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #:60
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
- 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 drivers 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.
- 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:
- 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. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).
- 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.
- 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 For assignments at the GS-9 level VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations. VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed or certified at the independent masters level within three years of their appointment as a social worker.
Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.
Social Worker GS-09
- Experience Education and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements.
- 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 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.
Social Worker 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.
- 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.
- 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
Physical Requirements: The Social Worker must be in overall good health able to sit at a desk working at a computer engage in light to moderate physical activity including sitting walking bending and carrying supplies. The Social Worker must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands exercise patience and control emotions with reasonable accommodation if necessary without endangering the health and safety of the social worker or others. Position requires walking throughout the clinic and/or Medical Center standing for extended periods of time and involves sitting at a computer and in counsel and consultation with Veterans and interdisciplinary teams.
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:
In accordance with Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO) Bulletin Annual Determination of Staffing Shortages dated 09/25/2025 Veterans Preference will not be applied to this occupation.
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 applicants 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.
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.
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.
Required Experience:
IC
