Summary

The Social Work Executive is assigned to the St. Cloud VA Health Care System Office of the Director. The incumbent is an integral part of the overall VHA health care program and as part of the health care service delivery to Veterans and their families. Social work services provide case management, resource linkage, clinical and crisis interventions to Veterans and their families in resolving the psychosocial, emotional, and economic problems associated with the stresses of illness.

Duties

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VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

CLINICIAL FUNCTIONS:

A. Conducting behavioral health and mental health biopsychosocial assessments.

B. Making sound professional judgments regarding clinical impressions, treatment approaches, and treatment planning.

C. Coordinating with internal and external professionals to ensure appropriate transitions of care and appropriate/ necessary treatment is provided/offered to Veterans.

D. Establishing and maintaining knowledge of VA and Veteran's benefits and services, community resources, and process for making appropriate referrals to community and other governmental programs or agencies.

E. Providing advocacy to overcome potential barriers to access care/services and when it is in the best interests of the Veteran

F. Provides goals of care discussions, as well as education and assist in the completion of advance Directives; Organ, Tissue, and Eye Donation release of information forms; and Guardianship documentation.

G. Assesses for signs and symptoms of abuse, neglect and exploitation.

H. Conducts practice in accordance with the VA and discipline specific ethical requirements and practices within the limits of current licensure or certification.

I. Completing on-call duties, as assigned and per policy, which may include transportation of a Veteran.

J. Conducts Virtual Visits in modalities preferred by patients and utilizes Consult Toolbox functions

ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS

A. Possesses and demonstrates ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing with people from varied backgrounds.

B. Possesses skills in using computer systems and the internet for Veterans who choose this modality to communicate.

C. Serves on supervisor approved committees, work groups, and task forces at the local facility, VISN or national level. Collaborates in performance improvement processes and complies with performance measures as required by the VA for specific population/program.

D. Attends and participates in all required administrative and clinical meetings.

E. Maintains accurate, timely, and complete clinical records in accordance with professional practice and VA administration guidelines.

F. Maintains data and statistical compilations to comply with accreditation bodies such as CARF and Joint Commission, and VA health care systems policies and procedures.

G. Performs other duties as assigned and can, at times, assist other incumbents or perform special assignments to meet the needs of the healthcare system. The incumbent may be assigned to other areas of need in the health care system, as determined necessary by the direct supervisor and/or the Integrated Care Community (ICC) Director in consultation with the Social Work Executive.

ROLE-SPECIFIC TASKS

Knowledge of Social Work Professional Practice and Accreditation Standards

Skill in Providing Clinical, Administrative, and Technical Social Work Guidance

Ability to Develop, Implement, and Maintain Social Work Practice Standards

Ability to Oversee and Enhance Social Work Programs Across Care Settings

Skill in Recruitment, Retention, and Clinical Supervision of Social Workers

Ability to Manage Credentialing, Licensure Tracking, and Compliance

Skill in Ethics Consultation and Organizational Guidance

Ability to Lead Committees, Planning Efforts, and Career Development Initiatives

Ability to Assess and Plan System-Wide Social Work Staffing Needs

Skill in Maintaining Academic Affiliations and Field Education Programs

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized

Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases

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: Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). 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.
• 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.
• Drivers License Requirement: Unrestricted drivers license is required. Must provide a clean driving record report from the DMV during onboarding.
• Physical Examination: A driver's physical is required for this position

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 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 http://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/.

Grade Determinations:

Social Worker Executive- GS-13

• Experience/Education. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency. Candidates 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. Applicants must meet the requirements for providing supervision in the state where they are licensed at the advanced practice level and should list these qualifications within the assessment narrative and their resume. Documentation is required if part of your state's requirements for providing supervision for licensure is beyond your licensure only (example: certification of continuing education credits).

AND

• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs.
  
  1. Ability to provide technical social work guidance in order to complete job assignments.
  2. Skill in applying legal, ethical, and professional standards to social work practice.
  3. Knowledge of social work practice, policy, and accreditation standards across the continuum of health care.
  4. Skill in providing consultation to facility leadership, care/product line managers, and other staff on social work qualification standards, practice, competency, productivity, and continuing education requirements.
  5. Skill in developing, implementing, and maintaining clinical social work practice standards.(f) Skill in administrative oversight to ensure compliance with social work licensure requirements.

Preferred Experience: Leadership Skills, Ability to Build Coalitions, Strong interpersonal Communication Skills

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-13.

Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application.

Verification of the degree can be made by going to http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work.

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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

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.

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.