Social Worker (Service Chief) - Mental Health & Behavioral Science Service Line Manager

Duties

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30 Day Hiring Model

The Department of Veterans Affairs is implementing a streamlined 30-Day Hiring Model designed to accelerate hiring while maintaining the highest standards of merit-based selection. This improved process reduces traditional hiring timelines by integrating early coordination, faster assessments, and efficient pre-employment actions. Applicants can expect a more transparent, predictable, and efficient hiring journey from announcement to entry on duty.

What Applicants Can Expect

• Expedited Candidate Review Once the announcement closes, Human Resources will quickly review applications, issue certificates of eligible candidates the day after the announcement closes and refer applicants for hiring manager consideration.
• Quick Interviews & References

HR may arrange interviews and will request references within 3-5 days after being referred to the hiring manager.

• Streamlined Pre-Employment Requirements: Following a tentative offer, applicants should be prepared to complete required steps, such as fingerprinting and background check, credentialing, and medical examination within 3 days of the offer.
• Clear and Timely Communication: Applicants will receive clear communication at key milestones, including referral, tentative offer, and onboarding instructions.

After meeting pre-employment requirements, candidates will receive a final job offer and start date. Onboarding tasks may continue after starting, with HR ensuring timely completion for a smooth transition into VA service.

If selected, applicants should be prepared to come onboard within 30 days of the announcement closing

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Manages all professional and administrative activities within MH&BS including selection, orientation, and continuing education of staff.
• Develops, implements, and evaluates policies, procedures, and clinical care standards to ensure high-quality, safe, and efficient care delivery.
• Conducts ongoing surveillance and evaluation of clinical performance, including quality of care, appropriateness of treatment, adherence to standards, and performance improvement activities.
• Leads quality control programs, risk management activities, infection control oversight, and compliance with facility-wide performance measures.
• Improves patient access, flow, timeliness, and satisfaction through data-driven process improvement.
• Oversees professional performance reviews, including FPPE/OPPE, peer review, and performance improvement data integration.
• Coordinates interdepartmental and intradepartmental services to ensure integrated, Veteran-centered mental health care delivery across settings (e.g., PC, ED, acute care, community care).
• Plans, develops, and leads new or expanded clinical programs, including Telehealth, evidence-based practice implementation, and enhancement of specialty/complexity of care offerings.
• Analyzes financial, workflow, and operational impacts of proposed policies or initiatives and provide data-supported recommendations.
• Supervises interdisciplinary staff, resolving personnel issues, conducting evaluations, managing performance, and overseeing continuing education.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM

Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): May be authorized for highly qualified candidates.

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): 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)

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.

Functional Statement #: 000000

Requirements

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Qualifications

Basic Requirements: The basic requirements for employment as a VHA social worker are prescribed by statute in 38 U.S.C. a7 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 masterb4s 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 masterb4s 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 4 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 masterb4s degree level. Current state requirements may be found by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/.

Loss of Licensure or Certification. Once licensed or certified, social workers must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment.

English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. a7 7403(f).

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

Social Worker (Service Chief) GS-14

Experience/Education. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level. The chief social work service must evidence possession of supervisory and management skills. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills in administration, demonstrating progressively more professional competency skills and judgment. May have certification or other post-masterb4s 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. The chief social worker must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure.Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:(a) Skill in providing the full range of supervisory duties across multiple service divisions/sections, which would include responsibility for assignment of work to be performed, performance evaluation, selection of staff, and recommendations of awards, advancements, and when appropriate, disciplinary actions.(b) Skill in applying legal, ethical, and professional standards to social work practice.(c) Skill in developing, maintaining, and managing social work services in multiple divisions/sections.(d) Ability to ensure compliance with social work practice, policy, and accreditation standards across the continuum of health care.(e) Skill in providing consultation to facility leadership, managers, and other staff on social work qualification standards, practice, competency, productivity, and continuing education requirements.(f) Skill in administrative oversight to ensure compliance with social work licensure requirements.

Assignment. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. At the GS-14 grade level, size, scope, significance and impact are greater than the GS-13 grade level. The chief social worker responsibility includes management of large, complex, social work services within the organization. The chief social worker is the highest level professional position at the facility with responsibility for the professional practice of all facility social workers and provision of social work services. The chief social worker provides supervision to social work service, with multiple sections or programs across the health care delivery system as well as an assistant chief and supervisors. Social work service includes staff members of different grades, as well as multiple disciplines, various treatment sites and at locations close to and distant from the medical center. The chief social worker has full responsibility for managing and supervising all aspects of social work service operations including clinical practice, program management, education, human resource management and supervision of the service.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience providing leadership and oversight for all professional and administrative operations within a Mental Health or Behavioral Health service line, including supervision of multidisciplinary clinical and administrative staff.
• Demonstrated success in managing human and material resources across a complex mental health continuum, including outpatient, specialty, and integrated care programs.
• Experience developing, implementing, and evaluating policies, procedures, and clinical care standards to ensure high-quality, safe, and efficient care delivery.
• Experience conducting ongoing surveillance and evaluation of clinical performance, including quality of care, appropriateness of treatment, adherence to standards, and performance improvement activities.
• Skill in leading quality control programs, risk management activities, infection control oversight, and compliance with facility-wide performance measures.
• Demonstrated ability to improve patient access, flow, timeliness, and satisfaction through data-driven process improvement.
• Experience in advanced clinic access management, including monitoring supply and demand, clinic utilization, backlog reduction, no-show reduction strategies, and appointment optimization.
• Expertise in consult management processes, including consult review, business rule implementation, coordination with internal/external services, and development of Care Coordination Agreements.
• Prior experience recommending and evaluating criteria for clinical privileges, and monitoring clinical com