Summary

This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until 9/30/2026. The first cut-off dates for referral of eligible applications will be 12/12/2025. All eligible applicants will be reviewed and referred to the hiring manager no later than 12/18/2025. Eligible applications received after 12/12/2025 date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis. Note: Announcement could close before the closing date - if selections are made before.

Qualifications

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 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/
• Failure to Obtain License or Certification
• In all cases - social workers must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure or certification starting from the date of their appointment
• Failure to become licensed or certified within the prescribed amount of time will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment
• 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. § 7403(f) Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates
• Supervisory Social Worker - GS-13 Experience/Education
• One year of experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level
• Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills in a specialty area or in administration demonstrating progressively more professional competency and judgment
• Candidate 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 supervisory social workers 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: Ability to independently organize work - set priorities - and meet multiple deadlines
• Skill in a range of supervisory duties which includes clinical supervision - consultation - negotiation with other departments and quality improvement
• Ability to ensure provision of clinical social work services by supervised social workers
• Ability to delegate authority - manage priorities - coordinate work - and follow up on pending issues to complete duties in an accurate and timely fashion
• Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems - develop and implement solutions that result in efficient operations - and use data effectively to manage workload - quality - performance - and productivity within the service
• Ability to provide staff training and development
• 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
• Supervisory social workers at the GS-13 grade level typically supervise professional and non-professional staff
• They are responsible for the professional and administrative management of an area in a social work service - in a care/product line - or across multiple sites - (e.g. - multi-division facilities and CBOCs)
• Incumbent may also provide direct clinical services
• 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: The physical demands of this position involve primarily walking - sitting - talking - driving - use of the telephone - etc
• Strenuous physical activity is not required although the incumbent is expected to withstand pressure and stress as part of their day-to-day activities
• There is ongoing exposure to individuals having psychiatric and physical illness and disabilities
• These include violent or aggressive behavior and chronic psychiatric and medical problems
• Light lifting - under 15 pounds - Light carrying - under 15 pounds - Hearing (aid permitted).

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Supervisory Program Manager for the Substance Treatment and Recovery (STAR) program at the Ralph H
• Johnson VA Medical Center
• The STAR Supervisory Program Manager is responsible for developing policies and practices to meet the goals of the therapy program as well as monitors to meet the goals
• Duties: Operation and Management of the General Outpatient Mental Health Clinic at the Ralph H
• Johnson VA Medical Center - which includes the full responsibility for day-to-day management of the STAR Clinic (40% of time) Provide routine supervision - training - educational opportunities - and programmatic oversight
• Responsible for strategic planning to ensure the provision of high-quality services to meet the needs of the Veterans being served
• Responsible for planning and developing and implementing short- and long-term goals and objectives consistent with the program's strategic plan
• Oversight of administrative and programmatic resources and deploy those resources in support of the program needs
• Develop and implement programs - policies - and procedures to meet program goals - VHA policy and external accreditation requirements - and monitor outcomes using data driven quality assurance processes and implement strategies for improvement based on data analysis
• Participate fully in peer review - assessing the quality of professional mental/behavioral health standards provided in the organization
• Responsible for identification of patient problems requiring consultation with other multidisciplinary medical center staff and making appropriate referrals
• Assures that appropriate referrals to specialty programs - including community resources - are accomplished
• This may include ordering the following consults: Mental Health Service Programs - (i.e. - Substance Abuse - PTSD - Mental Health Intensive Case Management - Compensated Work Therapy - Homeless - and Day Treatment) Vocational Rehabilitation - and Long-Term Care
• Fully accountable for practice - including entering patient visits - appropriate clinical documentation - measuring outcomes to interventions - and meeting productivity standards
• Timely completion of all program evaluations and documents required by the Medical Center - VISN and VACO - ensuring compliance with appropriate accrediting bodies such as Joint Commission
• Performs other related duties as assigned
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact vhaedrpprogramsupport@va.gov - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
• Learn more 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 $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: Authorized (Ad-hoc) Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 58616F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized