Senior Social Worker (Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program)

The incumbent is a Senior Social Worker of Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) Team that serves as a senior clinician on the assigned BHIP team which helps manage consults, admissions, and care assignments working within the Mental Health Service Line located in either The Villages, Tallahassee, Gainesville or Jacksonville, FL. The position will function as the program subject matter expert and as a lead social worker for their assigned team. Applicants must meet the requirements by the closing date 04 / 30 / 2024 of this announcement. Basic Requirements : United States Citizenship : Must be US Citizen. 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 § 7403(f). 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 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 May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Grade Determinations : In addition to meeting the basic requirements stated above, the following qualifications criteria must be met in determining the appropriate grade assignment of candidates. GS-12 Senior Social Worker candidates must have the following : Experience / Education : Must have at least two (2) years of experience POST advanced practice clinical licensure and should be in a specialized area of social work practice of which, one (1) year must be equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Senior social workers have experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment. Senior social workers are experts in their specialized area of practice. Senior social workers 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. AND Licensure / Certification : Senior social workers must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level which included an advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless they are grandfathered by the state in which they are licensed to practice at the advanced practice level (except for licenses issued in California, which administers its own clinical examination for advanced practice) and they must be able to provide supervision for licensure. Advanced License must be submitted with application. While we no longer require essay-style responses to our Knowledge's Skills, Abilities, and Other Characteristics (KSAOs), you must be able to demonstrate that you possess the (below) competencies which are necessary to perform the work of the position. Please ensure your resume / CV / application contains sufficient information to support the level of experience / education / training; otherwise, we will not be able to award you credit for the experience / education / training you claim. If selected, you may be required to submit narrative responses then. These are the KSA's for this subject position and grade level : 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. Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. 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. 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. 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. References : VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005 / 120, Part II, Appendix G39, Senior Social Worker Qualification Standard, dated 9 / 10 / 19 Physical Requirements : The physical demands of the work requires use of fingers; moderate walking and standing; near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; far vision correctable in on eye to 20 / 20 and to 20 / 40 in the other; hearing aid permitted; clear speech; emotional stability; moderate duty. Incumbent must have a valid driver's license and pass Occupational Health screening as position will require driving a government vehicle. Incumbent must be able to climb stairs and walk short distances. Incumbent must be able to lift 25 pounds. ["The main role of this BHIP Treatment Coordinator is to function as the Mental Health Treatment Coordinator (MHTC) managing the flow of new and established patients as well as Veterans requesting community care; to include assisting with Veterans calling multiple outpatient clinics for same day access. The BHIP Treatment Coordinator will independently manage complex Veterans within their program area. This will be determined based on the Veteran's acuity, severity of condition, diagnosis or other programmatic guidelines as defined within the section to which they report. The BHIP Treatment Coordinator will also play a vital role in the dispositioning of requests for Community Care as this position requires the incumbent to exert a high level of flexibility, organization, attention to detail, and independence. Major duties include but are not limited to : Responsible for continuous quality improvement activities within assigned areas and participates as a member of a the multidisciplinary treatment team Provides comprehensive assessments; individual, and group treatment (psycho-educational and psychotherapeutic) of a broad spectrum of mental health disorders. Performs at least one or more of the following : process improvement tasks, supervision of social workers for advanced practice licensure or the graduate trainee program, act as a mentor for less experienced social workers, participate or chair committees or groups that impact social work practice and / or lead roll out of evidence-based practices. Responsible for working in conjunction with their assigned BHIP Treatment Teams to evaluate new and established Veteran consults for group, individual, and medication management requests as well as requests for treatment in the community. Acts as a liaison to referring clinicians and coordinating care for Veterans within and outside of their respective BHIP team. Involves working with new and established Veterans with mental health disorders and organizing patient flow within in the VA and the community across the clinic(s) in the most effective way possible. Assists in coordinating care including serving as an advocate on behalf of the Veterans to ensure comprehensive service delivery, and linking and referring Veterans to the VA Medical Center, VA Regional Offices and / or community agencies. Participates in program planning and development and identifying the need for and making recommendations on program procedures or policy changes based upon work experiences and takes responsibility for improving professional skills, participating in planning and executing specific staff development projects, attending seminars and institutes, and participating in training programs of other disciplines as requested. This is an open continuous announcement and will remain open until April 30, 2024. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be 15 business days from opening of announcement, with subsequent cut-off dates. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred as qualified applicants apply or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled. Applicant Expiration : Applicants will remain active for 3 months after their initial application is received and / or updated. After that time, you must update your application through your USAJobs account if you would like to be made active again for possible consideration during the open period. Work Schedule : Monday - Friday, 8 : 00am - 4 : 30pm Telework : Ad-hoc (emergencies only) Virtual : This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement # : Senior Social Work - BHIP Treatment Coordinator, FS #52165F Financial Disclosure Report : Not required Additional Benefits : Pay : Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of existing pay, 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 $ 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)"]