Clarification from the agency

This is an external announcement open to all US citizens. Current permanent VA/Federal employees may apply under announcement CBTC-12877376-DMD to receive internal consideration.

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

The Senior Social Worker - Psychosocial Rehabilitation Recovery Center (PRRC) provides services for Veterans based on the psychiatric rehabilitation recovery model that include, 1) a wide range of rehabilitation and recovery services for veterans with serious mental illness (SMI), 2) collaboration and advocacy for veterans with SMI and their family members, and 3) education and training of staff, in conjunction with other VA professionals, to promote the transition from maintenance models of treatment to the contemporary recovery rehabilitation model. Treatment with veterans routinely occurs both on site and at various locations in the community and is based on the Mental Health Recovery Model. Treatment in the home is limited and only when serving the veteran's recovery goals.

This GS-12 PRRC Senior Social Worker position requires both administrative and clinical skills involved in various aspects of major psychiatric specialty treatment programming. The incumbent is responsible for providing individual and group treatment with clinically challenging patients who have serious mental illness. The primary population served is veterans with severe mental illness (SMI) and a Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) at or below 50.

Duties may include but are not limited to:

• The Senior Social Worker, being well-versed in the recovery model of mental health services, utilizes sound clinical skills to offer recovery-based interventions and measures outcomes to interventions. The incumbent works in collaboration with the PRRC Interdisciplinary Recovery Team to develop and implement recovery-oriented programming for veteran care and treatment.
• The incumbent independently performs outreach, identifying and screening patients for psychosocial
  needs. The Senior Social Worker independently provides consultation services to other VA staff members regarding the psychosocial needs of veterans and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and adherence to recovery plans.
• The incumbent functions as a Recovery Coach within the PRRC, responsible for screenings, initial intake, detailed psychosocial assessments, and assisting each Veteran in the development of an individual recovery treatment plan that increases independence in the preferred environments in the community of their choice. The Senior Social Worker continues to work with assigned Veterans over time monitoring participation in PRRC activities and progress toward individual recovery goals.

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 dentification 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.

• 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.

Qualifications

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. Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j, 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).
• Licensure. Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-185 series in VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level.

• Experience: At least two (2) years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure, of which one (1) year of experience is equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency.
• Education: 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. 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.

• (a) 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.
• (b) Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
• (c) 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.
• (d) 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.
• (e) 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.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

This occupation is listed on the Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO) Bulletin - Annual Determination of Staffing Shortages - September 25, 2025. Therefore, this vacancy announcement is EXEMPT from Veterans Preference.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• License
• Standard Clinical Resume
• Resume
• Transcript

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Standard Clinical Resume
• Resume
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Next steps