Career Center

The Senior Social Worker for Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) provides clinical psychological assessment and treatment at an advanced practice level to eligible Veterans and their family members. The incumbent also serves as the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Specialist for SSVF and the Heath Care for Homeless Programs. He or she will provide case-management and intervention support to SSVH in a team oriented, recovery-based program. This position is intended not-to-exceed 2 years. 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. Education. Must posses 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/. To be eligible for the Senior Social Worker GS-12 level, you must also meet the grade specific requirements below. Grade Determinations: Senior Social Worker GS-12: Experience/Education. The candidate must have at least two years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure and should be in a specialized area of social work practice of which, one 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 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. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): 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: September 10, 2019 VA HANDBOOK 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39 Physical Requirements: A pre-placement examination will be concerned with the mental and physical ability of the applicant to satisfactorily perform the duties of the proposed assignment and will include requisite laboratory and other screening as required by Federal regulatory agencies. This position requires walking, kneeling, bending, standing, and light lifting. ["These positions are located in New Orleans, Hammond, LA and Baton Rouge, LA.\nNote: This position is Not-to-Exceed (NTE) 2 Years\nMajor duties for the position include (but are not limited to): Providing direct Substance Use Disorder (SUD) services for Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Grantees and outreach services for SSVF Grantees Providing training for other members of the multidisciplinary treatment team in areas related to SUD assessment, anger management, and life skills and SUD with co-occurring disorders; Providing all necessary assessment functions, e.g. interviewing, psychosocial histories, and SUD assessments to aid in the development of treatment plans; Developing comprehensive treatment plans with the Veteran that address the factors that contributed to homelessness, including SUD assessments to aid in the development of treatment plans; Working with the Veteran to realize their treatment goals and reassessing and revising goals indicated by the Veteran's engagement in treatment; Participating in policy making, goal setting, and treatment service planning discussions with SSVF Grantees and Homeless Programs; Work Schedule: Monday through Friday from 7:00AM to 4:30PM with Occasional Evening and Weekends\nCompressed/Flexible: Not Available\nTelework: Available\nVirtual: This is not a virtual position.\nFunctional Statement #: 629-00138-F Senior Social Worker SUDT Specialist SSVF Case Manager\nRelocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized\nPermanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized\nFinancial Disclosure Report: Not required"]