Qualifications

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
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English Education You must possess 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
• Note: A doctoral degree in Social Work may NOT be substituted for the master's degree in Social Work
• License or Certification You must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level
• 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: Supervisory Social Worker, GS-185-12 Licensure Requirement: You must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure
• Experience Requirement: You must possess one year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level
• Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills in a specialty area or in administration demonstrating progressively more professional competency and judgment
• Examples of specialized experience at the GS-11 include, but are not limited to: assessing and documenting identified behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and/or intimate partner violence
• use of clinical social work skills
• maintaining patient privacy and confidentiality per policies, handbooks or directives
• acting as an advocate with appropriate community service providers and agencies when it serves the best interest of the patient and family members/caregiver
• independently assessing the psychosocial functioning and needs of patients and their family members, identifying the patient's strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and psychosocial acuity
• In addition to the experience above, you must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Ability to independently organize work, set priorities, and meet multiple deadlines
• Knowledge of supervisory duties which includes clinical supervision, consultation, negotiation with other departments and quality improvement
• Ability to ensure provision of clinical social work services
• Ability to provide staff training and development
• Skill in interpersonal relationships in dealing with employees, team leaders, and managers
• Preferred Experience: 2 years plus experience working in behavioral health setting
• Experience working in multidisciplinary teams
• Experience is setting up budgets and overseeing contracts Experience in working independently and meeting deadlines set out by BHS ACOS
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12
• Physical Requirements: Individuals who are required to operate a government owned or leased vehicle to successfully carry out their assigned duties must be medically cleared prior to appointment
• Assessment must be made for any acute or chronic medical/physical condition or medication use which interferes with the ability operate the appropriate Government-owned or -leased vehicle safely and without undue risk to themselves or others
• The following requirements must be met: distant vision 20/40 in one eye with or without correction, field of vision 70 degrees, ability to distinguish red, green and amber, whispered voice at five feet, or average hearing loss of not greater than 40 dbs
• at 500, 1000 and 2,000 Hz.