Supervisory Social Worker- Vet Center Director

Readjustment Counseling Service (RCS) is a unique service within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) that provides readjustment counseling to eligible Veterans, Active Duty Service Members (ADSM), and their families. RCS consists of direct counseling services, community outreach, and referral services to community providers, VA and non-VA. Readjustment counseling is provided to eligible individuals through 300 Vet Centers, over 80 Mobile Vet Centers, other points of care.

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). English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in both spoken and written English in accordance with VA policy. Education: Must 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 if that social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a Master 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/. 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. ~AND~ 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. ~AND~ Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition, the candidates 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. Preferred Experience: Knowledge and understanding of the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Knowledge of methods, principles, and theories sufficient to intervene and stabilize combat Veterans suffering from multiple diagnoses. Ability to conduct psycho-social assessments and implement treatment plans for combat Veterans and their families. Ability to establish and maintain referral networks through community outreach to provide services to Veterans. Experience in working with Veterans, especially combat Veterans. Experience in working with Veterans who were sexually traumatized/harassed while in the military. Experience in providing family counseling services to Veterans and their family. Experience working with combat Veterans and their families who have PTSD or readjustment issues and the ability to make independent judgments and recommendations about a number of serious and complex cases. Special knowledge and skill in the field of Veterans in community resource identification and development, in public speaking and basic principles of education, in staff recruitment and development, and in program design and management. Knowledge of VA and community resources available to Veterans and their family. Developing and managing a clinic's budget and program funds. Working knowledge of electronic records. Planning work to be accomplished by subordinates and sets guidelines for clinical, therapeutic and treatment priorities. Incumbent must have possession of supervisory and management skills. 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 work does not inherently include physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with a workplace accommodation.