Senior Social Worker (Acute Mental Health Unit)

Senior Social Worker (Acute Mental Health Unit)

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Bay Pines, Florida

Salary Range: $97987 - $127386 Per Year

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

Major Duties:

• VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Performs specialized treatment of complex mental illness on the acute mental health ward(s). Incumbent incorporates complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of Veteran patients, including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved clinical privileges. Provide individual, group, and family psychotherapy and advanced level case management interventions used in the treatment of Veterans with addictions, mental health diagnoses, and other health issues. Incumbent completes assessment, aids with advocacy, treatment planning, procurement of VA and community resources, and helps to coordinate aftercare planning to promote ongoing recovery. Develops and implements methods for measuring effectiveness of practice and services in specialty areas, utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services. Incumbent is able to demonstrate the ability to design changes based on empirical findings. Offers consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients treated in specialty areas, rendering professional opinions based on experience and expertise and role modeling effective practice skills. Performs a wide range of services and provides technical assistance to State, local, and private agencies, and universities. Technical assistance provided to monitor activities and program reviews, and the development and analysis of information. The incumbent must possess the ability to organize work, set priorities, meet multiple deadlines, and evaluate assigned program area(s). Making decisions regarding individual caseload priorities and workload activities in collaboration with treatment teams and based on the patient's needs, goals, and objectives of the team and the VA Health Care System. Maintains effective management of his/her assignment, including special assignments in keeping with VA, station, and mental health priorities and customer service goals. Performs work related to the review, monitoring, analysis, planning and assessment of various programs. Responsible for key project activities related to the planning, development, and implementation of the project component. Maintain an updated knowledge of and effectively carry out and/or utilize VA programs, policies, procedures, services, and benefits. Safeguard the confidential nature of the treatment relationship and of the information obtained within that relationship (per NASW Standards for the Practice of Clinical Social Work. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Sunday to Thursday 7:30am-4:00pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 21928F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Yes, Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 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 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/. Grade Determinations: SSW 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. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 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. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.

How to Apply: All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 03/13/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12898151. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

Application Deadline: 2026-03-13