Senior Social Worker

Senior Social Worker

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Altoona, Pennsylvania

Salary Range: $95253 - $123835 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 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.

Major Duties:

• The Senior Social Worker will work within The Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) as an Outreach and Coordinated Entry Specialist (OCES). The incumbent is responsible for organizing, coordinating, and participating in outreach services throughout the James E. Van Zandt Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC) catchment area and facilitating the VAMC's involvement in the Continuums of Care (COC) coordinated entry system (CES). Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: Provide outreach/engagement to connect Veterans with emergency shelter, housing, or critical services and provide them with urgent non-facility based care and short-term case management. Collaborate with community partners and community-based settings or via street outreach providing supportive services assistance. Participate in team performance improvement and sustainment activities; assist with enrollment for services; collaborate with staff. Provide education to Veterans about available resources and ensure linkages to those programs/services is completed; complete assessments, clinical screening tools, biopsychosocial assessments and treatment plans; compose DSM diagnosis/diagnoses; provide crisis intervention, working collaboratively with Suicide Prevention Coordinators (SPC) and other mental health professionals as needed. Knowledge of HMIS and HOMES data standards, data sharing and privacy authorities, HUD guidance, and other applicable documents or established guidance. Participate and contribute to a COC level resource-and-demand analysis, make recommendations to VHA homeless program leadership on adjustments to resource allocations. Assist with policy development; provide specialized consultation; write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines; act as subject matter expert (SME) for educational and consultative purposes. Responsible for communicating potential COC policy or protocol changes to local VA leadership; facilitate VA involvement in the CDC's CES and will be responsible for helping VA meet federal guidelines on CES; and function as a liaison, participating in case conferencing and other pertinent community meetings. Performs other duties as assigned. Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: 8:00am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Learn more Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade). Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 203-06164-F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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. 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 4 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: 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following 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. 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-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: The work requires sitting, bending, stooping, and walking consistent with the delivery of services in the office, hospital and community. The position may entail lifting Of no more than 25 pounds On an occasional basis. Whenever possible, carts and dollies will be utilized as an alternative to lifting. In carrying out responsibilities, operation Of a motor vehicle with a valid driver's license is required. The social worker must meet the requirements to use a government vehicle in accordance with VHA directive 2008-020. It may be necessary for the incumbent to travel throughout the Altoona VAMC catchment area to conduct interviews with Veterans, family members, representatives of community health, welfare and law enforcement agencies.

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 01/08/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12858306. 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: 2026-01-08