Senior Social Worker

Senior Social Worker

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Southfield, Michigan

Salary Range: $101099 - $131432 Per Year

Job Summary: This co-located, collaborative care Social Work position is administratively within Mental Health, with primary assignment to the Primary Care-Mental Health Integration (PC-MHI) program, located within primary care at the community based outpatient clinic. The Social Worker functions as part of multidisciplinary primary care teams, and delivers brief consultation based services. Position may be filled as a Social Worker or Psychologist. Please ensure you apply to the appropriate announcement.

Major Duties:

• VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The PC-MHI Social Worker provides functional assessment, triage, brief intervention, education and consultative services regarding a wide range of mental health and behavioral medicine concerns, on referral from primary care providers and allied PACT members. The PC-MHI Social Worker uses population based practice management strategies and maintains competences in the following core domains: 1. Provides a full range of psycho-diagnostic services including assessment and using the most appropriate psychotherapeutic techniques in providing quality care. 2. Performs routine brief assessments (ex. PHQ-9, PCL, AUDITC, GAD-7 etc.). 3. Provides brief mental health and behavioral interventions that are evidence based. 4. Triages appropriate and efficiently to specialty mental health services. 5. Provide behavioral medicine interventions: tobacco cessation, weight management, coping with chronic illness, sleep hygiene, etc. 6. Routinely consults with PCPs and other PACT team members about plan of care for patients. 7. Conducts effective curbside consultations. 8. Consults with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. Academic/Teaching/Training/Research: 1. Provides clinical supervision to various disciplines and levels of training (social work interns, psychology practicum students, psychology interns/post-docs, psychiatry residents). 2. Provides leadership guidance and consultation to staffs of units to which assigned. 3. Is involved in the training of medical students, medical and psychiatric residents, nursing students, fellows and other graduate or post-graduate trainees, as appropriate. 4. Serves as a consultant to other medical center staff and trainees and assists in their formulation of the psychological characteristics and appropriate treatment expectations regarding their patients. 5. Provides leadership guidance and consultation to staffs of units to which assigned. 6. Social workers may be involved in research activities, such as preparing RFP's and grant proposal and/or presenting outcome data and research results at VA and regional or national scientific or professional meeting or peer-reviewed journals. Program Evaluation: 1. Oversees the establishment of program monitors and outcome measurements within programs assigned using a data-driven quality assurance processes, in particular, monitoring outcome measures and metrics. 2. Is responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the Medical Center. Other Significant Responsibilities: 1. Serves on Medical Center or Healthcare System, VISN, and/or National VA committees or task forces, as assigned by the Supervisor, Mental Health Outpatient Therapeutic Services or the Associate Chief of Staff, Mental Health. 2. Represents social work on decision-making committees at the Medical Center or Healthcare System, as assigned by the Supervisor, Mental Health Outpatient Therapeutic Services or the Associate Chief of Staff, Mental Health. 3. Actively participates in local, state and national professional organizations. 4. Represents the Medical Center or Healthcare System at professional/program community group/events and committees. 5. Other duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday- Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized 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 #: 93205-0 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. Licensure. Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-185 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/ Exception. VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations. This exception only applies up to the full performance 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). in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Creditable Experience. The candidate must have knowledge of current professional social work practices. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics associated with current professional social work practice. The experience or education must be post-Masters of Social Work (MSW) degree. Experience and education satisfying this requirement must be active professional practice, which is paid/non-paid employment as a professional social worker, as defined by the appropriate state licensing board. Quality of Experience. Experience is only creditable if it is obtained following graduation with a master's degree in social work and if it includes work as a professional social worker directly related to the position to be filled. Qualifying experience must also be at a level comparable to social work experience at the next lower level Grade Determinations: Senior Social Worker GS-12: Experience/Education. The candidate must have at least two years of experience 9 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 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 GS12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS12. Physical Requirements: Ability to physically access various treatment settings within the facility. Ability to use computers frequently/continuously throughout the day for data input and communication. Ability to use phone. Position is primarily sedentary, and incumbent must be able to sit for prolonged periods of time. May require light lifting and carrying (under 15 pounds) and climbing stairs as needed. Ability to walk up and down steps. Ability to navigate unfamiliar surroundings. Valid driver's license is a requirement as incumbent is required to provide consultation services to one of the Vet Centers located in Detroit, Dearborn, Pontiac, or Macomb County and outreach is a required part of this position.

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 03/16/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12901068. 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: 2026-03-16