Senior Social Worker (Disruptive Behavior Chair)

Senior Social Worker (Disruptive Behavior Chair)

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Charleston, South Carolina

Salary Range: $96147 - $124996 Per Year

Job Summary: This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS announcement that will remain open until the position is filled or 09/30/2026 for a Senior Social Worker assigned to the Mental Health Service Line for the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston, SC. This position serves as the chair for the Disruptive Behavior Committee (DBC) program.

Major Duties:

• This announcement is an Open Continuous Announcement and will remain open until all position is filled. The first cut-off will be on or about 01/07/2026. Applications received after this will be sent to management upon request until the position is fulfilled. VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Major duties for this position may include (but are not limited to): Conducts comprehensive Social Work assessments and identifies individualized treatment goals. Acts as a consultant for the MHSL for specialist, discipline-specific psychosocial assessment, intervention, and community-based knowledge and skills. Develops, initiates, implements, and reviews psychosocial treatment plans based on assessed needs. Makes psychosocial diagnoses and appropriate evidence-based interventions with measurable outcomes. Provides education to patients, family members, and significant others. Provides consultation to professional staff within the VA Medical Center and to community providers, concerning clinical assessment findings and appropriate treatment plans. Functions independently as a member of the Medical Staff, with full clinical privileges. Complies with national and local performance measures, including timely health care screenings and completion of clinical reminders. Complies with all medical documentation rules and regulations. Lead a team of administrative and clinical executives such as the Chief of Staff, Chief of Police, Regional Counsel, Patient Safety, and Mental Health to assess, triage, and manage patient-generated disruptive behavior. Oversees the day-to-day operations of the Disruptive Behavior Committee. Utilizes experience in forensic assessment and management of violence risk. Independently conducts violence risk assessments and provide guidance to Committee members. Completes documentation of committee activities, including agenda and minutes and follow-up on all committee recommended actions. Serves as a consultant to facility staff in the evaluation of violence risk and the implementation of risk mitigation strategies. Coordinates quality improvement projects around patient behavior. Manages computer-based flagging systems for identifying violent or dangerous Veteran patients. Responds to all VISN and Central Office requests for information about DBC operations or disruptive behavior incidents. Adheres to DBC guidelines established by the national WVPP Program Office. Attends and participates in DBC conferences and conference calls. Implements, educates, trains, and updates local Disruptive Behavior Committee policies and procedures. Coordinates and collaborates with legal representatives, US Department of Veterans Affairs office of the Inspector General, court officials including the Assistant US Attorney, police (VA and community), and community providers. Performs other assigned duties as necessary. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM-4:30 PM EST. Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 58098F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: None EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact vhaedrpprogramsupport@va.gov for questions/assistance. Learn more 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: 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 that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work. A copy of transcripts must be submitted with your application package to verify that you meet the education requirements, unless you are qualifying under the Granfathering Provision. 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/. NOTE: Loss of Licensure or Certification. Once licensed or certified, social workers must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. Grandfathering Provision: The following is the standard grandfathering policy for all title 38 hybrid qualification standards. Please carefully review the qualification standard to determine the specific education and/or licensure/certification/registration requirements that apply to this occupation. All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure or certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all of the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: Such employees in an occupation that requires a licensure or certification, may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all of the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. If an employee who was retained in an occupation listed in 38 U.S.C. § 7401(3) under this provision leaves that occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation. NOTE: If social workers covered under the grandfathering provision of the 1991 Federal law regarding licensure or certification of VHA social workers leave the GS-0185 social work series, they lose the grandfathering protection. If they choose to return at a later date to the GS-0185 series, they must be licensed or certified to qualify for employment as a social worker. GRADE SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS: 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/. Physical Requirements: The physical demands of this position involve primarily walking, sitting, talking, driving, use of the telephone, etc. Strenuous physical activity is not required although the incumbent is expected to withstand pressure and stress as part of their day-to-day activities. There is ongoing exposure to individuals having psychiatric and physical illness and disabilities. These include violent or aggressive behavior and chronic psychiatric and medical problems. Light lifting, under 15 pounds, Light carrying, under 15 pounds, Hearing (aid permitted).

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 09/30/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12854049. 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: 2026-09-30