Department of Veterans Affairs

Senior Social Worker - Psychosocial Rehabilitation Recovery Center

Gainesville, Florida Full time

Senior Social Worker - Psychosocial Rehabilitation Recovery Center

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Gainesville, Florida

Salary Range: $100090 - $130120 Per Year

Job Summary: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. The Senior Social Worker is assigned within the Psychosocial Rehabilitation Recovery Center (PRRC), an outpatient program within the Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery (PSR&R) Section of the Mental Health Service, that provides state-of-the-art mental health programming and services for veterans based on the psychiatric rehabilitation recovery model.

Major Duties:

  • 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. The Senior Social Worker - Psychosocial Rehabilitation Recovery Center (PRRC) provides services for Veterans based on the psychiatric rehabilitation recovery model that include, 1) a wide range of rehabilitation and recovery services for veterans with serious mental illness (SMI), 2) collaboration and advocacy for veterans with SMI and their family members, and 3) education and training of staff, in conjunction with other VA professionals, to promote the transition from maintenance models of treatment to the contemporary recovery rehabilitation model. Treatment with veterans routinely occurs both on site and at various locations in the community and is based on the Mental Health Recovery Model. Treatment in the home is limited and only when serving the veteran's recovery goals. This GS-12 PRRC Senior Social Worker position requires both administrative and clinical skills involved in various aspects of major psychiatric specialty treatment programming. The incumbent is responsible for providing individual and group treatment with clinically challenging patients who have serious mental illness. The primary population served is veterans with severe mental illness (SMI) and a Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) at or below 50. Duties may include but are not limited to: The Senior Social Worker, being well-versed in the recovery model of mental health services, utilizes sound clinical skills to offer recovery-based interventions and measures outcomes to interventions. The incumbent works in collaboration with the PRRC Interdisciplinary Recovery Team to develop and implement recovery-oriented programming for veteran care and treatment. The incumbent independently performs outreach, identifying and screening patients for psychosocial needs. The Senior Social Worker independently provides consultation services to other VA staff members regarding the psychosocial needs of veterans and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and adherence to recovery plans. The incumbent functions as a Recovery Coach within the PRRC, responsible for screenings, initial intake, detailed psychosocial assessments, and assisting each Veteran in the development of an individual recovery treatment plan that increases independence in the preferred environments in the community of their choice. The Senior Social Worker continues to work with assigned Veterans over time monitoring participation in PRRC activities and progress toward individual recovery goals. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm 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. Contact V8_EDRP_NFSG@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. 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: Per Agency policy and Service Approval on an Ad-hoc basis. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: PD50351F Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

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. Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j, this part. 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). 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. GRADE REQUIREMENTS In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Senior Social Worker, GS-12: Experience: At least two (2) years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure, of which one (1) year of experience is equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency. Education: 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. Licensure. Individuals assigned as social worker program coordinator MUST be licensed or certified at the Advanced Practice Level AND must be able to provide supervision for licensure. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate 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. Preferred Experience: Previous Mental Health and Homeless experience preferred. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit Human Resources and Administration (HRA) Employee Resources Hub - VA Qualification Standards - Social Worker Qualification Standard - GS-0185 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: It is VA policy to ensure that all selected applicants and employed personnel are physically, mentally and emotionally fit to perform the duties of the position to which assigned. A pre-placement physical examination is required for all full-time, part-time and intermittent employees identified by VA Directive and Handbook 5019. The pre-placement physical examination shall be completed prior to appointment to determine the physical and mental fitness for candidates for appointment in VA. The examination will be concerned with the mental and physical ability of the applicant to satisfactorily perform the duties of the proposed assignment and will include requisite laboratory and other screening as required by Federal regulatory agencies. The work is primarily sedentary, but may require some walking, bending, stooping, standing, stretching and carrying objects. The physical demands of the work requires use of fingers; moderate walking and standing; near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; far vision correctable in on eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; hearing aid permitted; clear speech; emotional stability; moderate duty. Driving Requirement and Current/Valid Driver's License Requirement: This position requires the incumbent to drive and utilize a government vehicle. Additionally, the incumbent must possess or be able to obtain a current/valid Driver's License.

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 03/30/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12877376. 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: 2026-03-30