Senior Social Worker (Suicide Prevention Coordinator)

Senior Social Worker (Suicide Prevention Coordinator)

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Livermore, California

Salary Range: $129222 - $167993 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. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

Major Duties:

• VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Major duties include but not limited to: he SPC (Suicide Prevention Coordinator) is responsible for tracking and reporting all suicide attempts and completions at their facility. The SPC exclusively controls the Category I Patient Record Flag as it relates to suicide and limits its use to patients who meet the criteria of being placed on the facility high-risk list. The SPC is responsible for maintaining a facility "high-risk" list which identifies patients who have been deemed at-risk for suicide, per their consultation with clinicians and patients who have a Category I Patient Record Flag on their chart. This list is to be reviewed at least every 90 days. The SPC is responsible for continued contact and monitoring with Veterans that have been identified as high-risk for suicide to assure continued care and treatment. The SPC documents, when appropriate, the nature of follow-up and plans for continuing treatment in the electronic medical record. The SPC ensures that patients identified as being at high-risk for suicide receive follow-up for any missed mental health and substance abuse appointments in conjunction with the clinical treatment team, and that this follow-up is documented in the electronic medical record. The SPC will facilitate contact with mental health providers and Veterans who have been identified as surviving an attempt or who are identified as being high-risk. The SPC will establish a mail contact program to provide an "enhanced care" model of prevention which maintains communication with the Veteran. The SPC should develop partnerships with their facility Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) Coordinators, Patient Safety Managers (PSM), Healthcare for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Coordinators, local Veteran Center staff, residential care teams and local mental health teams. This partnership is to assure that patients are assessed and evaluated for suicide risk as appropriate (including CSSRS screens at the onset of a period of care, and CSREs when needed for positive screens), and that preventative interventions are in place. The SPC is a resource for both the VA facility and community related to Veteran suicide and suicide prevention issues. The SPC is responsible for the delivery of the S.A.V.E. training, or other approved "gatekeeper" training, to all non-clinical staff who have patient contact, typically at New Employee Orientation. The SPC is also responsible for the delivery of other training programs at the site by request of the facility. The SPC is responsible for the delivery of the community version of S.A.V.E. training to community organizations that have contact with Veterans, on request. The overall expectation is that each SPC will provide one training per month. The SPC is responsible for following-up on referrals received from staff as a result of the S.A.V.E. training or other trainings. The SPC is responsible for staff and patient education during National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month in September of each year. Educational activities may include displays and exhibits regarding suicide prevention. In addition, educational activities may provide information about the Veterans Crisis Line discussion, and other support services available. The SPC is responsible for following up on consults (within 24 business hours) received from the Veterans Crisis Line to assure timely access to care and follow-up for patients in crisis. When needed, the SPC assists with and expedites Veteran enrollment into VA care. The SPC provides case consultation as well as direct clinical assessment and treatment of Veterans, particularly those presenting with suicidal ideation. The SPC is responsible for assessing the risk of suicide in individual patients in conjunction with the treating clinician and managing the Category I Patient Record Flag for patients at high risk for suicide. The SPC is responsible for completion of Columbia Suicide Screens (C-SSRS) for each HRF patient, and when positive, the Comprehensive Suicide Risk Evaluation (CSRE). Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM. Telework: Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 08413F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. EDRP Authorized: Contact V21CCOEEDRP@VA.GOV , the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required.

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. 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/. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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). 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 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. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G39The 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 physical demands of this position involve primarily walking, sitting, talking, use of fingers, both hands required, Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other, Hearing (aid permitted). 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, use of fingers, both hands required, Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other, 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 03/20/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12908792. 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: 2026-03-20