Senior Social Worker (Veterans Justice Outreach) - EDRP Approved

Senior Social Worker (Veterans Justice Outreach) - EDRP Approved

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Big Spring, Texas

Salary Range: $103332 - $134335 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:

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The Senior Social Worker serves as a Veterans Justice Programs (VJP) Specialist and functions as a community-facing outreach clinician in accordance with VHA Directive 1162.06. The incumbent is responsible for outreach, identification, engagement, treatment-matching assessment, referral, linkage, systems coordination, and short-term case management for justice-involved Veterans in criminal justice settings including jails, prisons, courts, and community supervision environments. The primary purpose of the position is to facilitate access to appropriate VA and community-based services, promote stabilization, and reduce risk of homelessness and recidivism. The VJP Specialist works in partnership with criminal justice agencies, community organizations, and VA clinical programs to support successful community reintegration. The VJP Specialist is licensed at the independent practice level and practices within professional scope. While capable of diagnostic formulation within scope of practice, the primary focus of the role is outreach, engagement, coordination, and facilitation of care rather than serving as a primary outpatient psychotherapist. Ongoing clinical treatment responsibility transfers to receiving VA programs once the Veteran is engaged in care, consistent with VHA Directive 1110.04(1), Integrated Case Management Standards of Practice. The incumbent is administratively responsible for daily operation of the VJP program, data management, and compliance with national program monitoring requirements. Outreach and Engagement: The incumbent conducts active outreach to justice-involved Veterans in jails, prisons, courts, and community supervision settings. Outreach activities include field interviews, identification of Veterans through approved processes, coordination with correctional staff, and provision of education regarding VA services. The VJP Specialist establishes and maintains professional relationships with judges, officers of the court, probation and parole officers, correctional administrators, law enforcement agencies, and community partners to ensure access to justice-involved Veterans and continuity of care. Clinical Assessment and Treatment-Matching: The incumbent conducts psychosocial treatment-matching assessments to identify biopsychosocial needs and determine appropriate referrals to VA and community-based services. Responsibilities include: - Assessing risk factors, acuity, and stabilization needs. - Developing individualized referral and engagement plans. - Facilitating linkage to medical, mental health, substance use disorder, housing, employment, peer support, and other supportive services. - Providing consultation regarding engagement strategies and clinical needs. Clinical services provided within this role are focused on engagement, assessment, and coordination. Ongoing specialty mental health treatment is provided by receiving VA clinical programs once engagement is established. Duties are continued in the education section. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8 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 the EDRP Coordinator at vhaedrpprogramsupport@va.gov 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: This is an onsite position. may be offered when deemed necessary by the department AD-HOC (Employees who telework on an occasional, episodic, or short-term basis, and have completed required telework training and telework agreement.) (Portion of day acceptable). Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 55020-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. English Language Proficiency - You must be proficient in spoken and written English as required 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). Education You must possess 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. Note: A doctoral degree in Social Work may NOT be substituted for the master's degree in Social Work. License or Certification You must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. Grandfather Provision. A Social Worker employed in VHA on the effective date of the qualification standard (9/10/2019) who did not meet all the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply: Employees 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 journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. Employees in an occupation that requires a licensure/certification/ registration only at higher grade levels must meet the licensure/ certification/registration requirement before they can be promoted to those higher grade levels. 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 who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. Grade Determinations: Senior Social Worker, GS-0185-12 Licensure Requirement: You 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 must be able to provide supervision for licensure. Advanced practice level social workers must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level which includes 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. All states except California use a series of licensure exams administered by the ASWB. Information can be found at https://www.aswb.org/. Experience Requirement: You must possess 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. Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to: assessing and documenting identified behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and/or intimate partner violence; use of clinical social work skills; maintaining patient privacy and confidentiality per policies, handbooks or directives; acting as an advocate with appropriate community service providers and agencies when it serves the best interest of the patient and family members/caregiver; independently assessing the psychosocial functioning and needs of patients and their family members, identifying the patient's strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and psychosocial acuity. Applicable experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment. In addition to the experience above, you must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: 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. Preferred Experience: Experience in conducting outreach to those involved in judicial systems Experience in conducting interview/assessments in community settings, jail, courts, and prisons etc. Experience in working with those who are being monitored by treatment courts and Veterans being released from correctional institutions Experience in providing case management and discharge planning to a variety of clients spanning community, courts and legal institutions Experience in working with clients who have co-occurring medical and mental health disorders Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Assessment must be made for any acute or chronic medical/physical condition or medication use which interferes with the ability operate the appropriate Government-owned or -leased vehicle safely and without undue risk to themselves or others. The following requirements must be met: distant vision 20/40 in one eye with or without correction, field of vision 70 degrees, ability to distinguish red, green and amber, whispered voice at five feet, or average hearing loss of not greater than 40 dbs. at 500, 1000 and 2,000 Hz.

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 03/02/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12899097. 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: 2026-03-02