Supervisory Social Worker (Suicide Prevention Program-MH&BSS)

Supervisory Social Worker (Suicide Prevention Program-MH&BSS)

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Bay Pines, Florida

Salary Range: $115367 - $149979 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.

Major Duties:

• VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Major duties but are not limited to: Responsible for the overall coordination, operation and supervision of BPVAHCS Suicide Prevention Coordinators, Care Managers, Community Engagement Partnership Coordinators, and other positions affiliated with the Suicide Prevention Program, at the discretion of the Suicide Prevention and Recovery Services Program Manager or Mental Health & Behavioral Science Services Chief, to include supervision of staff, professional management, and administrative responsibilities that are complex in scope and constitute a significant. Incumbent is responsible for organizing work, making work assignments, setting priorities, delegating tasks and facilitating treatment team meetings. Interprets, implements, and ensures adherence to policies, directives, regulations, standard operating procedures (SOPs), etc. from VA Central Office (VACO), Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention (OMHSP), VISN 8, BPVAHCS leadership, and external accrediting and authority bodies, to include the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Office of Institute of Medicine (OIM), and The Joint Commission (TJC). Responsible to maintain suicide prevention and patient care policies and procedures, specifying program operations and community relations, and completing periodic reviews and revisions to such materials as necessary. Responsible for developing, initiating and implementing new programs of service delivery; training for internal and external stakeholders, outreach, public relations, and research, when needs are recognized. Incumbent represents BPVAHCS at meetings with community partners and other agencies, and collaborates with these officials to form partnerships and develop alternatives and improvements to the current system of service delivery. The Suicide Prevention Supervisor administers information and analytical systems to evaluate and enhance the quality of service provided to patients served by the Suicide Prevention Team and develops and implements information systems to track service suicide prevention activities that may include visits, outreaches, patient demographics. Evaluates data to enhance the quality of services provided to Veterans and consults with managers, colleagues, and subordinates when developing knowledge and applying agency policies and practices to new and/or complex matters. Processes related to handling of Veterans Crisis line referrals and oversees processes related to directing clinical care for Veterans at increased risk for suicide through the use of crisis management, advocacy and support to referred Veterans. Incumbent may also act as a liaison and broker when assisting Veterans with resources within the VA and community. The Suicide Prevention Team Supervisor leads all suicide prevention team responses to audits of the facility's suicide prevention efforts, to include visits by the OIG, TJC, OIM, OMHSP, and other internal and/or external accreditation or authority bodies. Provides system-wide, oversight and monitoring of required suicide prevention education for employees through the Talent Management System (TMS) to track, assign, and trend BPVAHCS employee completion of trainings ensuring alignment with VHA, TJC, and OIG requirements and recommendations, in addition to providing suicide prevention training to trainees and staff throughout the BPVAHCS. Work Schedule: 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 22003F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact , the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more 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. Verification of the degree can be made by going to http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the 4 accreditation standards for a masters of social work. c. 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/. 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 at the GS-9 grade level. For the GS-11 grade level and above, the candidate must be licensed or certified. At the time of appointment, the supervisor, chief social work or social work executive will provide the unlicensed/uncertified social worker with the written requirements for licensure or certification, including the time by which the license or certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed or certified by the deadline.] For appointments at the GS-9 grade level, VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed or certified at the independent, master's level within three years of their appointment as a social worker. Most states require two years of post-MSW experience as a prerequisite to taking the licensure/certification exam, and VHA gives social workers one additional year to pass the licensure/certification exam. In states such as California, Washington, and others where the prerequisites for licensure exceed two years, social workers must become licensed at the independent, master's level within one year of meeting the full state prerequisites for licensure. A social worker who does not yet have a license that allows independent practice must be supervised by a licensed independent practitioner of the same discipline who is a VA staff member and who has access to the electronic health record. Different states have different levels of licensure or certification, making it difficult for VHA staff to determine the independent practice level. Each state, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia completed surveys identifying the level of licensure or certification allowing independent practice. Copies of the surveys are on file in the VHA Office of Care Management and Social Work Services, and a summary spreadsheet of the levels of licensure or certification is available to social work professional standards board members for purposes of determining whether the social worker's level of licensure or certification meets the VHA qualification standards. All states except California use a series of licensure exams administered by the ASWB. Information can be found at https://www.aswb.org/. The ASWB is the association of boards that regulates social work. ASWB develops and maintains the social work licensing examination used across the country and is a central resource for information on the legal regulation of social work. The ASWB offers three examinations. The master's examination is generally used by states for the independent practice level of licensure or certification, while the advanced generalist and the clinical examinations are used for the advanced practice level of licensure or certification. Differences between the master's and the 5 advanced exams demonstrate the expectation that advanced practice social workers will have a more sophisticated knowledge of practice theory and its application. Failure to Obtain License or Certification. In all cases, social workers must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure or certification starting from the date of their appointment. Failure to become licensed or certified within the prescribed amount of time will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. (3) 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. 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). Grade Determinations: GS-13 Experience/Education. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills in a specialty area or in administration demonstrating progressively more professional competency and judgment. 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. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The position is above the full performance level. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.

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 12/22/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12843964. 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: 2025-12-22