Job Description
Summary
The Substance Abuse Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (SUDRRTP) is a comprehensive program for Veterans with a wide range of co-morbidities - especially substance use disorders - psychiatric illness and PTSD. The goals of the SUDRRTP program is to advance veterans into early recovery with relapse prevention shill and a foundation to pursue community integration while complying with outpatient substance abuse counseling.
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 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
- 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
- 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
- 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)
- Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements - candidates must meet the following grade requirements
- Social Worker - GS-11: Experience and Licensure: Appointment to the GS-11 grade level requires completion of a minimum of one year of post-MSW experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the field of health care or other social work-related settings - (VA or non-VA experience) and licensure or certification in a state at the independent practice level
- OR Education: In addition to meeting basic requirements - a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required one year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting
- AND Demonstrated KSAs: In addition to the experience above - candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs
- Knowledge of community resources - how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services - and ability to coordinate services
- Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic - cultural - ethnic - educational and other diversified backgrounds
- Knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses - disabilities and treatment procedures (i.e
- acute - chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries - common medications and their effects/side effects - and medical terminology) to formulate a treatment plan
- Skill in independently implementing different treatment modalities in working with individuals - families - and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric - medical - and social problems to achieve treatment goals
- and Ability to provide consultation services to new social workers - social work graduate students - and other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit
- The full performance level of this vacancy is 11
- Physical Requirements: The physical demands of the work are generally minor
- The work is primarily sedentary in nature and usually occurs within climate controlled clinical and administrative settings.Traveling throughout the medical center is required - as is performing activities involving sitting - walking - and standing - bending and carrying such items as books - papers - and files.
Duties
- VA Careers - Social Work: Total Rewards: Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The social worker functions as a member of a multidisciplinary team
- This position provides for individual and group interventions to veterans accepted into the SUDRRTP program
- The social worker provides on-going case management and treatment interventions to promote abstinence and general psychiatric stability
- The social worker must be able to develop appropriate professional relationships with the Veterans and meet the Veteran where he or she is ready to engage in treatment
- The social worker also will need to develop liaison relationships with other providers/programs - such as veteran industries - outpatient substance abuse and PTSD programming
- Other duties include but are not limited to: Provide direct evidenced based treatments and social work services including individual and group therapies
- Provide all necessary assessment functions - e.g
- interviewing - psychosocial histories - and SUD assessments to aid in the development of treatment plans
- Develop comprehensive treatment plans with the Veteran that address the factors that contribute to substance abuse and other co-occurring factors within a recovery model framework
- Provide recovery-oriented evidenced based treatment with the goal to realize the Veteran's treatment client centered goals - and reassesses and revises goals as indicated by the Veteran's engagement in treatment
- Provide appropriate clinical documentation for all contacts with or about Veterans in a timely manner and within policy guidelines
- Collect statistical data and review the data to improve performance and delivery of services Veterans
- Provide a full array of Social Work and Case Management Services as needed by the program
- Works as a member of a multi-disciplinary treatment team to maximize benefit of treatment services provided
- Work Schedule: Full-Time
- Monday-Friday 8:00 AM- 4:30 PM 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: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
- Functional Statement #:PD12582F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
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About Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.
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