Career Center

Summary

NOTE: This announcement has been to change closing date from 12/31/2026. The Substance Use Disorder Senior Social Worker works in the Mental Health Clinic - SUD section and provides outreach - coordination and treatment services to Veterans with highly complex substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health problems in the North Florida/South Georgia catchment area. located in Lake City - FL.

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: Be a citizen of the United States
• 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 accreditation standards for a masters of social work
• Licensure: Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-185 series at the 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/
• 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 employment termination
• Grade Determinations
• 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 and Education: The candidate must have at least two (2) years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure and should be in a specialized area of social work practice of which - one (1) 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
• Advanced Practice Licensure must be submitted with your application
• 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)
• Preferred Experience: Preferred experience working with Veterans with substance use disorders
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - VA Regulations - specifically VA Handbook 5005/120 - Part II - Appendix G39 - Senior Social Worker Qualification Standard - dated 9/10/19 - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12
• Physical Requirements: Able to meet the physical demands of the position - reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions
• They must have good manual dexterity
• Must be able to express or exchange ideas by means of spoken and written word
• Must be able to view and read information on computer screens
• This position involves sitting a majority of the workday - with some standing - bending - and walking
• Incumbent must have a valid driver's license and pass Occupational Health screening as position will require driving a government vehicle
• Travel is expected at least 25% or less of the work week.

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
• 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
• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The North Florida /South Georgia VA Healthcare System's Mental Health Service is seeking an experienced and dynamic Senior Social Worker - Substance Use Disorder
• Ideal applicants are those who want to contribute to the achievement of quality care standards - as well as the growth and development of a VA academic hospital program
• You must be an excellent communicator and team player who is adaptable to the needs of a growing medical center
• Major duties of the Senior Social Worker SUD include - but are not limited to: Conducts psychosocial assessments - makes diagnoses and provides individual and group therapies using both face-to-face and telehealth encounters
• Reports to the Supervisory Coordinator of the Substance Abuse Treatment Team (SATT) and provides administrative support to the SUD Clinical Program via outreach coordination responsibilities to ensure the broadest possible population coverage
• Demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and training in provision of substance use disorder evaluation and treatment and evidence-based psychotherapies
• Responsible for the day-to-day collaborations with other clinical professionals and will have an extensive knowledge of Veterans' community programs and resources
• Keeps up to date on new issues - trends - and treatment techniques pertinent to social work practice in mental health/substance use disorders and is familiar with social work community practice standards
• Works closely with the SATT Supervisor on programming issues and coordinates assessments - treatment - and referral services provided to Veterans in the North Florida/South Georgia catchment area
• Assists with the clinical supervision of unlicensed and multi-disciplinary staff - which may include Addiction Therapists - Peer Specialists - RN's and other program and support staff
• Provides individual - group - and family psychotherapy and advanced level case management interventions used in the treatment of Veterans with substance use disorders
• provides services on an outpatient basis but may interact and coordinate with inpatient treatment team members across a continuum of care
• Offers consultation to colleagues and students of all disciplines and of various clinics on the psychosocial treatment of Veterans with substance use disorders - rendering professional opinions based on experience and expertise and role modeling effective social work practice skills
• Demonstrates the ability to teach and mentor staff and students in the special area of practice and to provide supervision for licensure or specialty certifications
• Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Authorized
• Former EDRP participants are not eligible to apply for EDRP
• Contact the VISN 8 Compensation Center of Excellence at VISN8CCOE@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) Functional Statement #: Senior Social Worker - SUD - FS #55465F Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8:00 am - 4:30 pm (Note: Work schedules are determined and approved by the supervisor
• The incumbent may be required to work various shifts on a permanent or temporary basis based on facility/patient care needs).