Supervisory Social Worker

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. You must 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 Master of Social Work. ASWB. Supervisory 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/. 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 VA’s Title 38 Hybrid Occupations – Office of Human Resources Management 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 for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Supervisory Social Worker GS-12 Education and Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 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. Licensure/Certification. Individuals assigned as Supervisory Social Workers must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level and must be able to provide supervision for licensure. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Ability to independently organize work, set priorities, and meet multiple deadlines. Knowledge of supervisory duties which includes clinical supervision, consultation, negotiation with other departments and quality improvement. Ability to ensure provision of clinical social work services. Ability to provide staff training and development. Skill in interpersonal relationships in dealing with employees, team leaders, and managers. Assignment. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. At the GS-12 grade level, supervisory social workers typically have significant personnel management responsibilities for a small to moderate sized professional and non-professional staff, including support staff and professional staff at the GS-12 grade level and below. The supervisory social worker is responsible for the professional and administrative management of an area in a social work service, in a care/product line, or multiple facilities. They provide direct clinical services with or without program coordination responsibilities. Preferred Experience: Experience as a COR for federal contracts. Experience working with geriatric population. Experience working in institutional and long term care. Ability to provide staff training and development. Skill in interpersonal relationships in dealing with employees, team leaders, and managers. Knowledge of program coordination and administration. References: VA Handbook 5005/120 Part II Appendix G39, Supervisory Social Worker GS-0185-12 The 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: Light Lifting (20 – 11 lbs. occasionally; 10 lbs. or less frequently); Light Carrying (20 – 11 lbs. occasionally; 10 lbs. or less frequently); Straight Pulling (up to 1 hour); Pushing (1 – 2 hours); Reaching above shoulder; frequent keyboarding (4-7 hours per day); Sitting (4-7 hours per day); Walking (up to 3 hours); Standing (up to 3 hours); Repeated bending (up to 1 hour); Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; Correctable near sited and far sited Vision; Hearing (aid permitted).
The Supervisory Social Worker will be assigned to the Geriatrics and Extended Care (GEC)/Non-Institutional Care (NIC) programs within Social Work Service. These programs include Community Nursing Home, Community Living Center, Personal Care Services which includes Homemaker/Home Health Aide, Contract Adult Day Health Care, Respite, and Veteran Directed Care, Hospice and Palliative Care, and State Veterans Home.