Social Worker

Summary

Make a difference where it matters most! Join the Indian Health Service as a Social Worker providing professional social work services to American Indian communities. Advance your career, enjoy competitive benefits, and be part of a mission that transforms lives every day. Apply today! A REAL ID will be required beginning May 7, 2025, in accordance with 6 C.F.R. 37.5 (2021).

Duties

• Conducts comprehensive biopsychosocial and mental health assessments and formulates diagnostic impressions using accepted clinical frameworks and diagnostic standards. Responds to urgent and emergent mental health and psychosocial crises in clinical, community, and emergent settings. Provides clinical case management services addressing complex medical, behavioral, social, environmental, and cultural determinants of health. Provides consultation to medical, behavioral health, and administrative staff regarding psychosocial and behavioral health factors impacting patient care.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, your resume must state sufficient experience and/or education, to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are applying. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer and part time experience. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week. The Hiring Manager/Selecting Official may elect to utilize an available flexibility wherein applicants who are actively completing a required professional training program and are expected to complete such program within 9 month(s) of applying, may be deemed tentatively qualified. BASIC REQUIREMENT(S): Education: Must fulfill all of the requirements for the master's degree in social work in a school 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 unless the School of Social Work is fully accredited. Degree verification can be made by going to http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the 3 accreditation standards for a masters of social work. Applications will be accepted if you are currently enrolled in a CSWE institution and expect to complete your master's degree in social work within 9 months of your application date. Your application must include: A copy of your most recent unofficial transcripts; and Documentation from the educational institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official validating your expected completion date. Licensure: For the GS-09 position, you must possess an active, unrestricted U.S. State license as a Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW), a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), a Certified Independent Social Worker (CISW), or a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW). Applications will be accepted if you expect to complete your LCSW, LICSW, LISW, LMSW, or equivalent licensure requirements within 9 months of your application date. Your application must include documentation from an authorized official validating your expected licensure completion date. For the GS-11 position, you must possess an active, unrestricted independent U.S. State license as a Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW), a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), or a Certified Independent Social Worker (CISW) or equivalent. ***NOTE: At the GS-11 level, you MUST possess the LISW, LCSW, CISW or equivalent license. The LMSW license does not authorize independent clinical practice at the GS-11 level. Applications will be accepted if you expect to complete your LCSW, LICSW, LISW, or equivalent licensure requirements within 9 months of your application date. Your application must include documentation from an authorized official validating your expected licensure completion date. In addition to the Basic Requirements, you must also meet the Minimum Qualifications stated below. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: GS-11: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks: Conducting comprehensive biopsychosocial and mental health assessments; Coordinating services to support patient stability and continuity of care; Responding to urgent psychosocial situations by conducting timely risk and safety assessments, and; Consulting with medical, nursing, and behavioral health providers regarding patient needs, barriers and service coordination. OR Completion of 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree, or a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in social work from from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade Requirements: Merit Promotion (status) candidates must have completed one year of service at the next lower grade level. Time-In-Grade provisions do not apply under the Excepted Service Examining Plan (ESEP).

Requirements

Selectee may be subject to a probationary period ESEP appointees typically serve a two year trial period U.S. Citizenship is required Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 This is a designated position covered by Public Law 101-630, requiring contact or control over Indian children. Due to this requirement, the agency must ensure that persons hired for these positions have not been found guilty of or pleaded nolo contendere or guilty to certain crimes. Position may be subject to rotating shifts: days, evenings, nights, weekends and holidays. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/. You will need to set up direct deposit so we can pay you. Background Investigation Requirement: This position requires the successful completion of a federal background investigation as a condition of employment. A background investigation is a standard process used by the Federal Government to verify an individual's identity, employment history, education, and other relevant information to determine suitability for Federal service. Upon receipt of instructions, applicants must complete all required background investigation forms within five (5) calendar days of issuance. Timely completion is critical to avoid delays in processing or a determination of unsuitability. Applicants are strongly encouraged to prioritize this requirement and to maintain regular communication with their assigned Personnel Security Specialist throughout the process. Financial Suitability Requirement: This position requires a review of the applicant's financial history as part of the personnel security and suitability determination. Applicants must demonstrate financial responsibility, maintain good standing with creditors, and satisfy all legal financial obligations prior to applying. Individuals with substantial delinquent or unresolved financial obligations-including, but not limited to, delinquent federal or state tax liabilities, defaulted federal student loans, court-ordered fines or fees, or child support arrears-may be deemed unsuitable for employment with the Indian Health Service (IHS). Prior to the appointment, candidates must present two valid forms of identification. If one of the documents is a state-issued ID or driver's license, it must be REAL ID-compliant.

Education

This position has an education requirement. You are strongly encouraged to submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed, and grades. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer. Only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education may be credited. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: https://www.ed.gov/accreditation. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: Click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside about two (2) hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. You may update your application documents and some questions related to your personal information at any time during the announcement open period. Upon application, you may be provided a testing window to complete additional assessments. This testing window may stipulate a completion deadline before the announcement closes. It is your responsibility to complete the additional online assessments within the timeline provided to remain in consideration for this vacancy announcement. Failure to complete the online assessments within the testing window for this announcement will not preclude you from being considered for and completing the online assessments during a testing window on a future announcement. For additional questions please see our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) found here: https://www.ihs.gov/jobs/faq/.