Social Worker (Inpatient Mental Health)

Summary

The incumbent provides a full range of comprehensive and professional social work services to Veterans and their families who are admitted to Inpatient Mental Health at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. The incumbent is assigned to provide complex and multiple services to individuals and families with a variety of social, emotional and health related problems.

Duties

• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 4:30 pm Functional Statement #: 10321-F (GS-9), 10322-F (GS-11) Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: Not Available Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Recruitment/Relocation Incentive: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. 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) Major duties include but are not limited to the following: Develops a psychosocial assessment of the Veteran in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the Veteran, family members and significant others. Demonstrates an understanding of mental illness including but not limited to: Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Depressive Disorders, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and frequently occurring co-morbid substance-related disorders. Knowledgeable and skilled pertaining to mental health diagnoses, use of DSM-5 TR as an assessment tool and have basic familiarity with psychotropic medications. Responsible for developing the treatment plan and setting achievable treatment goals with the Veteran/family. Collaborates with other service providers in reassessing the Veteran's needs. Responsible for educating the Veteran and/or caregiver of the available services and assisting them in establishing the appropriate referrals based on the veteran's preference or that of his/her surrogate decision-maker. Provides education related to VA and community resources, entitlements, Advance Directives/Living Will and will refer Veterans/families to the appropriate interdisciplinary team member for identified health education needs. Provides crisis intervention services, seeking to address the cause as well as the presenting complaint, coordinates family conferences and serves as liaison to family members. Establishes and maintain effective working relationships with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies. Handles conflict and problems in dealing with the consumer constructively and appropriately. VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of education or licensure requirements may be referred, tentatively selected, but may not be hired until all requirements are met. BASIC REQUIREMENTS: The requirements for VHA social workers are prescribed by statute in 38 U.S.C. § 7402(b)(9), amended by section 205 of Public Law 106-419, November 1, 2000. To qualify for appointment as a social worker in VHA, all applicants must meet the following: 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). A doctoral degree in social work may not be substituted for a 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's of Social Work. Licensure: Persons hired or reassigned to social work positions in VHA must be licensed 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: 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 will provide the unlicensed social worker with the written requirements for licensure or certification, including the time by which the license must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed by the deadline. GS-9 grade level: VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed at the independent, master's level within three years of their appointment. 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. Information can be found at https://www.aswb.org/. Failure to Obtain License or Certification: Failure to become licensed within the prescribed time will result in removal from the Social Worker series and may result in termination of employment. Loss of Licensure or Certification: Once licensed, social workers must maintain a full, valid, unrestricted independent license to remain qualified for 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: In addition to the above for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. GS-9: Experience, Education, and Licensure: None beyond the basic requirements. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills. Assess the psychosocial functioning needs of Veterans and their family members to formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed. Implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups to achieve treatment goals. This requires judgment and skill in utilizing supportive, problem-solving, or crisis intervention techniques. Establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies. Fundamental knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures. This includes acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses/injuries; common medications and their effects/side effects; and medical terminology. Entry Level Assignments: Individuals assigned as GS-9 grade level social workers are considered to be at the entry level and are closely supervised, as they are not yet functioning at the independent practice level conferred by independent licensure. Social workers at the GS-9 entry level are typically assigned to program areas that do not require specialized knowledge or experience. Duties may include, but are not limited to: Identifying behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect, or exploitation, providing education, social work case management, acting as an advocate of the Veteran and family members/caregiver; identifying the strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, psychosocial acuity, and assisting with the appropriate referrals. GS-9 social workers provide psychosocial services in the assigned area under supervision. 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 in a state at the independent practice level. 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to the community and other governmental agencies for services, and the ability to coordinate services. Independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds. Medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, 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. Independently implementing different treatment modalities, working with individuals, families, and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, and social problems to achieve treatment goals. Provide consultation services to new social workers, social work graduate students, and other staff about the needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment. Full Performance Level Assignments: This is the full performance level. Social workers at this level are licensed to independently practice social work. Incumbents are assigned to all program areas, including but not limited to mental health, rehabilitation, and geriatrics. Provide professional, independent social work services in the assigned area. Duties include but are not limited to: assessing and documenting symptoms of abuse, neglect, exploitation, or intimate partner violence; maintaining Veteran privacy and confidentiality per policy; acting as an advocate with VA and community service providers when it serves the best interest of the Veteran and family members/caregiver. Independently formulate and implement a treatment plan, including achievable goals, identifying the needs, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and psychosocial acuity. Providing subject matter consultation to colleagues and students on the treatment of Veterans, offering professional opinions based on experience, expertise, and role modeling effective social work practice skills. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-09 to GS-11. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID-compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance the organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Education

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. **Foreign education is not on the 0185 Social Worker Qual Standard***

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 09/17/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13056296. 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.