Summary The Western NY VA Healthcare system is currently recruiting for a Supervisory Social Worker for the Geriatric and Extended Care Team at the Buffalo NY location. The Supervisory Social Worker is full time position with administrative, supervisory, and clinical oversight for all Social Work Staff within Geriatrics and Extended Care. The incumbent will perform Administrative and Clinical services across continuum of care. Responsibilities This Supervisory Social Worker position is located at VA Western New York Healthcare System within the Geriatrics Extended Care (GEC) Service. The Supervisory Social Worker is full time position with administrative, supervisory, and clinical oversight for all Social Work Staff within Geriatrics and Extended Care. The incumbent independently supervises a group of employees performing work at the GS11 and GS12 level and provides administrative, technical, and clinical supervision necessary for accomplishing the work of the service. The incumbent performs the administrative and personnel management function relative to staff supervised within established guidelines and performance expectations for staff, clearly communicated through the formal employee performance management system. The incumbent will report to the Care Line Manager but practices independently, exercising initiative and independent judgment in day-to-day activities, performing the administrative and personnel management function relative to staff supervised. Supervision/consultation is of an administrative and professional nature; with the Social Work Executive providing guidance on policy and direction of Social Work Services. In unusual and/or complex administrative and clinical problems, the incumbent initiates consultation with the Chiefs and Service Leads as well as with other authoritative resources at the Medical Center (following proper chain-of command), such as Regional Counsel, Business Services, Fiscal, and Human Resources. His/her work is reviewed for technical adequacy and conformance with procedures and practices applicable to facility level and national policy. Duties include but are not limited to: Observes workers' performance; demonstrates and conducts work performance critiques, provides informal feedback and periodically evaluates employee performance. Coordinates the work responsibilities of clinical staff assigned to Medical Social Work. Acts as consultant to other team/staff members on the psychosocial treatment of patients treated in specialty areas, rendering professional opinions based on experience and expertise and role modeling effective social work practice skills. Is knowledgeable in and promotes Recovery Oriented Care Principles, Evidence Based Practice for Social Work, and patient centered care practice with Social Work Staff. Participate in committee assignments, as deemed necessary by Social Work Service and Care Line Leadership. May serve on committees, work groups, and task forces at the facility, VISN, and/or VA Central Office levels. Works to resolves informal complaints and grievances. Develops work improvement plans and personnel actions as necessary. Effects disciplinary measures as appropriate to the authority delegated in this area. Supervises employees to accomplish work of the organization unit. Exercise's supervisor authorities and responsibilities involving work assignment and review, as well as the administrative and personnel management functions relative to the staff supervised. Performs work related to the review, monitoring, analysis, planning, and assessment of Medical Social Work programs. In regard to direct, clinical patient care responsibilities, the incumbent will exercise their approved clinical privileges to screen; assess; and development or contribute to social work treatment plans for Veterans assigned to the Supervisor. Provides clinical training supervision to graduate social work students. Reviews and approves or disapproves leave requests in coordination with other programs All other duties assigned Work Schedule: Full-time. Days. Monday - Friday (7:30 am - 4:00 pm) Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position Functional Statement #: 23945-F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz\ua\UU Social Work: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Social-Worker-Career-Flyer.pdf Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Requirements Conditions of Employment 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. You may be required to serve a trial period. 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 dentification 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). 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 http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the 3 accreditation standards for a masters of social work. Licensure or Certification. Licensure Requirement: You MUST be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level for a GS-12, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure. English Language Proficiency. Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English. 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 for Social Worker, GS-12: You must possess 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. Examples of specialized experience at the GS-11 include, but are not limited to: assessing and documenting identified behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and/or intimate partner violence; use of clinical social work skills; maintaining patient privacy and confidentiality per policies, handbooks or directives; acting as an advocate with appropriate community service providers and agencies when it serves the best interest of the patient and family members/caregiver; independently assessing the psychosocial functioning and needs of patients and their family members, identifying the patient's strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and psychosocial acuity. In addition to the experience above, you MUST demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: 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. Desirable Experience: 1-2 Years of Supervisory experience Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.This is the full performance level of this vacancy. Physical Requirements: Work is sedentary but also demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, and carrying light items. Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations. 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/. 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/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
