Summary Current Permanent Federal Employees and Current Permanent Veterans Affairs employee apply to CBTC-12792265-25-KAM. James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital in Tampa, FL is a Level I-A tertiary medical center with general medicine, surgical, psychiatric, rehabilitation, nursing home care beds, spinal cord injury/disorders center, and a polytrauma treatment facility. They are looking for a Social Worker-Pain Empowerment Anywhere Program who will work within Social Work Services at Tampa VHA. Responsibilities Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Individual assigned as GS-11 grade are at the full performance level and must be licensed or certified by a state at the independent or advanced practice level as determined by an ASWB advanced generalist or clinical examination. The Social Worker will adhere to the NASW Code of Ethics, all local social work policies and/or SOPs and maintain an unrestricted, unsuspended license to practice social work. Additional Duties include but not limited to: Will follow Service Line Agreements, (SLA) Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and VHA Handbooks for documentation. Adhere to approved templates and required standards for documentation as outlined by accrediting bodies such as Joint Commission, CARF, and/or revenue sources providing funding to Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Complete documentation sufficient to meet the needs of various interdisciplinary teams engaged in the Veterans, to include, but not limited to, required documentation for psychosocial assessments within required time frames for PEAK. Will follow SLA, SOP, and directives for clinical contact with patients, families, and collateral providers over the course of treatment, which includes pre-admission, program participation, and post-discharge follow-up. Ability to assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, and to formulate and implement a treatment plan by identifying the Veterans' problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and required assistance. Understanding of community resources, proficiency in making suitable referrals to both community and governmental agencies for services, and capability in coordinating those services (e.g., financial assistance, nursing home placements). Provide individualize care coordination, case management and discharge planning highlighting patient's strengths, needs, abilities, and preferences within patient interaction, Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) meetings, along with family and collateral contacts. Advise supervisor and IDT on identified treatment goals, priorities, and disposition options and progress. Ensuring patients have access to care via completion of required documents, 1010s, Advanced Directive, and other forms that assist with access to care within the VA or the community. Will participate in survey accreditation(s) ensuring standards are adhered to within their social work practice, unit/service and at the facility level as well (i.e. infection control and safety). Participate in all supervisory-assigned meetings to include individual, team huddles, and will participate in, both social work and matrix, staff meetings. Will participate on all assigned committees, work groups within or external to the facility. Supervisory approval is required prior to working with a committee within or external to the facility. (See business compliance regarding non-VHA committee participation). Conducts mental health screenings to assess patient readiness and appropriateness for participation in pain management programs, and provides referrals to appropriate services when program criteria are not met. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, with rotating tours of duty as needed. Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized. 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) 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) Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #:FS# 72228F Grade 11 Social Worker-Pain Empowerment Anywhere Program. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. 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. 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-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 http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/. 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 meeting the basic requirements stated above, the following qualifications criteria must be met in determining the appropriate grade assignment of candidates. GS-11 Social Worker candidates must have the following: (1) 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 or certification in a state at the independent practice level. OR 2) 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. While we no longer require essay-style responses to our Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities, (KSA's), you must be able to demonstrate that you possess the (below) competencies which are necessary to perform the work of the position. Please ensure your resume/CV/application contains sufficient information to support the level of experience/education/training. Otherwise, we will not be able to award you credit for the experience/education/training you claim. The GS-11 KSA's for this subject position are; (3) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services. (b) Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational and other diversified backgrounds. (c) Knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities and 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. (d) Skill in independently implementing different treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, and social problems to achieve treatment goals. (e) Ability to provide consultation services to new social workers, social work graduate students, and other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment. Preferred Experience: The Pain Empowerment Anywhere Program (PEAK) Social worker is a Master's prepared social worker by a graduate program fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The Social Worker will be expected to independently complete psychosocial assessments, individual and/or group treatment sessions, education and the development of care plans tailored to the specific psychosocial and functional needs of the population served. 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. Physical Requirements: 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 computer screens. Must be able to exercise extreme control over one's own emotions especially in highly charged and/or crisis situations. The work takes place in the outpatient clinic environment and exposes the incumbent to the typical diseases and conditions associated with a health care setting. 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. 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.
