The Social Worker will provide psychotherapy services at the Lynchburg Community Based Outpatient Clinic which is within the Salem VA Health Care System and assigned to the Social Work Service. The Social Worker must use a high level of independent skill in assessing, treating the complex mental health and psychosocial needs of Veterans referred for mental health services.
Completes thorough psychosocial assessments, diagnostic interviews and will provide individual and group psychotherapy.
DUTIES: GS-9 is the entry level grade for the GS-0185 Social Work series and is used for Social Workers with less than one year of post-MSW experience and who are not yet licensed or certified at the independent practice level. The employer is responsible to arrange ongoing supervision for licensure qualification and must pass the licensure exam within the specified time frame to maintain his/her position with the Salem VAMC.
Must have the ability to establish and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans engaged with mental health or substance use services and/or their families. The employee is able to work with Veterans and their families who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral, and psychosocial problems.
Completes thorough psychosocial assessments and diagnostic interviews to determine the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and/or their families. The employee must be able to utilize this assessment in facilitating the Veteran's maximum use of treatment for attainment of the highest level of independence that is possible and practicable.
Responsible for contributing to the development of the patient centered treatment plan and setting achievable treatment goals with the Veteran, family members/significant others and other inpatient mental health clinical staff. Need to be licensed at the practice level by the state in which they are licensed to provide this service within 3 years of their appointment as a social worker.
Be mindful of keeping their supervisor apprised of problems and recommended solutions to problems encountered in the candidate's area of responsibility. GS-11: Individuals assigned as GS-11 Social Workers are at the full performance level. A GS-11 social worker has a master's degree in Social Work granted by a graduate program fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and maintains a license.
Must have a high level of skill and expertise to establish and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans engaged with mental health or substance abuse services and/or their families. The employee is able to independently work with Veterans and their families who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral, and psychosocial problems.
Must possess a working knowledge and experience in use of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures, including acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses, common medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology.
Provides consultation to other treatment team and staff members regarding psychosocial needs of Veterans and/or their families and the impact of the identified psychosocial problems on the Veteran's health care planning, compliance with treatment, and discharge planning. Must possess and demonstrate ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing with people from varied backgrounds.
Be mindful of keeping their supervisor apprised of problems and recommended solutions to problems encountered in the candidate' area of responsibility VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:45 am-4::30pm Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): 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) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. 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: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized
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/.
Arletha.Riggsbee@va.gov · 804-388-5774
This position is with Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs.
The posted pay range is $65570 – $106285/yr.
This position is eligible for telework.
Applications close on 2026-10-01.
This position is open under the 'Public' hiring path.
Source: USAJOBS.gov — U.S. Federal Government
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