Senior Social Worker - Residential Program

About the company

The New Mexico VA Healthcare System (NMVAHCS) primarily cares for Veterans located throughout New Mexico. The NMVAHCS has a flagship medical center located in Albuquerque (the Raymond G. Murphy VAMC), which is a large teaching hospital affiliated with the University of New Mexico.

Your tasks

The primary function of the Senior Social Worker position in the Residential Division is to serve as the coordinator of the screening and admissions process for Veterans seeking Residential treatment for Substance Use Disorders and/or Mental Health needs. The admissions coordinator is responsible for the following: Coordinating and managing all admissions Coordinating with the Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (MHRRTP) Centralized Screening hub as well as communicating dispositions post-screening to Veterans and referrers. Filling in and assisting the MHRRTP Centralized Screen hub staff when the NMVAHCS Centralized Screening team member is not present for duty. Maintaining clinical contact and referral services for all Veterans waiting for admission and is further responsible for maintaining all nationally mandated databases regarding admissions. This position requires specialized knowledge, training and skill in the field of mental health to successfully perform the duties specified below. In addition, the incumbent will carry a residential caseload. The incumbent functions in a highly independent manner with respect to performing these duties but also works as a member of a multidisciplinary team. This position is directly supervised by the Residential Division Chief. The incumbent's social work practice will be overseen by the Social Work Executive through the Associate Chief of Behavioral Health Care Line (BHCL) Social Work. The Residential Care Section is seeking an enthusiastic and clinically skilled Social Worker to join an exceptionally competent Residential Care team and to function as a case manager and therapist on one of the three Residential Units. Veterans in this program have been deemed to require a residential level of care for their psychosocial issues and are in transition from homelessness and unemployment to independent community living and employment/meaningful community engagement. All carry one or more psychiatric diagnoses (most commonly Substance Use Disorder, PTSD, Psychotic Disorder and/or Depressive Disorder) from which they are in recovery. In addition to clinical and administrative tasks associated with their Domiciliary clients, the applicant would also be asked to contribute to treatment across all of the Residential Units in collaborative programming efforts. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm. An alternate work schedule may be available to accommodate patient care needs. Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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: Master's degree in social work (MSW) 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 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 master's degree in social work. Licensure: Candidate must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level which included an advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless they are grandfathered by the state in which they are licensed to practice at the advanced practice level (except for licenses issued in California, which administers its own clinical examination for advanced practice) and they must be able to provide supervision for licensure. 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 basic requirements, applicants must have at least two years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure and should be in a specialized area of social work practice of which, one year must be equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations. This includes individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial and/or case management. Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. Knowledge in developing and implementing methods for measuring effectiveness of social work practice and services in the specialty area, utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services and to design system changes. Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients in the service delivery area, as well as role modeling effective social work practice skills. Ability to expand clinical knowledge in the social work profession, and to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area. Preferred Experience: The ideal applicant will be highly clinically skilled, have solid administrative and organizational skills, have substantial Evidence-Based Psychotherapy experience for PTSD, Depression, and Substance Use Disorders, and will be familiar with Veteran culture. A valid state driver's license is required. A safe driving record is required. 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-12. Physical Requirements: Traveling throughout the medical center and the community is required, as is performing activities involving sitting, walking, and standing, bending and carrying such items as books, papers, and files. In carrying out responsibilities it may be necessary for the incumbent to travel into the community where he/she conducts interviews with the Veterans, their families, representatives of community health and welfare agencies and law enforcement agencies. The incumbent will drive a government vehicle in carrying out professional duties when deemed necessary

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/.

• 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 organizational goals of the agency or the Government;
• 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.