Job Description
Summary
The Cheyenne VA Health Care System - Mental Health Service Line (MHSL) is recruiting for a Social Worker - Intensive Community Mental Health Recovery position in Fort Collins - CO.
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: Per VA Handbook 5005 - Part II - Chapter 3 - Section A - Paragraph 3j: No person will be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. - chapter 73 or 74 - to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English
- Education: Candidates must 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 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
- Grade Determinations: 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 or certification in a state at the independent practice level
- OR 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
- Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities: Candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSA's: Knowledge of community resources - how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services - and ability to coordinate services
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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: Working knowledge of and/or experience working with Veterans and/or individuals with severe and persistent mental health illness in a community-based setting
- References: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit
- The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11
- Physical Requirements: Typically - the employee sits comfortably indoors to do the work
- This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking
- standing
- sitting - bending
- carrying of light items such as papers - books - small parts
- or driving an automobile
- etc
- Use of fingers - both hands required - ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously - near vision correctable at 13" to 16" - hearing (aid permitted) - clear distinctive speech.
Duties
- Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Social Work: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Social-Worker-Career-Flyer.pdf The incumbent functions as an Social Worker on an integrated interdisciplinary team located at the Cheyenne VA Health Care System (CVAHCS)
- The incumbent serves a caseload of up to 10 Veterans who experience severe and persistent mental illness - including Schizophrenia and Major Affective disorders - who have frequent or long-term hospitalizations who live in the community
- Duties include but are not limited to: Provides recovery-oriented care-planning for assigned Veterans - incorporating the Veteran's goals - preferences - and strengths including interventions for building adaptive and social skills - increased self-care - independent living - employment - crisis resolution - and practical problem solving
- Provides frequent and clinically intense individual services in the Veteran's home or community - as warranted by Veteran's clinical needs at a given time
- Facilitates psycho-educational - therapeutic - and supportive counseling groups related to the treatment of specific SMI psychiatric disorders
- Provides crisis intervention when indicated - included evaluation - assessment - triage and disposition of patients experiencing behavioral health emergencies
- Participates in periodic interdisciplinary review of ongoing treatment of assigned Veterans
- Provides ongoing documentation of Veteran's treatment progress using a psychosocial and behavioral framework
- Provides clinical case management and care coordination to facilitate appropriate delivery of health care services - including complex causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of Veterans
- Assures timely access to general medical care services for both routine and acute visits
- assists Veterans in receiving and recommended preventive services
- and assists Veterans in accessing and adhering to recommended general medicine treatments (within the scope of licensure)
- Provides education and assistance with Advance Directives to Veterans who wish to complete them
- Assists Veterans with achieving integration into their communities
- Assists Veterans with connecting or reconnecting with family members - caregivers - and other natural supports
- Serves on committees - work groups - and task forces at the facility and VISN level or in the community
- Provides subject matter consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of Veterans - offering professional opinions based on experience - expertise - and role modeling effective clinical and case management practice skills
- Establishes and maintains ongoing education programs for Veterans - community agencies - students - and staff - to facilitate understanding of recovery-oriented interventions specific to the Veteran population
- Attends Mental Health Service Line and LPMHC Discipline meetings and other mandatory meetings regularly
- Travels regularly to provide services in Veteran's homes and in the community - including VA and non-VA locations within the Cheyenne VAHCS catchment area
- May conduct or assist in carrying out planned quality management studies or research projects
- Is required to maintain current BLS and First Aid certification and remain current on all licensures
- Performs other related duties as assigned
- Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8:00am - 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Negotiable Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
- Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
- 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: This is not a telework position
- Virtual: This is not a virtual position
- Functional Statement #: 442-52519-A Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.
Create a Job Alert for Similar Jobs
About Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.
Connections working at Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration More Jobs from This Employer Return to Search Results
Job Tags
Holiday work, Permanent employment, Full time, Work experience placement, Self employment, Remote job, Relocation package, Relocation bonus, Flexible hours, Monday to Friday,