Catonsville, MD | November 9, 2021
VHA is the largest integrated health care system in the United States
providing care to over 9 million Veterans.
Today there are 266 Social Worker job announcements on USAJOBS open to the Public, US-wide – all within the Veterans Health Administration. There are various types of Social Worker positions and the starting grade level is GS-9 to GS-11. Many of the USAJOBS announcements are open at multiple locations. Some of the positions are telecommute. Each Social Worker announcement is different.
Some of the positions are eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program. “This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.” Learn more.
The qualifications for GS-9 and GS-11 are described in the USAJOBS announcements.
Preferred Experience: Licensed Social Worker. Grade Determinations: Social Worker, GS-11: 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.
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.
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.
Sample Announcements
Social Worker – Caregiver Support Program
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS / Veterans Health Administration
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/620090100
Opening and Closing Dates: 11/02/2021 to 11/22/2021
Locations: 2 in South Dakota / Telework can be discussed during interview.
The Caregiver Support Program (CSP) is one of the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA’s) most rapidly growing service areas, as a result of infrastructure modernization, programming innovation, and expansion of population-served by the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) under the MISSION Act. The Social Worker will provide consultation on the administrative and clinical considerations of the program.
Salary: $53,433 – $84,049 per year
Open Continuous – Social Worker
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS / Veterans Health Administration
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/611967700
Open and Closing Dates: 08/24/2021 to 12/31/2021
Locations: Multiple
The Social Worker of the Mental Health/Psychiatry (MH) service provides social work services to veterans receiving care in the outpatient Mental Health Clinic at the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center. In collaboration with the interdisciplinary medical team, the MHC Social Worker evaluates the veteran’s presenting psychosocial problems and facilitates access to the resources that can most appropriately minimize the veteran’s psychosocial stressors.
Salary: $53,433 – $84,752 per year
Social Worker – Readjustment Counseling Service
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS / Veterans Health Administration
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/617597900
Open & closing dates: 10/15/2021 to 11/15/2021
Locations: 59
NOTE: Readjustment Counselors are multi-disciplinary and can be filled by Social Worker, Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, Marriage & Family Therapist, and Psychologist. Each discipline is announced separately and applicants must apply to the announcement for which they are qualified.
The incumbent serves as a Readjustment Counselor at a Vet Center in the Readjustment Counseling Service (RCS) providing direct counseling services, outreach, referral, and follow-up care coordination to eligible individuals. In this capacity, the incumbent functions as a member of a small multi-disciplinary team of 4 or more members, including social workers, other mental health professionals, outreach workers, and office managers.
Salary: $64,649 – $84,049 per year
Your Federal Resume must match the qualifications and Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities written in the job announcement. Read the Qualifications carefully. Organize your Federal resume with EDUCATION before WORK HISTORY, so that your MSW and clinical licenses can be at the top of the resume.
For information on writing your Federal resume, which is 5 pages on average, look at The Federal Resume Guidebook, 7th Edition by Fed jobs guru Kathryn Troutman. The outline resume format in her Guide is very successful with Federal HR.
Resume Place, Inc. Certified Federal Resume Writers can also review your resume during a one hour consultation. They can let you know if you’re demonstrating the required qualifications in your resume.
Resume Place’s Federal Career Consulting
Kathryn Troutman is the Founder and President of Resume Place, Inc., a Federal Career Consulting business located in Baltimore, MD. Her firm specializes in writing and designing professional federal resumes, as well as consulting, coaching and education on the federal hiring process. She is the author of many best-selling federal career books.
Kathryn Troutman’s Federal Career Books
Troutman is an enthusiastic and knowledgeable media guest, appearing on:
- Beverly Jones’s Jazzed about Work on NPR’s WOUB
- Carol Fishman Cohen’s 3, 2, 1 iRelaunch (Relaunching Your Career)
- Mark Miller’s Repurpose Your Career
- and numerous times on Mike Causey’s Your Turn show on Federal News Network
Her business, The Resume Place, had been featured in The Washington Post. To hear interviews of this top federal jobs expert, click here.
