Senior Social Worker- Intensive Community Mental Health Recovery

Summary The mission of ICMHR / MHICM services is to provide Veterans living with a serious mental illness with intensive recovery-oriented mental health services that enable them both to live meaningful lives and in the community of their choosing. ICMHR Services are delivered by an interdisciplinary team in a shared caseload model. ICMHR Veterans have a diagnosis of serious mental illness, are inadequately served by clinic-based outpatient treatment and have high resource use. Responsibilities The incumbent is responsible for completing the following duties / responsibilities : The incumbent will participate on a multi-disciplinary team that meets daily to serve Veterans with complex mental health, medical, and co-morbid disorders, or who display increased risk for mild to moderate disruptive behavior. The incumbent is also responsible for providing case management for a caseload of Veterans in the ICMHR program, many of whom may be at elevated risk for suicidal thoughts, behavior, or active psychosis. The incumbent will be expected to remain informed of best practices within the fields of mental health and psychosocial rehabilitation / recovery. The incumbent may be asked to provide training to staff related to coding, CPRS documentation, and best practices within the field. The incumbent may accompany intern / practicum students or GS-9 and GS-11 social workers on home or community visits when a Veteran has a complex presentation. The incumbent will model the advanced level of practice and provide consultation to less experienced social workers. The Senior Social Worker will be assigned and independently manage more complex Veterans within their program area. This will be determined based on the Veteran's acuity, severity of condition, diagnosis, or other programmatic guidelines as defined within the section they report to. The Senior Social Worker will function as the subject matter expert in addition to serving as the lead social worker for their assigned team. The Senior Social Worker will perform at least one or more of the following : process improvement tasks, supervision of social workers for advanced practice licensure or the graduate trainee program, act as a mentor for less experienced social workers, participate in or chair committees or groups that impact social work practice, and / or lead the rollout of evidence-based practices. The Senior Social Worker may be expected to act as a surrogate to the ICMHR Program Manager for CPRS purposes, cosigning notes / consults / orders and providing clinical guidance when appropriate or necessary. The incumbent is responsible for providing clinical case management for a caseload of Veterans enrolled in ICMHR, which also includes clinical responsibility. The incumbent will provide evidence-based and recovery-oriented practices as part of the ICMHR program. Examples of practice include Social Skills Training (SST), Illness Management and Recovery (IMR), Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Life Goals. The incumbent is responsible for collecting and submitting ICMHR participant data as outlined by NEPEC evaluation procedures. The incumbent is responsible for providing ICMHR case management. Case management is defined as the provision of services by VA clinical staff to Veterans living with serious mental illness and includes all activities to provide appropriate treatment and resources to support the Veteran's recovery and living in their communities. The incumbent coordinates care, including serving as an advocate on behalf of Veterans to ensure comprehensive service delivery, and linking and referring Veterans to the VA Medical Center, VA Regional Offices, and / or community agencies. Incumbent must possess and maintain a current valid state driver's license. The incumbent complies with criminal conflict of interest laws and Executive Branch Standards of Conduct to avoid conflicts of interest while serving as the Senior Social Worker. The incumbent actively participates in ICMHR Program conference calls and attends training offered by the National ICMHR Program. The incumbent is responsible for following VHA Handbooks, local policies, and SOPs for the Medical Center and ICMHR Services. This includes following policies and documentation requirements as needed for The Joint Commission (TJC) accreditation. The incumbent actively participates in program planning and development, advising the supervisor of shifting trends with caseloads, and identifying the need for and making recommendations on program procedures or policy changes based upon work experiences Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule : Monday - Friday, 0800-1630 Virtual : This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement # : 554-52280-A Relocation / Recruitment Incentives : Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS) : Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report : Not required 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. 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 (). 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). 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; and 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. 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 to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work. Licensure : Persons hired or reassigned to the social worker position GS-0185 series in the 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 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 : Senior Social Worker GS-12 Experience / Education : The candidate 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. Senior social workers have experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment. Senior social workers are experts in their specialized area of practice. Senior social workers may have certification or other post-masters training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum / course of study and internship or equivalent supervised professional experience in a specialty. Licensure / Certification : Senior social workers 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities : 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 candidate will have advanced clinical experience working with individuals living with serious mental illness, particularly within community-based or recovery-oriented settings. Preferred qualifications include demonstrated proficiency in evidence-based practices such as Social Skills Training (SST), Illness Management and Recovery (IMR), Motivational Interviewing, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Experience with Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) principles, interdisciplinary team collaboration, and intensive case management is highly desirable. Prior experience supervising or mentoring social workers, participating in program development, and leading quality improvement initiatives is also preferred. A valid driver license and willingness to travel throughout the Eastern Colorado Health Care System are required. Reference : For more information on this qualification standard, please visit The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements : The physical demands of the work are generally minor, as the position requires sitting, standing, and walking. Frequent travel is required, as the incumbent must conduct daily visits in the community, to address needs of Veterans on their caseload and this may involve traveling long distances. The emotional demands can be stressful when working with a high-risk-for-suicide Veteran population and their families. A high level of self-awareness is essential. The work, divided between office and clinical settings, is primarily sedentary. It may require prolonged standing, moderate walking, and manual dexterity. It also requires carrying light items, such as books, files, or a laptop computer. Education 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 : 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 : 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.