Social Worker Associate

We're Looking for a skilled Social Worker Associate in the Veterans Health Administration based in White River Junction, Vermont. Read through the job description to see if it matches your current experience.

The Successful Applicant

To qualify for this position applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement 09/20/2023. TimeInGrade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet timeingrade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS08 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS07. The grade may have been in any occupation but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF50 that shows your timeingrade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF50 has an effective date within the past year it may not clearly demonstrate you possess oneyear timeingrade as required by the announcement. In this instance you must provide an additional SF50 that clearly demonstrates oneyear timeingrade. Note: TimeInGrade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. DRIVERS LICENSE REQUIREMENT: A drivers license in the State or Territory in which assigned may be required. If required candidates must pass a Federal service driving test. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Education: Bachelors degree from an accredited college or university in major fields of study such as: social welfare sociology psychology public administration philosophy education anthropology history economics and/or English. REQUIRED: A transcript must be submitted with your application to meet the basic education requirement for this position. AND Specialized Experience: You must have two (2) years of experience as a social welfare worker or social work assistant in a voluntary public social or health agency. One (1) year of this experience must have been in a medical setting and equivalent to the next lower grade (GS7) in Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include: providing assistance and service support as prescribed by social workers in conjunction with patients treatment plans interviewing patients using general counseling techniques and crisis intervention techniques to assist clients obtaining and compiling data and organizing mental health and medical treatment needs. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Communication Customer Service Information Management Partnering Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g. Peace Corps AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g. professional philanthropic religions spiritual community student social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies knowledge and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 3540 hours of work per week. Parttime experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: Position requires moderate lifting and carrying 1544 pounds walking and standing for 2 hours ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and 20/40 in the other eye depth perception ability to distinguish basic colors and hearing with aid. Work Environment: The population of male and female Veterans served ranges from the adult age 18 to the elderly adult age 65 and over. The population also includes caregivers and family members. Services are conducted at the facility primarily in an outpatient clinic environment. Environmental factors include working closely with others and working alone. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations at the VA facility. The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium dementia or psychiatric disorders. The incumbent must be a mature flexible sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations and able to shift priorities based on patient needs. For more information on these qualification standards please see VA Handbook 5005 Appendix F10 dated April 15 2002.

What’s on Offer

The role offers excellent opportunities for top performers to further develop their competencies as a social worker and improving the lives of people.