Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI) Social Worker

Veterans Health Administration • Syracuse, NY

1d • Onsite

About The Position

This Social Worker position is administratively aligned with the Mental Health Service and serves as a Colocated Collaborative Care (CCC) behavioral health consultant in Primary Care. PCMHI is part of the interdisciplinary Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT). The social worker provides brief, evidence-based interventions, education, and consultation to Veterans, Primary Care Providers, and other PACT members to promote prevention, early identification, and treatment of mild to moderate behavioral health and health behavior concerns as part of routine primary care.

Patient visits are generally 30 minutes or less and typically limited to 1–6 visits. The role integrates into a fast-paced primary care clinic and includes team activities such as huddles, case reviews, consultation, and education. Direct services may involve up to 8–10 patients daily, with many seen through same-day, in-person warm handoffs. The social worker conducts focused initial functional assessments, supports stepped-care approaches, refers Veterans with more severe or complex needs to appropriate mental health programs, and provides time-limited individual or group interventions. Flexible contact strategies and intermittent visits support longitudinal care within PACT. The employee must complete the national VA PCMHI Competency Training Program or an approved equivalent, along with associated ongoing education modules.

The position is full performance level GS-11. It requires a master's degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited school and state licensure or certification for independent practice. The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Telework is not authorized; this is not a virtual position. The position may be filled by a psychologist, social worker, or LPMHC, with separate announcements for each occupation.

Requirements

• Master's degree in social work from a school fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).
• State licensure or certification for independent social work practice; license or certification must remain full, valid, and unrestricted.
• At least one year of post-MSW experience equivalent to GS-9 in health care or another social work-related setting, plus independent-practice licensure or certification; alternatively, a doctoral degree in social work may substitute for the one year of professional clinical social work experience.
• Demonstrated knowledge of community resources and ability to make referrals and coordinate services.
• Ability to independently conduct psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions with people from diverse socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, and educational backgrounds.
• Knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, treatment procedures, common medications and their effects or side effects, and medical terminology to formulate treatment plans.
• Skill in independently implementing treatment modalities with individuals, families, and groups to achieve treatment goals.
• Ability to provide consultation to new social workers, graduate students, and other staff about psychosocial needs and their effect on health care and treatment compliance.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception for appointments when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Must meet the position's physical requirements; work is sedentary but also involves standing, walking, bending, twisting, and carrying light items.
• Must complete required application, background/security, onboarding, and influenza vaccination requirements; the position also includes a 1- or 2-year trial period.

Nice To Haves

• Experience providing direct patient care in an integrated health care setting.
• Experience or interest in working with Veterans and military populations.
• Experience or comfort working in a fast-paced environment, frequently shifting tasks, seeing scheduled and unscheduled patients, attending primary care huddles, and consulting with primary care staff.
• Experience with or interest in learning brief, evidence-based interventions and brief documentation.

Responsibilities

• Provide brief, evidence-based behavioral health interventions, education, and consultation to Veterans, Primary Care Providers, and PACT members.
• Collaborate with the interdisciplinary PACT to promote prevention, early identification, and treatment of mild to moderate behavioral health and health behavior concerns.
• Participate in team-based primary care activities, including huddles, case reviews, consultation, and education.
• Conduct focused initial functional assessments related to the primary reason or reasons for referral.
• Use stepped-care principles to match service intensity to clinical need and refer Veterans with severe or complex needs to appropriate mental health programs.
• Provide time-limited individual or group interventions, generally over approximately 1–6 sessions, for behavioral health and health behavior concerns.
• Use intermittent visits and flexible patient contact strategies to support brief longitudinal care as part of PACT.
• Complete the national VA PCMHI Competency Training Program or an approved equivalent and associated ongoing education modules.
• Independently conduct psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions for individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• Coordinate services and make appropriate referrals to community and governmental agencies.
• Implement treatment modalities with individuals, families, and groups experiencing psychiatric, medical, or social problems.
• Provide consultation about patients' psychosocial needs and the effects of psychosocial problems on health care and treatment compliance.

Benefits

• Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) student loan reimbursement, subject to individual eligibility and program approval, with an award amount up to $200,000 and an eligibility period of one to five years.
• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, including annual leave, sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment, in connection with birth, adoption, or foster care placement.
• Eligible full-time employees may qualify for a childcare subsidy after 60 days of employment, subject to income, child eligibility, and program limits.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and a federal 401(k) with up to 5% in VA contributions.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.
• Potential credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service experience.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level