Senior Social Worker-Veterans Justice Program Specialist

Veterans Health Administration • Baltimore, MD

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Justice Outreach Social Worker is a Senior Social Worker who provides services to Veterans involved with the justice system, including Veterans within six months of release from correctional institutions and those monitored by courts, treatment courts, or problem-solving courts. The role includes psychosocial assessment, case management, continuous quality improvement, evaluation and consultation, placement services, and referral and linkage to community agencies and VA and non-VA services. The position is in the Excepted Service and has a full performance level of GS-12.

The work schedule is 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Telework is ad hoc; this is not a virtual position. The work is primarily sedentary, with intermittent walking, standing, bending, light carrying, and driving. The position requires a master's degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited school and state licensure or certification to independently practice social work at the master's level. At the GS-12 level, the candidate must have at least two years of experience after advanced practice clinical licensure, including one year equivalent to GS-11, and advanced-practice licensure or certification meeting VA requirements.

The role requires U.S. citizenship, written and spoken English proficiency, and completion of applicable pre-employment checks and requirements, including a physical evaluation, background/security investigation, and drug testing for selected applicants in testing-designated positions. A one- or two-year trial period may apply. Recruitment or relocation incentives and permanent change-of-station assistance are not authorized.

Requirements

• Master's degree in social work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE); a doctoral degree does not substitute for the master's degree.
• State licensure or certification to independently practice social work at the master's degree level, subject to applicable VA requirements.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• At least two years of experience after advanced practice clinical licensure in a specialized area of social work practice, including one year equivalent to GS-11.
• Advanced-practice state licensure or certification, including an advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless covered by an applicable grandfathering provision; must be able to provide supervision for licensure.
• Demonstrated skill in specialized interventions and treatment modalities, including individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced psychosocial or case management.
• Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation into differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
• Knowledge of methods for measuring the effectiveness of social work practice and services, using outcome evaluations to improve treatment services and design system changes.
• Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students and to model effective social work practice.
• Ability to expand clinical knowledge and write policies, procedures, or practice guidelines related to the service delivery area.
• U.S. citizenship, except where the stated VA policy exception for non-citizens applies.
• Successful completion of applicable pre-employment requirements, including background/security investigation and physical evaluation; selected applicants in testing-designated positions are subject to urinalysis.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after December 31, 1959.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with the criminal justice system.
• Case management experience.
• Certification or post-master's training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university in a specialty area, including a defined curriculum and internship or equivalent supervised professional experience.

Responsibilities

• Meet regularly with judges, court officers, correctional administrators, and correctional staff to design or maintain appropriate policies and procedures.
• Attend justice-system staff trainings relevant to working with offenders and high-risk populations; represent VA at community meetings and seek or maintain membership on relevant boards, councils, and task forces.
• Collaborate with other Justice Outreach clinicians to support care engagement for eligible Veterans recently discharged from correctional institutions.
• Conduct active outreach to justice-involved Veterans, including participants and potential participants in treatment court programs such as Veterans Courts.
• Identify and interview justice-involved Veterans in appropriate settings; assess needs and determine referrals, linkages, and coordination of VA and non-VA services to support community functioning and transitions from jail or prison.
• Assess, identify, facilitate, refer, and link eligible Veterans to appropriate medical and psychiatric services.
• Conduct individual and family clinical interventions, support treatment attendance, provide brief progress summaries and treatment results (including toxicology outcomes when applicable), and coordinate court-reporting processes with VA treating clinicians.
• Facilitate identification of substance abuse, psychiatric illness, and social needs as treatment issues.
• Document contacts with justice-involved Veterans in CPRS progress notes and appropriate justice-outreach evaluation tools; follow procedures for transmitting and storing individually identifiable Veteran information.
• Stay current with theory and treatment modalities by reviewing professional publications and attending conferences, clinic seminars, and teleconferences.
• Provide input into court treatment planning and report on progress in VA services as needed, including treatment-related toxicology testing when indicated.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases; a higher step rate may be considered for higher or unique qualifications or VA special needs.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, including 13–26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays.
• Potential credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service, subject to approval.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment for birth, adoption, or foster-care placement of a child.
• Potential child care subsidy after 60 days for eligible full-time employees and families meeting the stated income and eligibility requirements.
• Traditional federal pension, with five-year vesting, and 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.

What This Job Offers

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