Senior Social Worker - Housing and Urban Development - Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing

Veterans Health Administration • Denver, CO

6d • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Social Worker serves as a HUD-VASH social worker and case manager for the Eastern Colorado Health Care System. HUD-VASH is an intensive case management program for chronically homeless Veterans, providing psychosocial services while they reside in stable housing through HUD Section 8 vouchers. The role is part of the Homeless Program within the Care Management and Social Work Service Care Line.

The incumbent provides case management to Veterans, including individuals with complex mental health, medical, and co-occurring conditions and those at elevated risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior. The Senior Social Worker serves as a subject matter expert and lead social worker for the assigned team, models advanced practice, and consults with and mentors less experienced social workers. The position may also involve training staff, accompanying other social workers on complex home or community visits, contributing to process improvement and evidence-based practice, and serving as a surrogate for the Social Work Supervisor for specified clinical and documentation functions.

The incumbent reviews agreements among Section 8, landlords, Public Housing Authorities, and VA to establish appropriate HUD-VASH referral sites; conducts apartment site visits to ensure safe housing and compliance with local housing codes; and may transport Veterans in government vehicles in support of recovery plans. The position is primarily sitting and standing, with some bending, pulling, and lifting up to 25 pounds. A current, valid state driver's license is required and must be maintained.

Requirements

• Master's degree in social work from a school fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE); a doctoral degree cannot substitute for the master's degree.
• State licensure or certification to independently practice social work at the master's degree level.
• At least two years of experience after advanced-practice clinical licensure in a specialized area of social work practice, including one year equivalent to the GS-11 grade level.
• Advanced-practice-level state license or certification, including an advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless covered by the stated grandfathering exception; 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 developing and implementing methods to measure social work practice and service effectiveness, using outcome evaluations to improve treatment and design system changes.
• Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on psychosocial treatment and to model effective social work practice.
• Ability to expand clinical knowledge in social work and write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the service area.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated VA non-citizen appointment exception.
• Current, valid state driver's license, which must be maintained.
• Must pass a pre-employment physical evaluation or examination and meet applicable background, security, onboarding, and influenza vaccination requirements.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working with individuals experiencing homelessness.
• Certification or post-master's training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university in the specialty area, including a defined curriculum or course of study and internship or equivalent supervised professional experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide case management to a caseload of Veterans in the HUD-VASH program, including Veterans with complex needs or elevated suicide risk.
• Consult with HUD-VASH social workers on complex mental health, medical, co-occurring, or behavioral presentations.
• Independently manage more complex Veterans based on acuity, condition severity, diagnosis, or program guidelines.
• Serve as a subject matter expert and lead social worker for the assigned team, modeling advanced social work practice and mentoring less experienced staff.
• Perform one or more leadership or practice-improvement functions, such as process improvement, supervision for advanced-practice licensure or graduate trainees, committee participation or chairing, or leading implementation of evidence-based practices.
• Provide staff training as requested on coding, CPRS documentation, and best practices.
• Accompany GS-9 and GS-11 social workers on home or community visits when a Veteran has a complex presentation.
• When needed, act as surrogate to the Social Work Supervisor for CPRS purposes, including cosigning notes, consults, or orders and providing clinical guidance.
• Review agreements among Section 8, landlords, Public Housing Authorities, and VA to establish appropriate HUD-VASH referral sites.
• Conduct site visits of HUD-VASH apartments to ensure Veterans live in safe environments that comply with local housing codes.
• Transport Veterans in government vehicles when needed to support goals in their recovery plans, following the applicable VA policy.
• Remain informed about best practices in mental health and recovery.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off, consisting of 13–26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays per year.
• Potential credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service, subject to request and approval.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment, in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster-care placement of a child.
• Potential childcare subsidy after 60 days for eligible full-time employees, subject to income and other eligibility rules; subsidy may cover up to 25% of eligible costs, up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
• 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