Supervisory Social Worker (Domiciliary Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program)

Veterans Health Administration • Menlo Park, CA

19h • Onsite

About The Position

The Supervisory Social Worker serves as the clinical and administrative leader for the VA Palo Alto Domiciliary Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (DOM RRTP). The position supervises staff, oversees program operations, ensures regulatory compliance, provides evidence-based mental health and substance use treatment, coordinates interdisciplinary care, manages crisis intervention and discharge planning, and promotes quality improvement to deliver comprehensive, Veteran-centered services. The Domiciliary Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (DOM RRTP) is a co-ed residential program providing cognitive-behavioral treatment for the rehabilitation of homelessness and its contributing factors (e.g., substance use, serious mental illness) in a therapeutic community context. The incumbent will have a professional leadership role in the program. Incumbent works closely with the Program Coordinator to assist with program oversight, monitoring, and administration. Incumbent may facilitate staff meetings, oversee the treatment planning and discharge planning of residents, and oversee patient transfers to and from other VA programs to the DOM RRTP. He or she is responsible for conducting daily groups and classes within the residential treatment milieu, coordinating care for patients receiving psychiatric medications, responding to medical and psychiatric emergencies on the unit, and providing consultation and guidance to professional and paraprofessional DOM RRTP staff, and contributing to the professional development and education of all staff working with Veterans on the unit.

Requirements

• 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 identification 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.
• 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 a master's degree in social work.
• Verification of the degree can be made by going to http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of Social Work.
• Must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level.
• Social workers must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure or certification starting from the date of their appointment.
• Failure to become licensed or certified within the prescribed amount of time will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment.
• Once licensed or certified, social workers must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment.
• Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment.
• Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• One year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level.
• Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills in a specialty area or in administration, demonstrating progressively more professional competency and judgment.
• Candidate may have certification or other post-master's degree training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship, or equivalent supervised professional experience.
• Individuals assigned as Supervisory Social Workers must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure.
• Ability to independently organize work, set priorities, and meet multiple deadlines.
• Knowledge of supervisory duties, which includes clinical supervision, consultation, negotiation with other departments, and quality improvement.
• Ability to ensure provision of clinical social work services.
• Ability to provide staff training and development.
• Skill in interpersonal relationships in dealing with employees, team leaders, and managers.

Nice To Haves

• 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).

Responsibilities

• Serves as the Administrative and Clinical Supervisor of a GS-12 Senior Social Worker and 2 GS-7/8/9 Peer Specialists.
• Provides direct mental health and substance abuse services for Veterans and family members or significant others in support of the Veteran's treatment.
• Develops an assessment of the Veteran in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the Veteran, family members, and significant others.
• Maintains treatment plans based on clinical assessment for each Veteran which are reviewed monthly with updates as needed.
• Acts as the subject matter expert on VA and/or community resources throughout the course of treatment.
• Identifies gaps in services and develops VA and community resources to meet the needs.
• Acts as an advocate when it serves the best interest of the Veteran/family.
• Is experienced in making rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans for admission to mental health inpatient programs and has access to multiple resource directories in addition to previously developed resources to meet the demands of a crisis.
• Must possess an appropriate, valid CA driver's license to operate sanctioned vehicles in the transportation of patients and/or equipment.
• Other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
• 37-50 days of annual paid time off per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year).
• Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.
• After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
• After 60 days of employment, full-time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66 .
• Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
• Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)

What This Job Offers

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