Supervisory Social Worker - Health Care for Homeless Veterans

Veterans Health Administration • Tacoma, WA

6d • Onsite

About The Position

The Supervisory Social Worker oversees the integrity and delivery of social work services within the Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) program of Community Housing and Outreach Services (CHOS) in the VA Puget Sound coverage area. The role provides and coordinates clinical services for Veterans experiencing homelessness, including psychosocial assessments, treatment planning, progress documentation, discharge planning, psychoeducation, and consultation with health care providers. The position also supports suicide prevention through risk screening and evaluation, safety planning, follow-up, consultation, and use of current clinical resources.

The position provides clinical and administrative supervision, training, and development for a multidisciplinary team that may include social workers, peer support specialists, social service assistants, and administrative support staff. Administrative duties include hiring and HR actions, performance evaluations, time and attendance, workload management, and reviewing caseload acuity and balance. The supervisor ensures accurate data entry in HOMES and other directed databases, as well as electronic medical records. The role also coordinates outreach and service linkages with community partners and participates in case conferencing and community meetings.

The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The position is not virtual and telework is unavailable. It requires a valid state driver's license, a clean driving history under VA policy, and the ability to operate a government vehicle. Physical demands include moderate lifting and carrying of 15–44 pounds and pushing for up to six hours.

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.
• For the GS-12 grade, one year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 level demonstrating advanced practice skills in a specialty area or administration, with progressively greater professional competency and judgment.
• For the GS-12 grade, advanced-practice-level licensure or certification and ability to provide supervision for licensure.
• Ability to independently organize work, set priorities, and meet multiple deadlines.
• Knowledge of supervisory duties, including 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.
• Interpersonal skills in working with employees, team leaders, and managers.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated VA policy exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Valid state-issued driver's license with a clean driving history under VA policy, and ability to operate and drive a government vehicle as determined by an Occupational Health driving physical examination.
• Must pass a pre-employment physical examination and meet applicable background and security requirements.
• Must participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to the stated certification for continued employment.

Nice To Haves

• Certification or post-master's degree training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum or course of study and internship, or equivalent supervised professional experience.

Responsibilities

• Oversee program integrity and the provision of social work services within the HCHV program in the VA Puget Sound coverage area.
• Develop, implement, and document psychosocial assessments, treatment plans, progress notes and updates, and discharge planning; complete clinical reminders promptly.
• Provide psychoeducation to Veterans and family members about mental health conditions and treatment methods.
• Consult with health care providers about assessment findings and treatment plans to support coordinated, collaborative, integrated care.
• Conduct routine suicide risk screens and comprehensive suicide risk evaluations, and develop collaborative safety plans when clinically indicated.
• Follow up with Veterans who miss appointments according to local procedures and consult with the Suicide Prevention Coordinator, Disruptive Behavior Committee, and/or CHOS Program Manager as needed.
• Keep current with suicide prevention training materials and clinical tools and use them in clinical practice as appropriate.
• Provide consultation and supervision to social work trainees and unlicensed staff.
• Participate in clinical consultations with staff and treatment teams to support quality and continuity of care and Veteran progress toward program and treatment goals.
• Coordinate outreach with community partners, link Veterans experiencing street homelessness and at high suicide risk to VA services and local suicide prevention resources, and participate in case conferencing and other community meetings as needed.
• Maintain regular outreach and communication with community partners and serve as a link between community services and CHOS homeless services, including VA mental health services for Veterans at high risk for suicide.
• Train and supervise a multidisciplinary team, which may include social workers, peer support specialists, social service assistants, and administrative support staff.
• Provide administrative supervision, including hiring, HR actions, performance evaluations, time and attendance procedures, and staff workload management.
• Ensure accurate staff data collection in HOMES or other VA-directed databases and accurate electronic medical charting.
• Review caseloads regularly to ensure appropriate Veteran acuity assignments in HOMES and, where possible, balanced caseloads by acuity and number of Veterans.

Benefits

• Competitive salary with regular salary increases.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, comprising 13–26 days of annual leave, 13 days of 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 of a child.
• Eligible full-time employees with qualifying family income may receive a child care subsidy after 60 days of employment, up to 25% of eligible costs and subject to the stated monthly maximum.
• 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.
• Eligible employees may qualify for Education Debt Reduction Program loan-payment reimbursement, subject to individual eligibility, application, and program approval; award amounts may be up to $200,000.

What This Job Offers

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