Social Worker - Inpatient Medical

About the role

The VA Eastern Oklahoma Health Care System, Social Work, is currently recruiting for one (1) Social Worker in Muskogee, OK. This position will move to James Mountain Inhofe VA in Tulsa after opening.

Note: When applying, please be sure to update your resume to include the following next to each job position: Job title and Duties, Month & year, start/end dated (e.g. June 2020 to April 2021), Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week), and Series and Grade, if applicable.

What you will do

• Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Eastern Oklahoma VA Health Care System (EOVAHCS) is a Joint Commissioned accredited Level 1c complexity that consists of a 61-bed hospital located in Muskogee as well as six community-based outpatient clinics located in Tulsa, Bartlesville, Claremore, Vinita, McAlester and Idabel.
• In 2021, Congress approved federal funding for a new Veterans Hospital in Tulsa which will be the first hospital to be built under the Communities Helping Invest through Property and Improvements Needed for Veterans Act of 2016.
• Incumbent will be within the EOVAHCS.
• The incumbent will participate in the on-call rotation to provide after-hours emergency coverage for medical centers within the Eastern Oklahoma Catchment area.
• The incumbent will be responsible for responding to urgent clinical needs, coordinating with facility staff, and ensuring continuity of care during evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays as assigned.
• Major Duties and Responsibilities: Works with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, education, and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills.
• The incumbent will: Incorporate Veteran's socioeconomic status, cultural background, ethnicity, education background, and other diverse background needs into treatment plans.
• Assist team members and trainees in understanding the impact of biopsychosocial issues on Veteran's health and response to treatment Assesses the biopsychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and family members and formulates and implements a treatment plan identifying a Veteran's problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed.
• In doing such, the incumbent will: In consultation with their assigned clinical supervisor, conduct biopsychosocial assessments, Advance Directive education and completion, goals of care conversations, treatment, follow-up, resource assistance, and referrals.
• Document assessments, treatment, and conversations with Veterans and/or caregivers in the medical record in a timely manner.
• Implements treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups to achieve treatment goals.
• This requires judgement and skill in utilizing supportive, problem solving, or crisis intervention techniques.
• The incumbent will: Identify problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed.
• Utilize information gathered during assessment to identify appropriate treatment modalities for Veterans, in consultation with their assigned clinical supervisor.
• Monitor and evaluate ongoing treatment; changing modalities, plans, and goals as indicated with supervision from their assigned clinical supervisor Establishes and maintains effective working relationships and communicates with Veterans, staff, and representatives of community agencies.
• The incumbent will: In consultation with their assigned clinical supervisor, collaborate with treatment team to identify Veteran's needs and strengths to assist with coordination of care.
• Provide treatment recommendations to Veterans and/or caregivers and the treatment team as needed, under supervisor of their assigned clinical supervisor Other duties as assigned, which may include: Coverage for unavailable social work team members Committees as assigned Additional tasks, as assigned Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Compressed/Flexible: May be available according to agency policy.
• Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not available Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not available Pay: 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).
• Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Parental Leave: 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.
• Child Care Subsidy: 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.
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Situational Ad-hoc basis Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
• Functional Statement #: 52678-A, 52679-A Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

Requirements

• You 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.
• 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.
• In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
• Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Education

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: ***

If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: ***

How you will be evaluated

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC.

WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social).

Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

Documents you must provide

• Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV) Transcript Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV) document field.
• Your resume/CV must include the following information for each job listed: A determination may not be made if your resume does not include the following: Job title and Duties Month & year, start/end dated (e.g. June 2020 to April 2021) Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week) Series and Grade, if applicable The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position.
• Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc. Cover Letter DD-214/ Statement of Service Disability Letter (VA) License Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV) Professional Certification Separation Notice (RIF) SF-15 SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Transcript

What to expect next

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met.

After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.

You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center. NOTE: Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a condition of employment and a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service.

HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities.

HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities.

HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience.

This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions.

Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.