Social Worker - Inpatient Mental Health Social Work Case Manager

Summary

The Inpatient Mental Health Program is seeking a highly skilled GS-11 Inpatient Mental Health Social Work Case Manager to provide advanced psychosocial assessment, treatment, and care management services to Veterans receiving inpatient psychiatric care. As a full-performance social worker, the incumbent independently delivers clinical interventions, facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration, and ensures continuity of care from admission through discharge.

Duties

VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU The GS-11 Social Work Case Manager supports Veterans experiencing complex mental, emotional, behavioral, physical, and psychosocial challenges. The incumbent provides counseling, crisis intervention, discharge planning, resource navigation, and advocacy to help Veterans maximize treatment outcomes and successfully transition across levels of care. The social worker also provides guidance to students and staff, participates in research or program evaluation, and may cover suicide prevention functions when needed. Duties include but are not limited to: Clinical Duties: Independently assess and treat complex psychosocial problems impacting Veterans receiving inpatient mental health care. Provide individual and group treatment to support stabilization, recovery, and safe discharge from inpatient psychiatric care. Use the social work process-including psychosocial assessment, diagnosis, and treatment to develop recovery-oriented care management plans in collaboration with the interdisciplinary team. Evaluate the need for mental health services and make appropriate referrals for individual, group, marital, and family treatment. Demonstrate sensitivity to cultural, ethnic, and age-specific needs and appropriately adjust intervention plans. Fully participate in developing, planning, implementing, and evaluating interdisciplinary treatment plans. Coordinate care with the interdisciplinary team to ensure continuity for Veterans and family members. Perform rapid assessments and develop treatment plans during crises; respond to emergencies per facility policies. Provide supportive counseling for grief, disability, terminal illness, and other adjustment challenges. Educate and consult with medical staff regarding social work case management, VA policy, and clinical best practices. Document all interventions in CPRS and ensure accurate hand-off communication; competently utilize Mental Health Suite. Assist in safety planning, involuntary holds, and guardianship procedures in accordance with legal and regulatory standards. Complete referrals to VA and community programs, including nursing homes and residential treatment facilities, aligned with treatment team recommendations. Develop and utilize VA and non-VA community resources to support Veterans and families. Advocate for Veterans and families to ensure access to needed services within VA and the community. Assist Veterans and families with advance directives, guardianships, and applications for health care, home care, and extended care services. Travel as required to provide care management services, functioning independently when off-site. Provide weekend clinical coverage to ensure continuity of services. Provide facility-level coverage of suicide prevention activities when the Suicide Prevention Coordinator is unavailable. Assist with orientation of new or covering social workers, demonstrating leadership within the program. Participate in research and program evaluation activities as appropriate. Administrative Duties Support VA, VHA, VISN, and facility missions, policies, and procedures. Serve on committees, work groups, and task forces at the facility, VISN, or national level. Keep supervisor informed of challenges and recommend solutions related to assigned responsibilities. Maintain professional growth through appropriate education and adhere to the NASW Code of Ethics. Maintain productivity and quality consistent with facility and Social Work Service standards. Participate in interdisciplinary team meetings, facility meetings, and Social Work Service meetings, sharing knowledge gained through experience and education. Comply with EEO, security, and safety policies, as well as all policies related to social work practice. Work Schedule: 8:00 AM to 4:30 pm including weekend Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorize

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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). 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 evaluation. 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.

Qualifications and evaluation

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.

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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

How to apply

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 08/31/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13041693. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

Required documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes: Resume Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field. Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field. 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 Other (1) Professional Certification Resume SF-15 SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Transcript

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.