Supervisory Social Worker - Inpatient Psychiatric Unit

Summary

This position is located in the Mental Health Service at the George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center. With in the position you will coordinate and implement inpatient psychiatric unit (IPU) programming, supporting the IPU's mission to provide acute stabilization for Veterans with complex mental health and substance use needs. IPU is a 30-bed, acute inpatient psychiatric treatment facility for Veterans with a wide variety of co-occurring mental health disorders.

Duties

VA Careers - Licensed Clinical Social Worker: https://youtube.com/embed/U_xC25QsN0w Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Ensure efficient daily operation of the IPU, including professional management and complex administrative responsibilities. Ensure that treatment programming, staff development, and the environment of care consistently meet or exceed accreditation standards required by the Joint Commission, Office of Inspector General (OIG), and other internal or external governing/accrediting bodies. Develop, manage, implement, and evaluate IPU operations, maintaining accountability for program effectiveness and modifying service patterns as needed to best serve Veterans. Collaborate with the Mental Health Environment of Care (MHEOC) team and IPU nursing leadership to maintain a healthy environment of care; engage facility services (Bioengineering, Information Technology, Patient Safety, Environmental Services, etc.) to correct deficiencies impacting patient and staff safety. Ensure staff and Veterans are regularly trained and fully up-to-date on safety protocols and medical centerrequired trainings. Develop, maintain, and implement policies and procedures that support program goals, comply with VHA policy, and meet external accreditation requirements. Hold direct supervisory responsibility and professional accountability for an interdisciplinary team, including psychiatrists, physician assistants, psychologists, nurse practitioners, social workers, and other professional and non-professional healthcare staff. Delegate and coordinate assignments and program resources, providing programmatic direction to multiple disciplines within the IPU. Collaborate with Human Resources and facility leadership on clinical staff hiring, performance evaluation, and disciplinary actions. Provide biopsychosocial evaluation, assessment, and periodic reassessment of Veterans to determine psychological, social, and vocational needs and recommend appropriate treatment and services, as needed. Analyzes organizational and operational problems, develops and implements solutions that result in efficient operations, and use data effectively to manage workload, quality, performance, and productivity within the service. Collaborate with various discipline leads to ensure that multi-disciplinary staff have appropriate supervision and practice oversight including Professional Practice Evaluations. Provides staff training and development. Delegates authority, manages priorities, coordinates work, and follows up on pending issues to complete duties in an accurate and timely fashion. Analyzes organizational and operational problems, develops and implements solutions that result in efficient operations, and use data effectively to manage workload, quality, performance, and productivity within the service. Conducts psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to Veterans from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds. Incorporates complex multiple causation in differential diagnoses and treatment within approved clinical privileges. Develops treatment plan as appropriate. knowledge in developing and implementing methods for measuring effectiveness of social work practice and service in the inpatient psychiatric unit, utilizes outcome evaluations to improve treatment services, and to design system changes. Work Schedule: M-F 8:am-4:30pm. Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized. 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) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. 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: : Ad-Hoc- Maybe available based on services needs. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 615720. 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 (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. 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/.

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 11/19/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13111280. 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: Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV) 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) Other (1) Professional Certification 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.