Summary The Eastern Oklahoma Veterans Affairs is hiring for one Social Worker (Assistant Chief) located at Muskogee, OK or Tulsa, OK. Responsibilities VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz\_ua\_UU List the major duties and responsibilities of the position. Incumbent is responsible for making decisions regarding work problems presented by subordinate social work supervisors and coordinators. Incumbent collaborates with others in negotiating, deciding upon, and/or coordinating social work-related changes affecting other programs. The Assistant Chief advises Care Line Managers/Chiefs on problems involving the relationship of social work activities to the various units and programs. Makes selections for supervisory and non-supervisory positions, hear group grievances and serious employee complaints, review serious disciplinary cases (i.e., those proposing suspensions and removals), and disciplinary problems involving key employees. The individual consults with specialists regarding training needs and decide types of training problems related to the identified problems of the supervised wards/units. Develops procedures for and ensures the implementation and achievement of the provision of social work services to medical facility patients on inpatient and outpatient programs. Provides, or ensures that professional staff provides advice, assistance, and consultation to community health and welfare agencies and councils and other community groups to enhance the provision of social services to veteran patients in the community. Develops and monitors standards of clinical practice/standards of care for Social Work, including development of care guidelines, manuals, and guides to professional practice. Develops consistent standard operating procedures required to accomplish clinical care interventions and ensures that they are followed. Incumbent is responsible for developing patient education materials for Social Work. Makes recommendations for recruitment of staff and ensures responsibilities for orientation and continuing education of staff. Evaluates and consults on the social work role in various programs. Manages and directs social work activities in the Care Lines including interventions to resolve administrative problems and participates in program evaluations. Briefs management orally and in writing on a regular basis concerning matters related to Social Work Service, in order to provide information required to make effective decisions for program planning. Takes appropriate action, when indicated, and ensures that copies of professional Social Work Service meeting (recordings) minutes are made available for social workers. The incumbent assists in the development of measurable social work treatment protocols and practice models in order to facilitate the use of statistical processes and analysis tools. Incumbent serves the Medical Center at large in a variety of capacities, such as committee assignments, investigations, personnel matters, and special projects. Incumbent maintains academic affiliations for social work practice, which may include arranging and coordinating Social Work Field Practice placements at the Medical Center. Work Schedule: 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases 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 Functional Statement #: 57006-O Requirements Conditions of Employment 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. This position will be required to drive a government vehicle. You may be required to serve a trial period. 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 dentification 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). Qualifications Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Education. 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 the 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. Licensure. Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-0185 series in VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. Current state requirements may be found by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Grade Determinations: Social Worker (Assistant Chief), GS-13. Experience and Education. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills in administration, demonstrating progressively more professional competency skills and judgment. Individual 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. Licensure/Certification. The assistant service chief must evidence possession of supervisory and management skills, must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of administrative and supervisory duties which includes personnel actions, clinical supervision, consultation, negotiation with other departments, and quality improvement. (b) Knowledge of legal, ethical, and professional standards applicable to social work practice. (c) Ability to develop, maintain, and oversee social work programs in all settings. (d) Knowledge of social work practice, policy, and accreditation standards across the continuum of health care. (e) Skill in providing consultation to facility leadership, managers, and other staff on social work qualification standards, practice, competency, productivity, and continuing education requirements. Preferred Experience: Supervisory experience with Medical Social Work and Geriatrics and Extended Care programs (Inpatient Medical, Renal Care, Community Living Center, Community Nursing Home, Medical Foster Home, Community Residential Care, State Veterans Home, Personal Care Services, etc) References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39 The full performance level of this vacancy is 11.The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-13. Physical Requirements: Must be in overall good health, able to sit at a desk working at a computer, engage in light to moderate physical activity including sitting, walking, bending, and carrying supplies such as papers, books, or small parts. The incumbent must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands, exercise patience, and control emotions, with reasonable accommodation if necessary, without endangering the health and safety of the applicant or others. This position also requires close visual acuity (near vision correctable at 13" to 16") to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading; and repetitive motions of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers. Use of fingers, both hands required, ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, hearing (aid permitted), and clear distinctive speech are all required. 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/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or 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.