Job Details

Social Worker - Contract Nursing Home

The Fargo VA Health Care System is recruiting for 1 full-time Social Worker assigned to the Community Nursing Home Program under the Geriatrics and Extended Care Service Line.

This position is assigned to the Rehab and Extended Care ICC Service Line. The incumbent is a clinical social worker with high quality case management, clinical treatment, advocacy, and coordination with appropriate VA and community service providers / agencies as needed by the client. This is accomplished in collaboration with the contract nursing home program. As a social worker, the incumbent demonstrates innovation, creativity, expertise and skill in an expeditious and efficient manner. The incumbent has clinical involvement in patient care by providing clinical case consultation to patient/family/community inquiries about services or patient care issues provided by the VA. Clinical social work services may be delivered in person or by electronic media, such as phone, or home tele-health. The incumbent will operate a government vehicle and is required to have and maintain a valid state driver's license. The incumbent provides on-going monitoring of Veterans living in a community contracted nursing facility under VA purchased care. This is accomplished in collaboration with the contract nursing home program coordinator, nurse and community nursing home. The incumbent will provide on-site contract nursing home resident assessments to veterans residing in a contracted facility. The incumbent will provide coverage as needed to other social work services which includes: Veteran Directed Care, Hospice and Palliative Care, Spinal Cord Injury, Home Based Primary Care and the Community Living Center. Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Provides assessment, treatment, and planning for a complex population of patients which reflect the age-specific, psychosocial, and functional needs of the patient (e.g., spinal cord, geriatric and mental health population).
• Identifies the most appropriate resources for services, coordinates the provision of medical and psychosocial services, provides ongoing Veteran and family support, educates Veterans and families regarding services and benefits available to them, and integrates services and benefits for the Veteran and family in order to ensure seamless transition between inpatient, outpatient, home and community settings.
• Utilizes Professional and clinical expertise when completing quality and oversight tasks (e.g. on-site resident assessments, annual contract nursing home assessments, record reviews, etc.) to ensure the safety and quality of care being provided to Veterans under VA purchased nursing home care. Completes contract nursing home resident assessments to ensure quality of care and safety for Veteran residents. This includes ensuring that the clinical, functional, and psychosocial needs of Veterans under an VA purchased care are assessed and appropriate interventions are instituted to meet identified needs.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30 .am.-8:00 p.m. or 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized 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) 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: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

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.
• 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 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).
• 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

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.
• 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.
  • Exception: VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations. This exception only applies at the GS-9 grade level. For the GS-11 grade level and above, the candidate must be licensed or certified.
• English Language Proficiency: Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j, this part.

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Grade Determinations:

GS-9 Experience, Education, and Licensure: None beyond the basic requirements. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

• Ability to utilize a Veteran centric approach when providing interventions and counseling for Veterans, their family members, caregivers, and survivors.
• Ability to assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, and to formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the Veterans problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed.
• Ability to implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups to achieve treatment goals. This requires judgment and skill in utilizing supportive, problem solving, or crisis intervention techniques.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies.
• Fundamental knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures. This includes acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses/injuries; common medications and their effects/side effects; and medical terminology.

GS-11 Experience and Licensure: Appointment to the GS-11 grade level requires completion of a minimum of one year of post-MSW experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the field of health care or other social work-related settings, (