Social Worker - Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT)
Veterans Health Administration
Posted: March 27, 2026 (0 days ago)
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Veterans Health Administration
Department of Veterans Affairs
Location
Dallas, Texas
Salary
$149,381 - $194,197
per year
Type
Full-Time
More Social Services jobs →Closes
Base salary range: $74,441 - $96,770
Typical requirements: 1 year specialized experience at GS-11. Advanced degree + significant experience.
Note: Actual salary includes locality pay (15-40%+ depending on location).
This job involves working as a senior social worker in a recovery center for veterans, helping them rebuild their lives through counseling, support services, and rehabilitation programs focused on mental health and daily living skills.
It's ideal for an experienced social worker who enjoys team-based care in a government setting and wants to make a difference for those who've served in the military.
The role offers benefits like student loan repayment up to $200,000 for eligible candidates.
This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program.
You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment.
Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.
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 Requirement: You must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level which included an advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless they are grandfathered by the state in which they are licensed to practice at the advanced practice level (except for licenses issued in California, which administers its own clinical examination for advanced practice) and must be able to provide supervision for licensure.
English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C.
§ 7403(f) 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).
Grandfather Provision.
A Social Worker employed in VHA on the effective date of the qualification standard (9/10/2019) who did not meet all the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply: Employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level or changed to lower grade within the occupation but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
Employees in an occupation that requires a licensure/certification/ registration only at higher grade levels must meet the licensure/ certification/registration requirement before they can be promoted to those higher grade levels.
Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
Employees who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation.
Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.
Grade Determinations: Senior Social Worker, GS-12 Experience/Education.
The candidate must have at least two years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure and should be in a specialized area of social work practice of which, one year must be equivalent to the GS-11 grade level.
Senior social workers have experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment. Senior social workers are experts in their specialized area of practice.
Senior social workers may have certification or other post-masters training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship or equivalent supervised professional experience in a specialty.
Licensure/Certification.
Senior social workers must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level which included an advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless they are grandfathered by the state in which they are licensed to practice at the advanced practice level (except for licenses issued in California, which administers its own clinical examination for advanced practice) and they must be able to provide supervision for licensure.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.
In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations.
This includes individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial and/or case management.
(b) Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
(c) Knowledge in developing and implementing methods for measuring effectiveness of social work practice and services in the specialty area, utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services and to design system changes.
(d) Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients in the service delivery area, as well as role modeling effective social work practice skills.
(e) Ability to expand clinical knowledge in the social work profession, and to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area.
Preferred Experience: Case Management History of Working with Veterans living with serios mental illness Mental Health Crisis Intervention Assessments and evaluations Treatment Plans Supportive and Evidence-based psychotherapy Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12.
Physical Requirements: Light lifting & light carrying (under 15 pounds), straight pulling (1-2 hours), pushing (1-2 hours), reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, walking & standing (3 hours), repeated bending (1 hour), ability for rapid mental & muscular coordination simultaneously, near vision correctable to 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other, hearing (aid permitted, frequent keyboarding (4-7 hours), frequent sitting (4-7 hours) Major Duties:
Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties include but not limited to: The Senior Social Worker completes psychosocial assessments of the Veteran, obtains input from the interdisciplinary team, the Veteran and as available the Veteran's family, caregiver and/or significant other for collaboration of a service plan.
The incumbent completes the intake/brief psychosocial assessments to assess the needs of the Veteran, the willingness of the Veteran to participate in various services, and options for care coordination.
The incumbent independently conducts comprehensive assessments and develops treatment plans in collaboration with Veteran, family, and interdisciplinary treatment team.
The incumbent will monitor e-consults, complete assessments, and make recommendations to the PRRC treatment team.
The incumbent is responsible for the development of an appropriate treatment plan for Veterans written in behavioral terms with measurable objectives and concrete interventions, including goals for psychosocial clinical treatment.
The Incumbent will update the treatment plan in accordance with timelines identified by VA policy.
The incumbent coordinates screening of patients for specific domiciliary programs and provides ongoing treatment per domiciliary guidelines.
The incumbent provides direct clinical care to Veterans who receive services from the program and who are living with serious mental health illness and possibly dual diagnosis of substance use disorder.
The incumbent will be assigned a caseload of Veterans who are receiving services from the PRRC and take the role of Recovery Buddy to each of the Veterans, providing case management, develop treatment plans, as well as other activities to assist the Veterans with reintegration into the community.
The incumbent participates and manages group processes in the community for Veterans who are receiving services from PRRC, which are in an outing nature, and which teach the Veteran how to incorporate into community group engagements and activities.
The incumbent may have to transport Veterans into the community to meet this duty.
The incumbent develops and maintains effective partnerships with other VANTHCS and community mental health, substance abuse disorders and comorbid mental health program to obtain resources for Veteran health care needs.
The incumbent completes and keeps up to date all Clinical Reminders for Veterans receiving services from the incumbent.
Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): 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.
EDRP Authorized: This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program.
You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment.
Program approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application.
Former EDRP participants are ineligible to apply.
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 Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 55232-F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
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