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Posted: January 22, 2026 (1 day ago)

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Social Worker- Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT)

Veterans Health Administration

Department of Veterans Affairs

Fresh

Salary

$88,163 - $114,606

per year

Closes

January 28, 2026

GS-1 Pay Grade

Base salary range: $21,996 - $27,534

Typical requirements: No experience required. High school diploma or equivalent.

Note: Actual salary includes locality pay (15-40%+ depending on location).

Job Description

Summary

This job involves working as a social worker in a primary care team at a VA medical center, helping veterans manage their health through ongoing support, prevention, and coordination of care for chronic conditions.

The role focuses on assessing psychosocial needs, connecting patients to community resources, and providing counseling to individuals, families, and groups.

It's a good fit for licensed social workers with experience in healthcare settings who are passionate about supporting veterans and have strong skills in assessments and treatment planning.

Key Requirements

  • Master's degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited school
  • Current state licensure or certification for independent social work practice at the master's level
  • At least one year of post-MSW experience in healthcare or social work settings equivalent to GS-9 level
  • Proficiency in spoken and written English
  • United States citizenship (non-citizens only if no qualified citizens available)
  • Knowledge of community resources and ability to coordinate referrals
  • Skills in conducting psychosocial assessments, treatment interventions, and implementing modalities for diverse populations

Full Job Description

The Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) Social Worker is assigned to Primary Care at the VA Medical Center in Fayetteville, NC.

The PACT Social Worker serves in a comprehensive team which delivers primary care to Veteran patients in a longitudinal rather than episodic fashion; focusing on prevention; health promotion, coordination and chronic disease management.

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. English Language Proficiency.

Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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/.

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: Social Worker, GS-11 (1) 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, (VA or non-VA experience) and licensure or certification in a state at the independent practice level.

NOTE: For appointment licensure or certification at this level please refer to paragraph 3c. (2) Education.

In addition to meeting basic requirements, a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required one year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting.

(3) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services.

(b) Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, educational, and other backgrounds.

(c) Knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities and treatment procedures (i.e.

acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology) to formulate a treatment plan.

(d) Skill in independently implementing different treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, 8 medical, and social problems to achieve treatment goals.

(e) Ability to provide consultation services to new social workers, social work graduate students, and other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment.

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-11.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services. Major Duties:

VA Careers - Social Work: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU VA Careers - Licensed Clinical Social Worker: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/U_xC25QsN0w Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Provides a high level of skill in assessing and treating the complicated psychosocial problems of Veterans and their families/significant others Completes thorough assessments to determine the underlying causes of the presenting problem, the interpersonal and environmental factors impacting the problem, and its affect on the patient's ability and desire to comply with the treatment recommendations by the multidisciplinary team Helps the patient and family to understand the contributing factors to the problem(s), will discuss with them the pros and cons of possible short-term and long-term solutions, encouraging them to make positive and lasting changes to reduce stressors Coordinates with VA staff and community agencies to assist in problem solving as needed Works with members of the outpatient interdisciplinary team is provided in order to coordinate a collaborative effort to meet the agreed upon goals for a Veteran's treatment needs and include liaison with community professionals regarding needed services for Veterans and/or their families Utilizes a high level of skill and expertise to establish and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans in the Primary Care Clinic and/or their families Independently works with Veterans and their families who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral, financial, legal, and psychosocial problems Completes thorough psychosocial assessments to determine the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and/or their families Facilitates actions for community placements through collaboration with Veterans and their families as well as interdisciplinary treatment team members to ensure that appropriate community placements are completed in a timely manner Implements treatment modalities, provides educational classes, and/or supportive groups for Veterans and families, including shared medical appointments Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm 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)

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Posted on USAJOBS: 1/22/2026 | Added to FreshGovJobs: 1/23/2026

Source: USAJOBS | ID: CBTA-12865805-26-KB