Social Worker Associate

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Houston, TX
2 days ago

$64,446–$83,777 Per Year

Highlights

Area of consideration - Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order 1st Area of Consideration - current permanent Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center employees including satellites 2nd Area of Consideration - current permanent Veterans Healthcare Administration employees and 3rd Area of Consideration - current permanent VA Nationwide employees. Work schedule Full-time Travel Required Not required Appointment type Permanent Occupations and job series 0187 Social Services Supervisory status No Federal service type This job is in the Competitive Service Represented by a union No Drug test No Security clearance Not Required Position sensitivity and risk Non-sensitive NS Low Risk.

Numbers & Facts

Location	Houston, TX
Salary	$64,446–$83,777 Per Year

Description

USAJOBS - Job Announcement

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Social Worker Associate

Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center

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Summary

This job is open to

Duties

Requirements

How you will be evaluated

Required documents

How to apply

Summary The Social Worker Associate assists in the administrative and clinical operations of Social Work Services. Serves as the initial point of contact for veterans and determines their initial needs for VA services.

Learn more about this agency

Overview Help Accepting applications Location 1 vacancy in the following location

Houston TX 1 vacancy

No matching locations found.

Work site options Telework eligible No Remote job No Relocation expenses reimbursed No

Salary 64446 - 83777 per year

Pay scale & grade GS 8 Promotion potential None

Learn more about pay scale and grade

Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.

Work schedule Full-time Travel Required Not required Appointment type Permanent Occupations and job series 0187 Social Services Supervisory status No Federal service type This job is in the Competitive Service Represented by a union No Drug test No Security clearance Not Required Position sensitivity and risk Non-sensitive NS Low Risk

Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.

Background check type Credentialing Suitability Fitness Financial disclosure required No

Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.

Announcement number CBST-13094961-27-JP Control number 890125200

This job is open to Help Internal to an agency Current federal employees of the hiring agency that posted the job announcement.

Career transition CTAP ICTAP RPL Federal employees whose job agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.

Clarification from the agency This vacancy is open to current permanent Veterans Affairs Employees and CTAP eligibles. Videos

Duties Help Works with the program leadership in coordinating the outreach events with the military and other providers and takes the primary role in the logistical support by the program.

Maintains a community focus requiring close alliance with all community agencies and resources related to the veteran population served. This responsibility includes complete and up-to-date knowledge of community supports identification of gaps in community services participation in the development of community needs and acting as an agency representative with other health care agencies when appropriate.

Ensures the veteran is enrolled in VA health and is scheduled for an intake assessment.

Completes an initial assessment to determine the veterans immediate and long-term needs.

Works with the veteran and the program staff on planning to assist the veteran with meeting hisher identified needs. Identifies case management needs.

In coordination with the Social Work and Nurse Case Managers identifies those veterans who can benefit from case management services. Receives all external and internal consults for TCM case management

Engages in active internal and external staff and provider education. The Social Work Associate presents briefs on benefits and adjustment to family members at military family reunion briefs and community events TCM program information and VA health care presentations at community health organizations universities and other veterans outreach events.

Work Schedule Monday- Friday 800am- 430pm subject to change based on agency needs

Virtual This is not a virtual position.

Position Description PD Social Worker Associate PD04029A

Relocation Recruitment Incentives Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive CSI Not Approved Permanent Change of Station PCS Not Authorized

Requirements Help Conditions of employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12311959

Physical Requirements Physical demands include long periods of sitting standing and bending as well as carrying medical records and files. DHCP CPRS and Share Point systems involved in 60 of the positions daily routine. The work will require travel to VCTS Program outreach sites.

Subject to backgroundsecurity investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable forms of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements httpswww.uscis.govi-9-centralform-i-9-acceptable-documents. Effective May 7 2025 drivers 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 As a condition of employment for accepting this position you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period 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 probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification in writing that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications To qualify for this position applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement 11022026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-08 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. The grade may have been in any occupation but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade as required by the announcement. In this instance you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 VEOA appointment.

You may qualify based on your experience andor education as described below

Education Requirement Bachelors degree from an accredited college or university in major fields of study such as social work social welfare sociology psychology public administration philosophy education anthropology history economics andor English

In addition to meeting the Education Requirement above applicants must have the specialized experience below

Specialized Experience You must have two 2 years of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to Identifying Veteranspatients nonmedical needs including housing instability or homelessness food insecurity transportation finances education employment and caregiver support. Connecting Veteranspatients with appropriate programs community agencies housing resources food assistance transportation education employment services and other benefits. Coordinating referrals with social workers monitoring referrals and following up with Veteranspatients to confirm that services were received. Interviewing Veteranspatients and families gathering relevant information explaining available resources and providing supportive assistance in person or by telephone. Maintaining accurate timely documentation of psychosocial needs referrals contacts follow-up activities and outcomes in accordance with VA policies and privacy requirements.

For more information on these qualification standards please visit the United States Office of Personnel Managements website at httpswww.opm.govpolicy-data-oversightclassification-qualificationsgeneral-schedule-qualification-standards.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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 httpope.ed.govaccreditation. 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 httpssites.ed.govinternationalrecognition-of-foreign-qualifications.

Additional information Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicants criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process visit Human Resources and AdministrationOperations Security and Preparedness HRAOSP at The Fair Chance Act.

Reasonable Accommodation RA Requests If you believe you have a disability i.e. physical or mental covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position after notification of the adjudication of your request you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

The Career Transition Assistance Plan CTAP provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation a copy of the agency notice your most recent performance rating and your most recent SF-50 noting current position grade level and duty location and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about CTAP eligibility is on OPMs Career Transition Resources website at httpwww.opm.govpolicy-data-oversightworkforce-restructuringemployee-guide-to-career-transition.

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government passionate about the ideals of our American republic and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits Help

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new window Learn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How you will be evaluated You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials e.g. resume supporting documents your responses on the application questionnaire and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position Attention to Detail Customer Service Flexibility Integrity Honesty Interpersonal Skills Reading Comprehension Teamwork

Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title duties month and year startend dates AND hours worked per week. A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications andor experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

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.

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.

Placement Policy The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment change to lower grade transfer appointment or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

Benefits Help

Required documents Required Documents Help

To apply for this position you must provide a complete Application Package which includes Resume SF-50 Notification of Personnel Action Transcript

Resume Requirement Your resume must include the following information Job title description of duties beginning and ending date monthyear of employment and average hours worked per week.

The following documents are accepted and may be required if applicable to your eligibility andor qualifications for this position. Please make sure you have included other documents required for your application such as a copy of your transcript if using education to qualify SF-50s currentformer Federal employees documentation to support Veterans Preference claims or ICTAPCTAP documentation for displaced Federal employees. You will not be contacted for additional information. Cover Letter DD-214 Statement of Service Disability Letter VA Other 1 Resume Separation Notice RIF SF-15 SF-50 Notification of Personnel Action Transcript SF-50 Notification of Personnel Action if applicable for Time in Grade andor Eligibility Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee

An SF-50 showing your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade as required by the announcement. In this instance you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade

Award 50s do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.

Examples of appropriate SF-50s include Within grade increases at the highest grade held or Promotions with an effective date more than one year old or SF-50s at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.

Veterans Preference When applying for Federal Jobs eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt TP 10pt CPCPSXP or for Sole Survivor Preference SSP in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214s which shows dates and character of service honorable general etc.. If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service character of service honorable general etc. and dates of impending separation. Additionally disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans must also submit an SF-15 Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans Preference please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans Preference.

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.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

NOTE Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a condition of employment and a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel HCP. It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who during the influenza season work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include but are not limited to VA hospitals and associated clinics community living centers CLCs community-based outpatient clinics CBOCs domiciliary units Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed clinical and administrative remote and onsite paid and without compensation full- and part-time employees intermittent employees fee basis employees VA contractors researchers volunteers and health professions trainees HPTs who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents interns fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore provide only the attendance andor degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply Help Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position you must complete the initial online application to include the initial online questionnaire and submission of the required documentation specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 1159 PM ET on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. To preview the application questionnaire click httpsapply.usastaffing.govViewQuestionnaire13094961. The application process is as follows

To begin click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume andor other supporting documents.

Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.

Click the Submit Application button prior to 1159 PM ET on the announcement closing date 11022026.

If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally in USAJOBS you can click Track this application to return to your assessment completion notice.

Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials.

Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.

Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments however most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later you can re-use your unique assessment link. NOTE Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year in most cases from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments your responses will be automatically reused.

Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at httpssupport-usahire.opm.govhcen-us.

To update your application including supporting documentation During the announcement open period return to your USAJOBS account find your application record and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To view the announcement status or your application status httpshelp.usajobs.govhow-to. Your application status page is where you can view your application status USA Hire assessment completion status and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.

Beginning September 27 2025 Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge skills abilities and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed.

Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement.

Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF JPG JPEG PNG RTF TXT PDF ODT or Word DOC or DOCX. We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato if available. Other widely available options are Calibri Helvetica Arial Verdana Open San Source Sans Pro Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started.

Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume Prioritize most relevant and recent experience Use concise results focused language Align language from the job announcement Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies Remove outdated or unrelated experience Use the USAJOBS resume builder

Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at httpshelp.usajobs.govfaqapplicationdocumentsresumepage-limit

Agency contact information Jere Parks Phone 478-484-5185 Email Jere.Parksva.gov Address Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center 2002 Holcombe Boulevard Houston TX 77030 US

Next steps Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages including all required assessments and documents and the vacancy announcement closes we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete a referral certificates is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.

If you are referred for consideration you may be asked to submit additional job related information which may include but not limited to responses to the knowledge skills and abilities completion of a work sample andor contact for an interview. Your resume andor supporting documentation will be verified. If initial application submission is updated and resubmitted with a new resume only the most current resume will be reviewed for consideration. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

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 candidates abilities and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

Fair and transparent The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

Criminal history inquiries Equal Employment Opportunity EEO Policy Financial suitability New employee probationary period Privacy Act Reasonable accommodation policy Selective Service Signature and false statements Social security number request

Required Documents Help