Social Worker Associate

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/23/2021. 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-8 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. For a GS-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5 level. For a GS-5 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-4 level. 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. 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 and/or education as described below: Education: Basic Requirement (GS-5) You must possess a Bachelor's degree from an accredited university in major fields of study such as: social welfare, sociology, psychology, public administration, philosophy, education, anthropology, history, economics, and/or English. GS-7 (Must also possess the Bachelor's degree) Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade, GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: one (1) year of experience as a social welfare worker or social work assistant in a voluntary, public, social or health agency.
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Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have one (1) full academic year of graduate study with a major in social sciences.
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Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet the total qualification requirements by first determining total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level, then determining the education as a percentage of education required for the grade level and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal 100 percent to qualify for that grade level. GS-8 (Must also possess the Bachelor's Degree) Specialized experience: Two (2) years of experience as a social welfare worker or social work assistant in a voluntary, public, social or health agency which must have included one (1) year in a medical setting. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Knowledge of housing rules, regulations, policies, and available programs, such as Section 8 and various voucher programs Knowledge of local and national VA structures including knowledge and understanding of the policies, missions, and operations of Veterans Healthcare Administration (VHA) Homeless Program. Knowledge and understanding of the services and benefits available to homeless Veterans. Knowledge of interpersonal and administrative aspects of the HUD-VASH program including the contributions of other professional health care disciplines as it relates to appropriate housing needs. Knowledge and mastery of interpersonal relationship practices to serve as an advocate for homeless Veterans with the Health Care for Homeless Veterans staff, Public Housing Authorities, and community and private agencies. Knowledge of computer use, including word processing, spreadsheets, databases. Ability to interact professionally and effectively with a wide range of people in varying backgrounds, professional levels, and education levels. 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. Note: 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.