Social Worker
Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration · Buffalo, New York · Posted Jun 28, 2026
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Summary This Behavioral Health Social Worker is assigned to the Emergency Department (ED) with responsibility to provide direct services for Veterans and their families who present for care. The primary mission of the position is to provide mental health and lethality assessments and intervention. Responsibilities VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Total Rewards of an Allied Health Professional Duties include but are not limited to the following: Conduct mental health evaluations and psychosocial assessments to determine needs of Veterans and family members. Functions as the ED provider for patients who present to the ED with behavioral health concerns, providing crisis intervention, provisional diagnosis, treatment and disposition recommendations. Work may involve consultation with the on-call psychiatrist. Participates in discharge planning with other disciplines and is responsible for ensuring that discharge plans are executed in a manner that is timely and appropriate. Possesses knowledge of residential placement options including nursing homes, and referral processes for alternative placement in the VA and community. Provides individual, family and group counseling as appropriate. Makes referrals to a variety of appropriate programs such as Health Buddy, MHICM, Home Health Services, and Psychosocial Rehab and Recovery Program, and facilitates consults and appointments for aftercare. Provides case management to Veterans and families, as needed, throughout the continuum of care. Addresses Advance Directives and Organ Donation in accordance with the standards of their work area. As appropriate, supervises the practice of social work interns, or a less experienced social worker. Maintains data and statistical compilations to comply with Joint Commission, VA and medical center policy and procedures. Assists patients and their significant others with coping and dealing with loss and grief experiences in disability, terminal illness and death. Participates in a rotation of on-call social workers, including modification of tour of duty to accommodate patient care needs on weekends. Assures timely and accurate documentation, using appropriate notes and templates as defined within the facility ED, Suicide Prevention Program and behavioral health. Provides cross coverage for suicide prevention case managers and inpatient psychiatry social workers. Perform other assigned duties. Work Schedule: Monday - Thursday; 7:00am to 5:30pm OR 1:30pm to 12:00am Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized 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) Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 21M59-A Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification 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 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 con…