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VHA Social Work

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Social Work Month

March is Social Work Month

VA celebrates Social Work Month, encouraging support of the profession, uplifting social workers, and celebrating their contributions.

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ACP-GV

Engages Veterans and caregivers in a discussion to elicit personal experiences and encourage planning for future health care needs.

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Intimate Partner Violence

IPV can be prevented – contact your VA IPV Coordinator or call 1-800-799-SAFE!

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VA Social Work

The mission of VA social work is to assist Veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors in resolving Social Drivers of Health (SDOH) challenges to health and well-being. Social work is woven into the fabric of VA health care, providing clinical interventions and services across the VA continuum of care.

Social workers are available to assist you in a variety of settings to include the primary care clinic, during hospitalization, at Emergency Department visits, in mental health and rehabilitation units and upon enrollment in specialty medical programs.

What We Do

Social Work Career

VA Traineeships

picture of social workersWhat We Do

How Social Workers Help Veterans

VHA social workers provide a variety of clinical programming including but not limited to: resource navigation, crisis intervention, advocacy, case management, benefit assistance, mental health related interventions, treatment for substance use dependence and support around housing instability and homelessness. If the Veteran has questions or problems, the social worker will be able to help or can refer the Veteran to the right resource to assist.

Find out what social workers do.

picture of Social WorkersSocial Work Career

Consider VA For Your Social Work Career!

Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,284 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,113 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics). VHA is the largest employer of Master’s level social workers in the United States.

Reasons to consider VHA for Your Social Work Career; innovative programs, training, mobility, salary, benefits and opportunity. There are many positions available to professional social workers interested in serving Veterans and military families.

Learn more about VA social work career opportunities.

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Social Worker Internship Program

Many universities and colleges with social work programs have affiliation agreements for students to complete field placements at VA facilities.

The Social Work Internship program has a focus on the generalist scope of clinical practice that social work offers to the client population of Veterans and their families. The VA provides students with a unique opportunity to explore and learn about many areas of social work in one agency setting.

Discover social work intership opportunites

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History of VA Social Work

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is the largest employer of master’s level social workers in the United States. Social Workers have been employed in the VA since 1926. Veterans Bureau General Order 351 dated June 16, 1926, established the VA Social Work Service in VA Central Office outlining its organization and functions. Ms. Francis Foster, a neuro-psychiatric social worker from Cincinnati, was hired to begin setting up the National Social Work program and to assist in the transition of social work staff from the Red Cross to VA. The first-year staffing consisted of fourteen social workers who were placed in psychiatric hospitals and twenty-two placed in regional offices throughout the country. From this modest beginning, social work has evolved into a health care profession embedded in all patient care areas across the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), helping Veterans, service Members, their families and caregivers and survivors to achieve their highest level of personal wellness.

buton VHA Post Sedation Anesthesia Care and Discharge Toolkit

This toolkit was developed to support Veterans who receive outpatient or ambulatory procedures using sedation and/or anesthesia; and have no social supports or transportation to facilitate their recovery and transition from a VA medical facility to their desired destination post care. The toolkit serves as a resource for VA medical facility leaders to develop outpatient procedures involving sedation and/or anesthesia for Veteran with no social support or transportation resources.

- Post Sedation Anesthesia Care and Discharge Toolkit Discharge Dispositions Following Sedation or Anesthesia xls button

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Read more about VA Social Work in VA News - https://news.va.gov/?s=social+workers

Need Help?

There is a Social Work leader in every VA health care system to help you get the care you need. The Social Work leader will connect you to the VA employee who can assist. Directory of Social Work Leaders.

* Disclaimer: Link will take you outside of the Dept of Veterans Affairs (VA) Website. VA does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of the linked websites. The link will open in a new window for the content of the linked websites.