Social Worker
Department of Justice
Summary
Corrections professionals who foster a humane and secure environment and ensure public safety by preparing individuals for successful reentry into our communities.
Duties
- Responsible for providing medical and mental health release planning, social work assessments and evaluation, treatment activities, and evidence-based therapeutic interventions to individuals and groups.
- Serves on and participates in specialized mental health and medical services committees and panels as a member of the interdisciplinary team, including Care Coordination and Reentry team, Risk Assessment Panels and Reduction in Sentence committee.
- Responsible for answering all community inquiries in a timely manner and within the parameters of the Privacy Act of 1974 as well as the Freedom of Information Act.
- Along with all other correctional institution employees, incumbent is charged with responsibility for maintaining security of the institution.
- The staffs correctional responsibilities precede all others required by this position and are performed on a regular and recurring basis.
Requirements
Career Transition Programs (CTAP or ICTAP):
- These programs apply to Federal and/or DOJ employees who meet the definition of surplus or displaced from a position in the competitive service.
- To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1.
- Meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; 2.
- Be rated well-qualified for the position, scoring at least half of the total possible points for the vacancy KSAs or competencies; and 3.
- Submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility: A copy of the agency notice (i.e., separation notice or agency RIF letter), Most recent performance appraisal, and Most recent SF-50 showing current/former position, grade, promotion potential, and duty location.
- See USAJOBS’ Career Transition Programs for more information.
- NOTE: Applicants claiming CTAP or ICTAP eligibility must complete all assessment questions to be rated under the established ranking criteria.
- EEO Statement/Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor.
- More information can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/media/1425556/dl?inline.
Education
See Qualifications Section for education requirements, if applicable. ONLY if education is a requirement/substitution for specialized experience, applicant MUST upload legible transcripts as verification of educational requirement. Transcripts MUST be uploaded and electronically linked from USAJOBS at the time you apply and MUST include identifying information to include School Name, Student Name, Degree and Date Awarded (if applicable). All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S.
Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, Click Here. Foreign Education: For information regarding foreign education requirements, please see Foreign Diploma and Credit Recognition at the U.S. Department of Education website: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications.
If you are selected for this position and qualified based on education (i.e. basic education requirement and/or substitution of education), you will be required to provide an OFFICIAL transcript prior to your first day on duty.
How You Will Be Evaluated
Your application will be evaluated and rated under DOJ’s Category Rating and Selection Procedures. Based upon your responses to the assessment questions during the application process, your application will be placed into one of three categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified. Applications will be reviewed from the top quality category. Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed in this announcement.
If you are found qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to the responses you provided on the online assessment. NOTE: Candidates within the top quality category and who are eligible for veterans preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles. If you are entitled to veterans preference, you should indicate the type of veterans preference you are claiming on your resume. Although veterans preference points are not assigned under the category rating procedures described under “How You Will Be Evaluated”, veterans preference eligibles are listed ahead of non-veterans within each category for which they are qualified.
Preference eligibles who meet the minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-9 level or higher). As noted above, an agency may not select a non-preference eligible in lieu of a preference eligible in the same category unless there are grounds for a passover and the agency has complied with the passover procedures at 5 U.S.C. § 3318(b). What Competencies/Knowledge, Skills and Abilities are Required for this Position? The following Competencies/Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA’s) are required: Ability to analyze and evaluate data/information problems.
Ability to relate and deal effectively with physicians, supervisors, peers, and others. Knowledge of clinical, social, and case work theory and practice. Ability to conduct individual and group counseling and psychotherapy in a correctional setting. You may preview questions for this vacancy.
Required Documents
- Failure to provide legible required documents and/or follow the prescribed format often results in removal from consideration.
- If uploading documentation, do not identify/save your documents utilizing a special character such as %, #, @, etc. Documentation should be identified/saved as VA Letter, DD-214, or Transcripts.
- Veterans’ Preference Documentation: Failure to submit all required documents at the time of application will result in the loss of claimed preference eligibility.
- DD-214: Veterans MUST provide a DD-214 demonstrating that they have been discharged or released from active duty under honorable conditions (i.e., the individual must have received either an honorable or general discharge). SF-15:
- If you are a disabled veteran, a Purple Heart recipient, widow/widower of a veteran, the spouse of a disabled veteran or the parent of a disabled or deceased veteran, you must submit: A completed Standard Form (SF) 15, “Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference” AND all required documentation identified on the SF-15.
- NOTE: A Department of Veterans Affairs letter must contain the Veteran’s Name and Combined Service-Connected Evaluation. For a copy of the most current SF-15, Click Here.
- If you are on active duty and expect to be discharged or released from active duty service within 120 days, you may submit a Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty from the appropriate Branch Personnel Office containing the following information: (1) the military service dates including the expected discharge or release date; (2) and the character of service (must be an honorable or general discharge); and (3) any qualifying service/campaign/expeditionary medals.
- Resume (limited to 2 pages) must include your name, contact information, and relevant experience (cover letter optional).
- Experience that would not normally be part of the Federal employee’s position is creditable when documented by satisfactory evidence of qualifying experience (e.g., a memorandum from the manager, Human Resource Manager, SF-52, MOU, etc.).
- If providing a memorandum, it must follow the format below AND clearly cite the duties performed.
- To receive credit for experience, your resume and/or any satisfactory evidence must include: Start date and end date in month/year format (MM/YYYY) AND Number of hours worked per week.
- College transcript: includes the School Name, Student Name, Degree, and Date Awarded (if applicable). NOTE:
- If you are selected, official transcript(s) will be required prior to your first day.
- SF-50: for proof of prior LEO coverage, if applicable.
- Proof of ICTAP/CTAP eligibility, Click Here, if applicable.
- Professional License/Certification For more help, visit USAJOBS Help Center – What should I include in my resume?
- We cannot be held responsible for incompatible software, delays in mail service, applicant application errors, etc.
About this role
The Social Worker position with the Department of Justice is based in Florence, Colorado. Corrections professionals who foster a humane and secure environment and ensure public safety by preparing individuals for successful reentry into our communities. The role pays $76,650 to $99,650 per year.
Day to day, the work involves being responsible for providing medical and mental health release planning, social work assessments and evaluation, treatment activities, and evidence-based therapeutic interventions to individuals and groups. The full list of duties, conditions, and required documents appears in the official announcement linked on this page.
Who should apply
Review the announcement's Qualifications section closely, since it defines exactly what federal behavioral health experience this Social Worker position requires. It is graded at GS-9, which sets both the pay band and the experience reviewers expect you to document. Match your federal resume directly to the announcement's wording so a reviewer can confirm each requirement in writing. For this Social Worker position with the Department of Justice in Florence, Colorado, confirm you meet each requirement before applying.
How competitive it is
The posted pay of $76,650 to $99,650 per year places this in a competitive but attainable range for qualified applicants. Based in Florence, Colorado, it competes within that local market, which can mean lighter competition than major metropolitan postings. The announcement closes on June 17, 2026, and federal postings can close early once enough applications arrive, so applying promptly is wise.
This overview is general guidance from Job Army to help you understand the role. Always read the official announcement for exact duties, qualifications, and requirements before applying.