Career Center

The Social Services Assistants are located at VA Puget Sound Healthcare System (VAPSHCS) in Social Work Service. They are members of multidisciplinary teams in Housing and Urban Development-VA Supported Housing (HUD-VASH) program. The Social Service Assistant is an extension of the social work staff and can perform many of the basic social work functions to maximize the effective use of time by the professional staff and supports the mission to prevent and end homelessness among Veterans. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 05/15/2023. 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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. 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. Must have an unrestricted State Driver's License and be cleared upon hire to drive a government vehicle for transporting Veterans. Incidental Operator: Incidental Operators are employees, other than those occupying a position officially classified as a motor vehicle operator, who are required to operate a Government-owned or leased motor vehicle to properly carry out their assigned duties. To qualify as an incidental operator, an employee must possess a valid State license, have a safe driving record, pass a road test, and demonstrate that he or she is medically qualified to operate the appropriate motor vehicle safely. Individual Occupational Requirement: All applicants, regardless of grade level must meet minimum requirements. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: Group leader in community or residential recreation or training programs. Counselor in a youth summer camp. Instructor in a training program for the development of job skills. Work that demonstrated the ability to be responsible for and to lead and train members of a job crew. Group activities leader in the Armed Services. Unit leader-monitor-proctor for a dormitory group in a boarding school or other residential facility. Aid or assistant to professional or specialist staff in such fields as personnel (private or government), employment guidance in a vocational or academic institution, social service, or manpower development. Aid or assistant to professional or associate staff engaged in work of a social services nature in private, public welfare, government program, or community organizations, or in voluntary activities. Aid or assistant to professional or specialist staff working with individuals who are addicted to or abuse alcohol and/or drugs. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: I have the specialized experience needed for the GS-7 grade level. Examples of specialized experience include: participate in the formulation, structure and assessment process; customer service include: receive visitors, incoming calls, work independently, and provide referrals; utilize data entry systems and software such as...MS Word, MS Excel, MS Access, and MS Outlook; conduct reviews, analysis, evaluations, and presentations; assess Veterans' needs and triage to the appropriate program; provide direct intervention with Veterans and families who have psychosocial needs; maintain networks with other services and community providers; provide outreach and education in the community regarding VA homeless Veteran services. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have one full year of graduate education which provided the applicant with the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to do the work. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond some specialized experience equivalent to the GS-6 grade level but less than one year, and I have more than six months, but less than 1 years of graduate education as stated above. I have computed the percentage of these requirements that I meet, and the total is at least 100% for the GS-7 grade level. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and Management Compliance Oral Communication 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. Physical Requirements: The work is mainly sedentary with occasional carrying of items such as papers and files, boxes of paper, driving government vehicles. Working Conditions: Work is performed in an office setting with periodic travel to the community to liaison with community organizations or for outreach events. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. ["Major duties may include but are not limited to: Assist homeless and formerly homeless Veterans with their psycho-social needs, identify problems, inform them of VA services or benefits available, provide supportive counseling, refer them to appropriate programs and resources, and when needed, assist them in linking up with a Social Worker or housing program that can be of most assistance. Provide direct interventions to Veterans within their home and/or in community settings. Educate, provide guidance, and assists Veterans and family members with completing Advance Directives (Living Will/Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care), housing documentation, and will provide guidance to patients regarding these documents. Screen all Veterans coming into the office to determine needs and make appropriate referrals. Maintain an up-to-date file on resources provided by community providers. Provide administrative support for program, multi-disciplinary team, and participate in events throughout the regions such as homeless Stand Down events. Perform a wide range of functions involving the review, analysis and evaluation of the full range of services (functions) provided within the program while utilizing various computer software applications. Ensure accurate and timely balances are maintained on fund control points. Participates in program planning and development, making recommendations for program policies and procedures. Will be expected to perform a large part of their work in community settings. Must have an unrestricted State Driver's License and be cleared upon hire to drive a government vehicle for transporting Veterans Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Social Services Assistant/PD99696S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required."]

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