Serves as the RA subject matter expert (SME) to advise employees, applicants for employment, supervisors, and members of management regarding laws, regulations and procedures for allowing employees with physical or mental impairments that substantially limit major life activities to fully participate in the application process, perform essential job functions, and enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment.

Duties

Duties include but are not limited to the following: Serves as the RA subject matter expert (SME) to advise employees, applicants for employment, supervisors, and members of management regarding laws, regulations and procedures. Researches best practices in RA in federal government and stays abreast of changes, modifications, and revisions to laws, regulations, and policies pertaining to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, and the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act (ADAAA) of 2008. Provides employees or applicants for employment with RA packages and advises them on the appropriate procedures for completing the package. Ensures that accommodations which are granted are provided to the requestor within established timelines. Coordinates with other areas of Human Resources, including Retirement and Workers Compensation to ensure that the employee is advised of their rights under benefit programs which may be appropriate to them. Assists managers in determining the essential duties of a position and identifies barriers and possible modifications that would allow people with disabilities to perform said duties. Provides managers with information on RA and needs assessments for applicants and employees with disabilities. Tracks and reports all requests for accommodation packages and the disposition of those requests by assisting management in completing required forms and checklists. In consultation with Office of General Counsel (OGC) and Occupational Health, assesses potential accommodations and the effect each would have in allowing the employee to perform the essential functions of the job. Creates and maintains a system of records separate from the employee's personnel file for all requests for accommodation, including medical or other documentation provided. Ensures that information in the files is kept confidential and revealed to others only on a need-to-know basis. Coordinates with appropriate staff or Agency Officials to provide adjustment to job duties or the work environment that assists an individual with a qualified disability to perform the essential functions of his/her position. When a request is approved, ensures that the procurement of equipment, furniture and services is affected on an expedited basis. Ensures the accommodation meets the individual's needs. Assists in securing funding for RA, to include accommodations that may be reimbursed through the Centralized Reasonable Accommodation Fund. Provides statistical reports with respect to processing requests for RA. Monitors, analyzes, and regularly reports qualitative and quantitative RA data. Submits annual reports, as prescribed in the VA Handbook 5975.1. Position Description/PD#: Human Resource Specialist (Reasonable Accommodation)/PD99975S-1 and PD99975S Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required Travel Required: Occasional travel may be required as needed for this position. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Compressed/Flexible: As determined by the Agency Policy Telework Available: Incumbent must live within a 50 mile radius of the selected VISN 19 facility and be able to report to duty station when needed. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/14/2023. 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. 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. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05 level. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07 level. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 level. For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11 level. GS-07 Specialized Experience: You must have one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 Level in the normal line of progression for the occupation. Specialized experience includes: Skill in applying, basic principles and practices of the HR Specialization sufficient to: perform highly structured, entry-level work designed to develop broader and more in-depth knowledge and skill to perform higher-level assignments; communicate factual and procedural information clearly, orally and in writing; and gather and analyze basic facts and draw conclusions. GS-09 Specialized Experience: You must have one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 Level in the normal line of progression for the occupation. Specialized experience includes: Skill in applying, a wide range of methods, principles, laws, regulations and practices commonly related to Reasonable Accommodation (RA) and skills in consensus building, negotiating and conflict resolution techniques sufficient to provide advice and guidance to employees, applicants for employment, supervisors and managers; advise on the procedural and regulatory requirements governing RA process; and facilitate the process. GS-11 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: Skill in applying, laws, Executive orders, regulations, policies, collective bargaining agreements, concepts, and various HR policies, practices, and procedures related to Reasonable Accommodation (RA) sufficient to: provide comprehensive RA advice and guidance to employees, applicants for employment, supervisors and managers on technical issues involving Reasonable Accommodation, and to initiate and facilitate the interactive process. In addition, the incumbent must possess knowledge of regulations, policies and practices pertaining to medical determinations and their impact on employment decisions to support an organization's RA program, and skill in applying consensus building, negotiating and conflict resolution to deal with differing interests and emotionally charged cases. GS-12 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade, GS-11, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: Ability to apply, a wide range of Human Resources (HR) concepts, principles, laws, regulations and practices; VA Handbooks and policies, collective bargaining agreements, and executive orders related to RA, sufficient to serve as a consultant in providing advice and guidance to managers, employees, union officials, and applicants. Knowledge of regulations, policies and practices pertaining to medical determinations and their impact on employment decisions. Skills in consensus building, negotiating and conflict resolution techniques to deal with those with differing interests in resolving complex and emotionally charged cases. Skill in communicating ideas clearly, both orally and in writing, to present findings and make recommendations (i.e., research, analysis, position reports). Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with all levels within and outside the organization to provide effective customer service to employees' inquiries regarding RA. 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: No special physical exertion is required. The work is primarily performed while sitting though some work may require periods of standing. The regular and recurring work of the position involves sitting at a desk, conferences, meetings, etc., and occasional visits to activity work sites.

Education

Basic Qualifications

To qualify for this position, candidates must meet one of the following basic requirement as described below.

One year of specialized experience, requiring knowledge of and/ or skill in applying basic HR concepts, laws, principles, polices, methods, practices and/or HR Systems. Such experience may be gained in administrative, professional, technical or other responsible work positions in the public (i.e, Government or military) or private sections. This experience must be equivalent to at least the GS-4 level of the Federal Government.
OR
Successful completion of a Bachelor's degree or higher
OR
Six months of general experience, equivalent to at least the GS-4 level of the Federal Government, requiring knowledge of and/or skill in applying laws, regulations, rules, principles, policies, methods, practices, supporting customers, communicating in writing and/or verbally and using various computer systems and office equipment in administrative, professional, technical or other responsible work positions, plus the possession of one of the for training criteria.

• Training 1: Successful completion of at least 12 credit hours of college-level (associate degree or higher level) course work in any of the following types of fields, majors or programs or those related as evidenced by the course or programs: HR (general), HR development, HR management, business, business management/administration, industrial relations, labor relations, industrial psychology, organization psychology, organization development, management, organizational behavior, pre-law/law, legal studies, health care management/administration, public administration, public policy, human services, leadership and humanities.
• Training 2: Successful completion of at least four formal training courses in HR. The focus of these courses will be in areas or those closely related to general HR, Federal HR, private sector/Corporate HR or HR management. These courses must be offered through VA (i.e., Talent Management System courses), Federal agencies/departments (i.e., OPM Federal Human Resources Institute) or through external organizations (i.e., HR Certification Institute (HRCI) Learning, HR University or Management Concepts). For the purpose of this standard, formal means interactive (online or in-person) training that includes communication between the participants and/or the instructor. Successful completion is evidenced by documentation of successful completion by the training organization.
• Training 3: Successful completion of a formal certificate program in any of the areas (or related areas) listed in Training 1 (above) or those closely related as evidenced by the course or programs. A formal certificate program for the purposes of this standard means a series or set of courses that provide a foundational or advanced knowledge. The courses must have been provided by an accredited college, university, organization or company and must have required assignments and/or other course work. Examples of providers include, but are not limited to, Purdue University, Global Cornell University (i.e., eCornell) or Wharton School. Successful completion is evidenced by documentation of completion by the training organization.
• Training 4:Current professional HR certification through the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), HRCI, International Public Management Association (IPMA)(or Public Sector HR Association (PSHRA)), American Society for Health Care Human Resources Administration (ASHHRA) or an organization or company that has a formal structure and is nationally recognized by the profession.

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Education must be from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For additional information, refer to the U.S. Department of Education web site at http://www.ed.gov.

Submit a copy of your college transcript (unofficial is acceptable) or you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the courses.

Foreign Education: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet Federal qualification requirements if you can show that your foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States. For example, specific courses accepted for college-level credit by an accredited U.S. college or university, or foreign education evaluated by an organization recognized for accreditation by the Department of Education as education equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. college or university. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence with your application. See Recognition of Foreign Qualifications for more information.

All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.

Contacts

• Address VHA VISN 19 Human Resources 4100 E MISSISSIPPI AVENUE SUITE 1100 Denver, CO 80246-3056 US
• Name: Andre Suber
• Email: [email protected]