The Social Services Assistant position works with the Healthcare for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Program, located in the Social Work Section of Behavioral Medicine Service. This position assists homeless veterans in the community who are eligible for VA treatment, must establish close, positive working relationships with the clinical and administrative staff at the VA Loma Linda Healthcare System (LLHCS) and with homeless providers, administrators and advocates in the community.

Duties

Major duties include, but are not limited to the following: Collaborates with community providers to establish contact with homeless veterans during visits to various shelters, missions or other appropriate community programs Establishes working relationships with VA services and departments to facilitate the veteran's care including establishing eligibility, on-site services and securing placement at appropriate community resources Interviews homeless veterans and evaluates their psychosocial and environmental needs secondary to or exacerbating their social, substance and/or psychiatric problems, which might contribute to readjustment to the community Refers veterans to appropriate VA and other government/community services including but not limited to substance abuse treatment programs, local shelters/housing, food banks, employment services, veteran's benefits, and social security applications Assists veterans who encounter problems obtaining services from the VA and other service delivery agencies through advocacy, linking, and/or by assisting with their problem solving/social interaction skills Responsible for keeping the Social Work Executive, HCHV Coordinator/Supervisor and homeless program team informed of significant matters related to the episodic case management of veteran patients Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm. Compressed/Flexible: Yes, based on the needs of the service. Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Social Services Assistant/PD13241A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not require.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/12/2023. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-5) in the Federal service, that equipped me with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience includes performing a wide variety of duties in support of counseling, guidance and related social services work in social, employment assistance or similar programs; works with emergency service providers, telecommunication companies, and others; gathers information from individuals to relaying to appropriate medical/emergency personnel (i.e. medical providers, law enforcement, emergency dispatch personnel, etc.); experience communicating clearly and relaying pertinent facts and circumstances; keeping accurate, detailed records. (To receive credit for this experience, it must be well documented in your resume.) To receive credit for this experience, it must be well documented in your resume. ~OR~ EDUCATION: Graduate education or an internship meets the specialized experience required only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. Proficiency Requirements: In addition to meeting experience or education requirements, applicants for this position must show possession of the ability to type at least 40 words per minute. Applicants may meet these requirements by passing the appropriate performance test, presenting a certificate of proficiency from a school or other organization authorized to issue such certificates by the Office of Personnel Management local office, or by self-certifying their proficiency. Performance test results and certificates of proficiency are acceptable for 3 years. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: CommunicationCustomer ServiceKnowledge Management 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: Generally performed sitting at a desk. However, there may be some travel outside of the office; carrying of light items such as paper or books; driving an automobile, riding public transportation, etc. The work is generally performed in an office setting; however, it also requires that the incumbent drive on a regular basis as a significant amount of their time may be spent in the community settings with veterans, and other community agency representatives.

Education

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

NOTE: One full year of graduate education meets the requirements for GS-7. Two full years of graduate education or a master's degree meets the requirements for GS-9. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended.

NOTE: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Jerry L Pettis Memorial Veterans Hospital 11201 Benton Street Loma Linda, CA 92357 US
• Name: Francesca Campana
• Phone: (813) 729-1647
• Email: [email protected]