The position in located within the Mental Health Service line of the Ralph Johnson VAMC. The incumbent serves as a Social Science Program Specialist with responsibility for developing strategies to locate hard to reach homeless Veterans (those living under bridges, in tent communities, in abandoned cars and buildings, in parks, in bus/train stations, on the streets, etc, who may be eligible to receive healthcare and other services from the VA.

Duties

The incumbent is fully functional HCHV team member and is cross trained and assigned to case manage veterans in the HCHV program to include the Community Resource and Referral Center (CRRC), Grant & Per Diem (GPD) Contract Programs. Incumbent is required to satisfactorily complete both on-the-job training and related instructions from the immediate supervisor. In a development capacity, the incumbent will be responsible for performing the full range of duties that generally conform to those given in the GS-11 position description. Serves as a developmental "Social Science Program Specialist" and is assigned to the Community Resource and Referral Center (CRRC) under the direction of the CRRC Supervisor. As a Social Science Program Specialist, The incumbent functions as the liaison between the Medical Center, the CRRC, other homeless program staff and the community it serves regarding homeless Veterans in the community. Must possess knowledge of the basic knowledge of the work-flow process for the Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) program. Analyze the housing needs of homeless Veterans and resolve problems of a procedural nature to include offering recommendations for service as appropriate. Ability to direct the workflow of the CRRC Outreach to meet the adjusting needs of the Veterans being seen. Working with an often-underserved homeless veteran population that includes male and female veterans and their families. Must be knowledgeable of the whole health approach to identity beneficial services to assist the veteran and their families. 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. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Position Description/PD#: Soc Science Program Spec/PD804000

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/19/2024. 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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09.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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Basic Qualifications: Degree: Behavioral or social science; or related disciplines appropriate to the position. OR Combination of education and experience that provided the applicant with knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field. OR Four years of appropriate experience that demonstrated that the applicant has acquired knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field. Grade Requirements: GS-9 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: possess knowledge of the basic knowledge of the work-flow process for the Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) program; analyze the housing needs of homeless Veterans and resolve problems of a procedural nature to include offering recommendations for services as appropriate; direct the workflow of the CRRC Outreach to meet the adjusting needs of the Veterans being seen; coordinate medical and mental health care as well as HCHV evaluations and assist with the completion of referrals to various community services as needed. OR, Education: To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have I have one year of graduate-level education in behavioral or social science; or related disciplines appropriate to the position OR have Superior Academic Achievement (Class standing-upper third of the graduating class; Grade point average- 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0; or Honor society membership- by the Association of College Honor Societies. 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. GS-11 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: provides case management services to clients on a variety of topics including crisis management, crisis intervention, career development, activities of daily living, employment counseling, budget management and other topics necessary to reinforce the skills necessary to live as self-sufficiently and independently as possible; provide advice, guidance, emotional support and other assistance including involving the Veteran in individual or family counseling; provide regular treatment through case management or referral, to Veterans and conducts therapeutic counseling or referral to these Veterans with serious problems; conducts therapeutic short-term, in-depth case management in accordance with specific guidelines and handles crisis intervention or other emergency situations; observe Veteran behaviors and reaction patterns for use by higher level professionals or the treatment team in reviewing and modifying treatment and/or follow-up plans. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have I have one year of graduate-level education in behavioral or social science; or related disciplines appropriate to the position. 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. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: CommunicationData ManagementLeadershipTechnical Competence 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: Regular and recurring work is mostly sedentary involving sitting at a desk, although the position requires the ability to move from one geographic location of the facility to another. Some physical effort such as standing, walking, bending or prolonged sitting may be required. The work places no special physical demands on the employee. 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/.

Education

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

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 Ralph H Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 109 Bee Street Charleston, SC 29401 US
• Name: Isaiah Jones
• Phone: 210-992-4263
• Email: [email protected]