The incumbent serves veterans and their families who are experiencing homelessness and other complex life stressors in conjunction with Social Work staff in the HUD-VASH (HUD- Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing) Program at York Street VA Clinic within VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System. The incumbent performs assigned duties in a manner that promotes quality health care, outstanding customer service, and the maintenance of an environment committed to serving veterans.

Duties

Major duties include, but are not limited to: Assigned to the HUD-VASH program within the Homeless & Vocational Services. Assigned to a caseload of veterans and their families who are experiencing chronic homelessness upon entry to the program. The veterans are provided assistance to apply for a HUD-VASH housing voucher, locate housing, secure financial assistance and benefits, and maintain their housing; services are provided indefinitely. Provides services in selected cases as assigned by the supervisory Social Worker. Identifies the needs of the veteran and family in order to create an individualized service plan appropriate to meet identified needs, which might include: assistance identifying and applying for benefits for which the veteran is eligible; assistance obtaining documents necessary to apply for a housing voucher and/or lease, transportation, and assistance locating suitable housing in the community. Advocates for veterans and assists in resolution of identified problems. Makes appropriate referrals within the VA and community to meet identified needs. Provides follow-up to ensure that veteran needs are met. Documents all Social Work Service activities in the patient's medical record in accordance with service and Medical Center policies. Investigates community resources and makes information about them available to social work staff. Participates in program planning and in the development of sound working relationships with Medical Center personnel, community agencies, and other governmental and community agencies. Interviews people to establish the nature and extent of their problems; decides appropriate course of actions; provides the services indicated in their scope; provides follow-up to ensure continuity of care. 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 8am-4:30pm Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Social Work Associate/17098-A, 0798-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/16/2024. 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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. For a GS-08 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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. INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENTS Social Services Series 0187 Graduate Education: Major study -- social sciences. One full academic year of graduate study is qualifying for GS-7. Graduate education is not creditable for positions above the GS-7 level. NOTE: 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. OR, Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower level in the normal line of progression is qualifying for positions above the GS-5 level. For GS-07, one year at the next lower level GS-06. For GS-08, one year at the next lower level GS-07. Specialized experience is experience in a program of direct social welfare services that required the application of program policy and operations knowledge in providing social welfare services and/or assisting social workers. OR, Combination: Equivalent combinations of education and experience are also qualifying for grade levels for which both education and experience are acceptable. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. IN ADDITION TO INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENTS, APPLICANT MUST ALSO MEET GRADE LEVEL REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience GS-07: You must have one (1) 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: Advocating for patients under supervision; Providing assistance to apply for housing vouchers, locate housing, secure financial assistance and benefits with limited scope of assignments; interviewing people in order to establish the nature and extent of their problems; assisting with assigned caseloads of patients and families who are experiencing chronic homelessness; investigating community resources and making information about them available to social work staff; documenting activities in medical records in accordance with policy; utilizing computer systems to create spreadsheets, written reports, and maintain written statistics; assisting patients in obtaining appropriate documents. NOTE: 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 on their resume. OR, Education GS-07: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have one full academic year of graduate study, major study -- social sciences. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR, Combination GS-07: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. Specialized Experience GS-08: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Assisting veterans and their families to apply for housing vouchers, to locate housing, and to secure financial assistance and benefits; interviewing people in order to establish the nature and extent of their problems; working assigned caseload of patients and families who are experiencing chronic homelessness; investigating community resources and making information about them available to social work staff; documenting activities in medical records in accordance with policy; utilizing computer systems to create spreadsheets, written reports, and to maintain written statistics; participating in program planning; deciding the appropriate course of action and providing follow up to ensure continuity of care; making appropriate referrals within the community to meet identified needs and keeping abreast of changes in the referral procedures for community services; identifying complex nature of duties when social work treatment and other medical center treatment areas are needed; exploring possible solutions and making recommendations to the supervisor for cases involving complex problems of serious need. NOTE: 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 on their resume. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: CommunicationsCustomer ServiceHuman FactorsInterpersonal SkillsManages and Organizes Information 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 active and involves activity both in the community and at the Medical Center. The incumbent will need to be able to drive a government vehicle. A significant amount of walking throughout the Medical Center and community is required for face-to face contact with patients, family members, and medical center staff. 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 for the GS-7 level.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System 1700 N Wheeling St Aurora, CO 80045 US
• Name: VISN 19 HR Contact Center
• Phone: 719-227-4600
• Email: [email protected]