Summary The Social Service Assistants provide 7-day/week, 24-hour/day coverage of the facility on a rotational basis. The Social Service Assistant performs both clinical and administrative duties in support of the mission of the SARRTP. The incumbent works all shifts including days, evenings, nights, weekends and holidays under the supervision of the Registered Nurse in charge at the Hershel "Woody" Williams VAMC. Responsibilities Duties include but not limited to: Assists with the admission process for Veterans entering SARRTP establishing therapeutic relations with each Veteran. Interviews each resident to assess skills associated activities of daily living, leisure and work interests, personal hygiene, interpersonal communication, etc. This includes an orientation to the program, an explanation of the structure, rules and goals of SARRTP program to assure that Veterans are informed and can benefit from program involvement and assistance with any needs the Veteran may have. Contributes to treatment team decisions concerning the therapeutic progress of Veterans. Responsible for reinforcing, setting limits, or educating Veterans in accordance with the established treatment plan and program guidelines. Advocates for Veteran's personal recovery needs/goals/plan as outlined in Veteran's Recovery plan; partners with Veterans in their early recovery efforts in understanding the value of recovery planning/goal setting/treatment participation. Explores aspects of this planning process with Veteran individually and in group settings. Assists Veteran in exploring core elements of recovery; its impact on mental, physical, social, legal and spiritual health and how to incorporate their strengths, supports and resources needed to achieve recovery in recovery planning. Veteran is responsible for Recovery planning, but benefits from navigational/facilitation skills of position. Utilizing strong relational skills, the position may act as a point of contact in exploration of these areas. Conducts contraband searches of SARRTP Veterans' belongings at random, on admission, and when Veterans return from pass for health, welfare, safety and security purposes. Responsible for maintaining a clean, safe, and healthful environment for all residents assigned under his/her supervision, including building, housekeeping and sanitation, security safety, repair and maintenance of day rooms, ramps and areas surrounding the buildings. Makes daily inspections to check physical plant equipment, health and safety, and security problems. Initiates appropriate corrective action including work orders or calling for emergency repairs. Documents in the clinical record the interventions, discharges from the program, increased intensity, unusual behavior and/or incidents. Responds to coverage needs of the SARRTP resulting from unanticipated staff absence and inclement weather or emergencies. Develops a plan for coverage in consultation with other team members. Receives telephone calls from beneficiaries, relatives, friends, other VA facilities, service organizations, community agencies, etc. relating to residents under his/her supervision and may provide information according to VA Regulations and Release of Information policies. Observes group sessions with clinical oversight from a member of the SARRTP leadership team. Provides support for the team to assure no problems occur, and for Veterans who may become upset and need escorted from the group room to a safe area. Recognizes and promptly reports any problems or concerns regarding SARRTP Veterans according to Medical Center guidelines. Examples may include Veterans in conflict and arguing with each other, Veteran ingesting unknown medication/contraband, Visitors bringing unapproved items to the Veteran, and Veteran smoking against Medical Center policy, etc. Collects observed urine specimens of SARRTP Veterans for laboratory analysis and administers breathalyzers at random, when Veteran returns from pass, when the clinician or medical provider orders, and/or when the use of substance is suspected. The HT documents this in the Veteran's medical record. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 12:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Social Services Assistant/PD21005O Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job 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 Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/01/2024. 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 - 06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS - 05. 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: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: 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. OR Graduate education or an internship meets the specialized experience required above GS-5 only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Communications Computer Skills Influencing/Negotiating Interpersonal Skills Manages and Organizes Information Veteran and Customer Focus 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 primarily out in the community. Typically, the employee will drive to Veterans' homes for visits and may take them to community agencies or VA to get necessary services and re sources. There will be walking; standing; bending; carrying of light items such as books, papers, etc.; accessing transportation; and driving a government vehicle. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.