Summary The incumbent works in the Behavioral Health Care Line in the Domiciliary Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program at the Bath VA Medical Center. The Domiciliary is a 220 bed residential rehabilitation program with a diverse population. Both are male and female Veterans between the ages of 18 and older may reside in the domiciliary. Patients in the Domiciliary have a variety of diagnosis to include substance abuse and a variety of mental illnesses as well as dual diagnosis. Responsibilities Incumbent provides group and individual sessions to DRRTP residents specific to discharge/transition of Veterans in DRRTP programming. Develops networks and working relationships external to the Bath VAMC and community based agencies to enhance service delivery and develop referral of Veteran clients to appropriate care. Participates in the formulation, structure and assessment of general policy and guidelines of the Program. Responsible for the oversight of treatment team functions to include; facilitation, coordination and preparation of required reports for treatment team meetings. Responsible for entering admitting information for all patients into the Mental Health Software Package and assuring all disciplines treatment plans and case management information is up to date and incorporated into the treatment plan. Incumbent may be required to schedule treatment team meetings for a select group of patients. Provides non-professional services to individuals and families of individuals participating in programming in the DRRTP. Incumbent works with Veterans and their families to develop appropriate treatment goals. Provides para-professional counseling to distressed Veterans. Provides information about agency services, listens to anger, frustration, and other client disclosures. Assesses patient conditions for signs of potential problematic behavior and refers the patient to appropriate staff for evaluation and intervention. Provides group treatment, assumes leadership role in groups designed to help clients and significant others gain better self-awareness, modify attitudes and function more effectively in interpersonal relationships. Performs other duties assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm Telework: Not Authorized Position Description/PD#: Social Services Assistant/PD05989A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized 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/trial period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. 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-6. 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. Preferred Experience: One year of experience working in a residential treatment facility. Specialized Experience: In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience at the next lower grade level (GS-6). Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: group leader in community or residential recreation or training programs; 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; and aid or assistant to professional or specialist staff working with individuals who are addicted to or abuse alcohol and/or drugs, OR Education; One full year of graduate education meets the requirement for this pay grade (GS-7). (Transcript Required), OR Combination: 6 months of graduate education and 6 months of specialized 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. 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 Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. 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.
