Summary This position falls under the Audiology and Speech Pathology Service in the Clinical Support Care Line at the Lebanon VA Medical Center. The physical location of the position is at the Cumberland VACC. Travel to Lebanon VA Medical Center will be required on occasion for trainings and meetings The staff audiologist fits and measures the effectiveness of amplification. Responsibilities At the full performance level the Audiologist conducts audiological assessments to determine the @type and degree of hearing loss, conducts tinnitus and balance disorder screenings and counseling, assesses the patient's need for amplification, refers to ENT for medical conditions affecting hearing, tinnitus, and balance, and determines the patient's need for aural rehabilitation, counsels veterans and family members. The audiologist also performs clinical supervision of a health technician during face-to-face hearing aid repair encounters. Seeks advice from other clinical staff as needed for unusual or difficult cases. Duties include but not limited to: Assess the degree and nature of hearing loss, tinnitus, and balance disorders. Identifies and evaluates individuals with hearing, tinnitus, and balance disorders; administers the full range of audiological tests. Evaluates the @type and degree of hearing loss for a full range of complex patient populations; conducts Hearing Conservation Program testing and counseling for certain VA employees; conducts examinations for Compensation and Pension purposes and completes Disability Benefits Questionnaires. Recommends remedial measures to mitigate hearing loss. Responsible for direct services of a remedial and sometimes preventative nature. The services encompass the following: Fitting hearing aids and assistive devices, counseling patients on hearing loss and its effects on communication; counseling in the use and care of hearing aids, and in realistic expectations for hearing instrument benefit; selects appropriate hearing instruments based on hearing loss, patient dexterity, medical conditions of the ears; recommends and/or selects and fits hearing protection for the prevention of noise-induced hearing loss; recommends and fits Assistive Listening Devices and systems; routine hearing aid inspection and repair where indicated. Develops treatment plans for difficult and complex cases. Recommends aural rehabilitation programs for patients with significant physical and psychological complicating conditions. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. You may be required to serve a 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, you must meet the basic requirements as well as any additional requirements (if applicable) listed in the job announcement. Applicants pending the completion of training or license requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Currently employed physician(s) in VA who met the requirements for appointment under the previous qualification standard at the time of their initial appointment are deemed to have met the basic requirements of the occupation. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Education: Doctor of Audiology (AUD) from an audiology program recognized by the Accreditation Commission for Audiology Education (ACAE) or Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). HR office staff and management officials may verify a program's accreditation from ACAE at acaeaccred.org and CAA at caa.asha.org. OR Other doctoral degree in hearing science or a directly related field from an institution accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Licensure: Individuals must hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to practice audiology at the doctoral level in a United States state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia. Proficiency in spoken and written English. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Grade Determinations: Audiologist, GS-12: (1) Experience. In addition to the requirements at the GS-11 level, completion of one year of professional experience comparable to the next lower grade level. (2) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the KSAs required at the full performance level, the following KSAs are required: Skill in determining nature, @type, and severity of hearing/communication/vestibular disorders. Skill in counseling patients and family members regarding management of hearing/communication/vestibular disorders. Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional audiology to other health care professionals. Ability to independently apply professional contemporary audiologic treatments to the full range of patient populations. Preferred Experience: Two years experience in Audiology with strong knowledge in different hearing aid manufacturers. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. 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. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. 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.