Summary The Social Service Representative will serve as a Social Work Assistant and Housing Support Specialist for the Housing and Urban Development/VA Supported Housing (HUDVASH) program a section of the Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Service at the Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center (VAMC). Responsibilities Duties to include but are not limited to: Assist Veterans in applying for appropriate Social Security using Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) and/or VA disability claims. Maintain and provide Veterans with community vacancy listings tailored to their preferences, income, and any barriers (legal, credit, etc.) the Veteran may have. Help Veterans coordinate the move into their new unit which may include scheduling a furniture move and turning on utilities. Independent field work, outreach and travel in potentially risky areas and homeless encampments to offer services, referrals and complete applications for housing assistance to unsheltered homeless Veterans. Be knowledgeable and apply safety protocol. Track and maintain all Veterans in the Housing and Urban Development - Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD/VASH) program to ensure a signed universal release of information (uROI) is current. Assist in assuring that HOMES and any local HUD/VASH databases are complete, current, and accurate. Develop methods and tools to track HUD/VASH voucher utilization to ensure that PHA voucher utilization data matches Homeless Operation Management and Evaluation System (HOMES) data. Provide accurate, complete, and courteous information and assistance to Veterans and their dependents, beneficiaries, community partners, and representatives relating to all Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) programs that include a wide variety of distinct @types of benefits and services. Identify and contact local landlords and Realtors to find potential housing units for Veterans to lease or find potential housing units for Veterans to lease. Serve as main Point of Contact (POC) for landlords to ensure applications to lease are complete, W9s submitted to the housing authority, and voucher is submitted to landlord. Educate landlords on homeless programs and HUDVASH operations and to navigate HUD and the VA homeless programs. Provide excellent service recovery after landlord and housing authority complaints of Veteran behavior including Veteran's failure to pay rent. Work with Supportive Services for Veteran Families partners and other community-based programs to help Veterans secure funding for needed security deposits, utility deposits, and any furnishings or supplies needed for the Veteran's unit. Conduct groups to educate Veterans utilizing HUD/VASH on tenancy rights and responsibilities. Teach and model basic skills that will help Veterans obtain and maintain stable housing. Follow all VA, Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV), HUD/VASH, and Tribal HUD/VASH policies and procedures. Follow all local, state, and federal laws and regulations. Track when Veteran HUD/VASH supported leases expired follow-up with Veterans graduated from HUDVASH regularly during annual recertifications to review and assess progress including adherence to HAP contract and timely completion of housing authority annual paperwork. Keep informed of the Veteran's circumstance and provide information, advice, and encouragement to the Veteran. Provide updated information about Veteran functioning and mental status to professional case managers and social workers. Track and maintain federal vehicle use forms and provide required monthly vehicle use information. Transport federal vehicles utilized by the HUD/VASH team to/from vehicle maintenance locations for needed repairs and maintenance. Transport federal vehicles utilized by the HUD/VASH Program Support Assistant to justify federal vehicle use. Drive Veterans in HUD/VASH to and from housing related appointments. Document paraprofessional case management activities in medical report using the T1016 case management code. Minimum documentation requirements include verification of Veteran identity, time and duration of visit, each contact with and on behalf of Veteran, nature and extent of service, mode of contact, issues addressed, @type of activity (assessment, referral, monitoring and/or follow-up), Veteran's response, and HUDVASH Supervisor's dated. Maintain up to date knowledge of housing vacancy rates, average housing/rent cost, eviction law in the RCWs, Housing Authority Directives, and HCHV Directive. Provide current information and independent assessment of @contextual issues and barriers that impact homeless Veterans to direct supervisor and HCHV Coordinator to be included in regional level reports to HCHV leadership. Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Social Service Representative/PD80393A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized ACWA TEST: This occupation falls under the Administrative Careers with America (ACWA) examination requirement. Applicants at the GS-7 level may have to complete an additional exam if selected. 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 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) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 11/03/2025. 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 within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. 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 Requirement (IOR): An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for the Social Services 0187 occupational series: All applicants, regardless of grade level, must meet minimum education or specialized experience requirements. For this occupation, the education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. ACWA TEST: This occupation falls under the Administrative Careers with America (ACWA) examination requirement. Applicants at the GS-7 level may have to complete an additional exam if selected. 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-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: 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, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Major study -- social sciences. One full academic year of graduate study is qualifying for GS-7. 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 . Preferred expereince: Preferred experience would be previous expereince with unhoused individuals to secure housing, experience in Housing and Urban Development/VA Supported Housing (HUDVASH) program, Home health, or public health settings. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Influencing/Negotiating Information Management Interpersonal Skills Legal, Government and Jurisprudence Manages and Organizes Information Transportation 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 often sedentary. Typically, the employee sits comfortably to do the work. However, there is walking, standing, bending, carrying of light items such as papers and books, and driving an automobile. No special physical demands are required to perform the work. DRIVER'S LICENSE REQUIREMENT: This position requires a current, valid, state-issued driver's license. For the following question, indicate either Yes or No. Please select only one letter. NOTE: We cannot accept photographs, therefore; please do not submit a copy of your driver's license with your application package. If an interview is requested, you may be required to provide a copy of your valid state-issued driver's license. 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.
