Summary This position is aligned under Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service, at the Cleveland VAMC, Cleveland OH. The incumbent works under the Supervisory Prosthetist-Orthotist, Orthotic Prosthetic and Pedorthotic Clinical Services. The primary purpose of the position is to perform technical work in the Orthotic, Prosthetic and Pedorthic Clinical Service - and assist in the design, fabrication, repair, modification and fitting of orthotic, prosthetic, and durable medical devices as prescribed. Responsibilities Measures and Fits Patients 100% This position provides clinical, administrative, technical, and direct patient care support. In this capacity, the incumbent must be skillful and flexible in establishing goals and setting priorities due to the fluctuating needs of the clinical staff - based on the following areas: Under the guidance of the Orthotist and/or Prosthetist the incumbent will perform all duties involved with orthotics and prosthetic skills in the repairing, fabrication, fitting and modification of orthotic, prosthetic and durable medical devices for the treatment of patients; Under the direction of the Orthotist and/or Prosthetist will assist the professional staff in the treatment and care of seriously disabled veterans to include amputees, diabetics, upper motor neuro injury, spinal cord injury, and those with related disabilities requiring the use of orthotic, prosthetic, pedorthic, and durable medical devices to take the place of, or assist, a part of or function of the body which is lost or impaired; Will perform under the direction of the Orthotist and/or Prosthetist repairing, modifying, measuring, and fitting of off the shelf and custom fit devices, such as lumbosacral orthoses, cervical collars, compression hose, knee orthoses, wrist hand orthoses, abdominal binders, orthopedic shoes etc. Will assist the orthotic lab in fabricating components together; Will perform under the direction of the Orthotist and/or Prosthetist repairing, modifying, measuring, and fitting of durable medical devices, such as manual wheelchairs, power wheelchairs, scooters, rollators, and walkers; Will be responsible for performing a broad range of work, which involves the choice of materials, fabrication, and fitting under the supervision of the Orthotist and/or Prosthetist. Each device is constructed and fitted to meet the most rigid prescription requirement; Will maintain stock of material and supplies for fabrication and off the shelf prosthetic and orthotic devices utilizing the prosthetics inventory package (PIP); Will be responsible for maintaining their Orthotic Lab work orders in the Prosthetics package in the DHCP/VISTA. These work orders explain what needs to be done for the patient. The work orders need to be closed correctly to reflect time spent and materials used. This becomes a permanent part of the patients' Prosthetic record. This also affects the quarterly obligations report for headquarters; Will be responsible for maintaining electronic progress notes on patients that he/she has treated with support from the Orthotist and/or Prosthetist; Will communicate and instruct patients in proper procedures for wearing and maintaining orthotic/prosthetic devices in order to achieve the maximum benefit. He/she will document any communication and instructions given to the patient using the electronic consult and progress note (CPRS package) utilized by this Hospital. The incumbent will follow up to ensure the appliance fits and functions properly; Will be responsible for all clean up assignments. This includes keeping the following organized, clean, and neat: workbench, general work and storage area; Complies with all safety/fire prevention rules/regulations, using protective equipment when required and provided. Promptly reports all accidents and notifies supervisor of unsafe/unhealthful conditions in the workplace. Attends scheduled training sessions and participates in facility or service level safety promotions as directed by supervisor. Knows fire drill and emergency plans for work area, including location of all emergency fire equipment, and; Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm Position Description/PD#: Health Technician (Wheelchair)/PD94449A Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. 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 by the closing date of this announcement, 01/02/2026. 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. 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. Health Technician, GS-07 grade level: Specialized Experience. One year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-6; experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: Provides clinical, administrative, technical, and direct patient care support. Orthotics and prosthetic skills in the repairing, fabrication, fitting and modification of orthotic, prosthetic and durable medical devices for the treatment of patients Repairing, modifying, measuring, and fitting of off the shelf and custom fit devices Repairing modifying, measuring, and fitting of durable medical devices, such as manual wheelchairs, power wheelchairs, scooters, rollators, and walkers. Performs administrative and other duties associated with fitting Prosthetic/Orthotic devices. OR, Education. Applicants can use one full year of graduate education to meet the requirements for the GS-7 position in this occupational series as well. Please note: One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended. (Transcripts Required to be submitted with your application if you are using your education to qualify.) OR, Combination. Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-7 grade level. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service Developing Others Self-Management 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 position demands a moderate degree of exertion and a high degree of dexterity. The work requires some physical exertion, some bending, stooping, and crouching to work on devices and fit them to the patient. Work involves some lifting and moving of moderately heavy supplies and equipment such as wheelchairs and durable medical equipment, up to 40 pounds. Work as a Clerk is sedentary. There exists prolonged periods of working at a computer terminal. 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 There is no educational substitution at this grade level. 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.
