Summary This position serves as the Community Health Worker (CHW) and is responsible for leading, coordinating, facilitating and providing ongoing support to care partners (e.g., a primary family member, neighbor, or friend providing regular care to a veteran at home) engaged in care or Research protocols in the VA Health Care Systems (VAHCS) in the Mid-Atlantic Region (VISN 6). Responsibilities THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION Major duties and responsibilities include: Schedules virtual visits with enrolled study participants. Follows study protocols and procedures to provide individualized help to care partners to reduce or eliminate barriers to managing social and health needs in the community setting. Provides a point of contact to care partners for strategizing how to obtain VA and community services. Actively guides care partners in the exploration of their personal priorities and preferences. Assesses the needs of care partners, and problem-solves with care partners to find solutions. Encourages and assists care partners with the adoption of habits and processes that are conducive to a higher quality of life and in alignment with their and their Veteran's goals. Reviews current needs and gaps and develops action plans with care partners. Regularly assesses progress and assists care partner in navigating obstacles or challenges. Guides care partner to learn about available support tools in the VA and the community that assist in attainment of goals. Facilitates linkages to support freeing up care partners to focus on direct care of Veterans. Develops rapport and trust with care partner and incorporates trust principles in day-to-day activities. Works collaboratively within a team setting to provide positive outcomes for study participants. Communicates proactively and effectively with care partners, the PI, the research team, and community partners/agencies. Using paper or electronic data collection systems, accurately documents study process or outcomes data in a timely fashion. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: 8:00am-4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: Work is usually sedentary; good physical senses and mobility if fieldwork is required. 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 identification 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) - See "Required Documents" below for details. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary 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, 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. You may qualify at the GS-5 level if you fulfill one of the following qualifications: -Specialized Experience: One (1) year of Specialized Experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the Social Services Assistant position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-4 grade level. Specialized experience includes: communicating orally and in writing to effectively interact with clients, caregivers, and staff while preparing accurate reports and documentation; proficiently using routine methods and techniques consistent with Community Health Worker training to assist care givers and patients in identifying health priorities; effectively implementing skill-building strategies to teach and engage in problem solving; and following protocols and procedures to provide individualized help to family care givers to reduce or eliminate barriers managing social and health needs in a community setting (This includes connecting family care givers with community resources and acting as an advocate with a local team. Examples include training as community health worker, peer support specialist or other social services training). Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: 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- -Education: Successful completion a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree that (a) included at least 24 semester hours in any combination of subjects directly related to the work of the position; (b) included a major in social behavior, human behavior, or health care or; (c) was supplemented by specialized experience as described above for GS-4. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business or technical school, junior college, college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. One year of full-time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business or technical school. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) -OR- -Combination: Equivalent combinations of education and specialized experience (as described above) to meet the requirements at the GS-5 level. Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) 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 IMPORTANT: 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 Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. Receiving Service Credit for 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. 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. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 80 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.
