Summary The Domiciliary Assistant supports the Operation of the Domiciliary Living Units by providing direct patient care and administrative support to domiciliary patients. They are responsible for up to 220 patients throughout their tour of duty. Most of the patients served are being treated for substance abuse. Responsibilities Major duties include, but may not be limited to the following: Assures the safety and security of patients. Identifies safety hazards and takes steps to correct immediately. Completes room inspections regularly and as needed, leaving spot check forms notifying patient of deficiencies, and notifying the treatment team as needed for compliance. Conducts three nightly bed checks utilizing bed check sheets and follows up on patients reported absent at bed check. Conducts building and domiciliary area searches for missing patients when required. Conducts searches of patient lockers, belongings, and furnishings when there is a reason to believe a patient has concealed a potentially harmful material or item including weapons, alcohol, and/or illicit drugs. Secures patient's locker if patient is admitted to the hospital, taking any medications to medical. Checks once a day that all patients medications are secured. Documents all behaviors as well as changes in patient condition. Refers all medical or psychiatric problems and emergencies or incidents of physical altercations and alcohol/drug intoxications to the Charge Nurse. Adheres to rules of confidentiality and protects patient privacy as outlined by HIPAA Regulations and Standards. Orients new patients to the facility, program rules and procedures. Communicates patient's violations of rules and/or policies, notifies appropriate staff of violations as needed. The Domiciliary Assistant is responsible for addressing patient issues which might occur throughout the shift. They must have the knowledge to make decisions about appropriate interventions needed by clinical staff for potential patient problems. Prepares forms and documents patient activities such as passes, admissions, discharges, etc. Files forms and documents these activities appropriately. Documents in the Domiciliary communication log and progress notes matters relating to patient care. Breathalyzes patients returning from authorized or unauthorized absence, and patients suspected of being intoxicated. Documents results and information in patient's medical record. Answering the front desk phone, directing, and assisting patients and staff as needed. Taking samples to the hospital lab as necessary. Picking up patient mail and packages from the mailroom, sorting and distributing mail to the patients. Passing meal trays to patients as needed. Transporting patients on campus and locally as needed. Taking inventory of patient's belongings and packing them up when they leave the program irregularly. Performs other duties as necessary. Work Schedule: Night shift 7:45pm - 7:45am, 6 12-hour shifts and 1 8-hour every pay period, and work every other weekend Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Domiciliary Assistant/PD05648A 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: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not 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) 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 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, 09/08/2026. 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-5 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-4. 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education s described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Clerical/assistant work in a ward/clinic/other such unit of a medical facility, security, etc.. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed 4 years of education above the high school level in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. OR, Combination: Equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education (in excess of 2 years) and specialized experience may be used to meet total experience requirements. 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 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. 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. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. 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/.
