The incumbent is responsible for providing direct support to the Homeless section of Social Work Service within the Eastern Oklahoma VA Healthcare System. The incumbent provide specialized and/or technical support to the HUDNASH section of the Homeless program, with primary responsibility to the Tribal HUD-VASH Program. The position will provide consultation and direct assistance to staff within the Homeless Programs as well as direct services to Veterans experiencing or at-risk of homelessness.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/12/2025. 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 by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-8 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. 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 as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: 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. Qualifying specialized experience for this position is having knowledge of VA structure, services, resources, and responsibilities in order to be able to refer to them in the performance of their duties basic, knowledge of and skill to recognize and address resource needs and provide assistance to problems of patients and the proper resources for resolution of the problem to facilitate patient care, basic interviewing skills and understanding of human dynamics and personality development as they relate to age specific and cultural issues of clients served. Skill and ability to recognize cultural sensitivities and needs, ability to operationalize broad and specific directives and mission statements into concrete effective actions for homeless and housing assistance needs, skill to effectively deal with individuals who may be difficult, and/or hostile, ability to operationalize broad and specific directives and mission statements into concrete effective actions for homeless and housing assistance needs and the ability to develop and maintain effective relationships with others, including being culturally aware and accepting of possible cultural triggers. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Intervention Oral Communication Patient Care Psychology Teamwork 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: Work may involve a significant amount of walking when visiting Veterans at home or in the community. Work may occasionally cause exposure to physically and emotionally stressful situations brought about by agitated or emotionally disturbed Veterans. Work will require the ability to operate a motor vehicle after successfully completing relevant and proper training and certification. Work is performed in the community, clinic administrative offices, administrative offices and on occasion in the hospital. There may be frequent personal and telephonic interruptions with continual demands placed on the individual for their time and input involving numerous activities. Occasionally the incumbent may be exposed to inclement weather. The incumbent may at times also be faced with difficult or sometimes hostile behaviors. All positions involving Federal motor vehicle operation carry the additional medical requirements specified in 5 CFR, part 930, subpart A. 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/.
Major duties and responsibilities include: Assess availability of community resources to support client needs to maintain community stability, including social, physical, familial, economic and vocational/avocational resources. Providing on-going support to patients to maximize their coping and adjustment to new housing/settings, one by-product of which is to avoid or forestall new or additional housing interruptions . Recognizing a wide range of emotional states (such as anxiety, depression, anger, and confusion) and responding appropriately. Representing patients by obtaining or providing information to physicians, nurses, medical administrative personnel, and others, and exploring and developing patient plans. Supporting case management and caseload in a mental health environment/setting with a minimum need for direct supervision. Assisting patients, families, and non-patients, by making appropriate referrals, with problems that are tangible or intangible in nature. Identifying appropriate community and other resources and facilitating utilization of these resources by the patient families, and non-patients. Serving as a member of an interdisciplinary treatment team. Collaborating with a medical continuum's various disciplines and committees to achieve desired goals/outcomes. Collaborative identification of unmet needs within the community and assisting in developing these needed Resources. Provide motivation and coaching to assist in identifying barriers related to housing in an effort to identify additional resources for housing stability, which may include identifying rural resources. Determining the internal strengths and weaknesses of the individual client, the best type of support systems to use, and the availability of support systems. Assisting mental health patients in understanding medical protocol and benefits available. Giving and receiving professional information and working on the resolution of problems and the development of programs in a mental health setting/environment. Using effective interviewing skills to elicit data, identify problems, set goals, and develop plans appropriate to client situation. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Yes, this position is authorized for telework - situational (ad hoc) and had not been authorized as virtual or remote. Location negotiable may be discussed during the interview process to meet the Return to Office requirement. Position Description/PD#: Social Service Representative/PD14330A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized