You will serve as the Social Services Assistant for the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System in Social Work Service located in Seattle, Washington. You will provide administrative support for the Community Housing and Outreach Services (CHOS) Program.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 12/22/2025. 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-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-6. 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. This occupational series (0186) has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR). An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for the Social Services occupational series. All applicants, regardless of grade level, must meet the specialized experience requirements. Applicants must meet one of the following requirement. Have experience working in Social Services. Examples of experience working in Social Services are: 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. AND In addition to meeting the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR), 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-6 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: providing administrative support; Performing a wide range of functions involving the review, analysis and evaluation of the full range of services (functions) provided within this program; Participates in program planning and development, making recommendations for program policies and procedures; Demonstrates capability in effectively dealing with conflict and difficult interpersonal interactions in the workplace; Knows strategies for effectively dealing with challenging situations with customers who are under the influence of substances, angry, and/or in a psychotic or nonverbal state; Skills in word processing, database management and development are needed for keeping up the various lists and directories maintained by the service; Ability to analyze and solve problems in a positive, goal-oriented manner and to make clear, well-defined recommendations. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed one (1) year of graduate education directly related to the work of the position. 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 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. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and Management Compliance Oral Communication 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 mainly sedentary with occasional carrying of items such as papers and files, boxes of paper, driving government vehicles. 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/.
Provide administrative support to over 120 staff members of varying professional disciplines and trainees who comprise the Community Housing and Outreach Services (CHOS) Program within Social Work Service Assess Veterans' needs and triage to the appropriate program/department or Social Worker, Provide direct intervention with Veterans and families who have psychosocial needs Maintain networks with other services and community providers to ensure optimal, up-to-date resources are available to Veterans and their families Provide outreach and education in the community regarding VA homeless Veteran services, including to returning combat military personnel and Veterans Principal point of contact for all Veterans seeking social work services at the VA medical center and other office locations in the community that house CHOS programs Make an assessment of their needs, identify problems, inform them of the VA services or benefits available, provide supportive counseling, refer them to appropriate programs and resources, and when needed, assist them in linking up with a Social Worker or housing program that can be of most assistance Listens to clients who are often angry and frustrated, they must assess seriousness of disability or crisis, and when appropriate, will report the situation to the appropriate supervisor He/she will seek help with clinically complex cases, particularly those involving life-threatening situations, and often helps to de-escalate situations with Veterans and/or family members Follows all legal and ethical standards of service delivery, e.g., ensures that confidentiality of the Veteran is maintained Perform other duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Social Services Assistant/PD41378A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized