Clarification from the agency

Open to current, permanent Battle Creek VAMC/VA Clinic employees only. This includes: Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. and meets interchange agreement requirements). This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent.

Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Administrative planning and oversight for the Social Work, Vocational Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Recreation programs. Makes recommendations to the Chief of Social Work on such matters as desirability of changes in the organizational structure and changes to be made.
• Monitors services provided, delivers presentations to facility leadership on service performance, prepares reports on consult requests and responses. Tracks and develops performance measure monitors to assure quality in Social Work Service. Develops, plans, and implements process improvement measures as needed to maintain or improve patient satisfaction.
• Meets performance improvement measures by monitoring progress toward meeting performance measures and developing and initiating solutions for process improvement. Prepares and presents briefings to upper level management.
• Responsible for strategic planning, program development, and development of policies and SOPs with input from the Social Work Service Program Managers.
• Maintains oversight of service equipment plan and six Equipment Inventory Lists (EIL). Makes recommendation to the Service Leadership for acquisition priorities and represents the service in the acquisition, maintenance and disposal of equipment.
• Serves as Contracting Officer Representative (COR) for all Social Work Service contracts.
• Leads development of strategic long-range planning for care line and represents Social Work Service in planning for facility programming when appropriate. Analyzes plans to determine impact on administrative processes and feasibility of making modifications to accomplish mission requirements and makes recommendations to Chief of Social Work.
• Serves as the primary ADP Coordinator (ADPC) for Social Work Service. Serves as the SWS Vehicle Coordinator for the SWS fleet of thirty-eight (38) Government Vehicles. Serves as the principal coordinator and POC for any remodeling/construction projects along with the purchase/installation of equipment.
• Works with Fiscal Service to coordinate funding accountability and tracking for 49 VA Central Office Special Purpose Funded Positions. Reviews, submits, tracks all resource requests (budget, equipment, supplies) for the service. Maintains oversight of all fund control activity, travel budget/requests, payroll (FTEE, overtime, unscheduled hours, etc.)
• Recommends internal budget administration policies and procedures, prepares financial reports and forecasts, and presents fiscal data and recommendations to service leadership. Develops and maintains operating budget for supplies and equipment for the service(s) based on workload requirements, current technology and consumption patterns.
• Conducts fact-finding, data analysis, and makes technical and administrative recommendations to improve efficiency and effectiveness of Quality Improvement activities to achieve the safest and highest quality healthcare outcomes for Veterans.
• Works with Quality, Safety and Value (QSV) in the areas of performance and regulatory compliance. Provides administrative oversight for QSV activities. Takes a leadership role in preparation for surveys and inspections.
• Acts as designee for Chief of Social Work in approving and signing timecards and managing service fund control points. Performs budget execution functions to ensure that expenditures are consistent with budget formulation plans as the fiscal year progresses.
• Serves as the Human Resources liaison for Social Work Service, monitoring service staffing movements and preparing and submitting requests for staffing actions to appropriate boards/committees and HR. Ensures that performance ratings are submitted in a timely manner in accordance with regulatory guidelines.
• Investigates and drafts responses to patient complaints received directly, or from the patient advocate, the director, the Chief of Staff, or any other source; serves as Social Work Service's Service Line Patient Advocate and is the first line in service recovery when patient complaint arises.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• 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)

• 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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/12/2026.

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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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 as described below:

Specialized Experience GS-09: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Creating reports, coordinating and scheduling meetings, and submitting requests/work orders using a personal computer and office automation programs (such as word processing, spreadsheets, etc.); accurately preparing timecards for submission and processing; managing and balancing financial aspects of general fund control points and purchase procedures; and performing various human resources/personnel management duties related to recruitment, disciplinary actions, and/or awards. NOTE: 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. OR,

Education GS-09: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree, or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.B. or J.D. in a field related to this position that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR,

Combination GS-09: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must possess equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (in excess of the first year or 18 semester hours) and specialized experience to meet total experience requirements. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required.

Specialized Experience GS-11: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Creating reports, coordinating and scheduling meetings, and submitting requests/work orders using a personal computer and office automation programs (such as word processing, spreadsheets, etc.); maintaining and updating department or service-level databases and shared computer drives; accurately preparing timecards for submission and processing; resolving timekeeping issues related to overtime, holiday pay, unscheduled hours, and various types of extended leave; managing and balancing financial aspects of general fund control points and purchase procedures; and preparing and submitting requests for recruitment, promotion, reassignment, and disciplinary actions. NOTE: 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. OR,

Education GS-11: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. You must have successfully completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.M. in a field related to this position that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR,

Combination GS-11: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must possess equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (in excess of the first two years or 36 semester hours) and specialized experience to meet total experience requirements. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required.


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 primarily sedentary, some slight physical effort may be required. Some occasional travel may be 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/.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume
• SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (Required for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility):
  • Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee
    • An SF-50 showing 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
    • Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.
      • Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:
        • Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
        • Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
        • SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.

• Transcripts
• Professional References

Next steps