Clarification from the agency

This position is open to Current Permanent VA Employees Nationwide (Serving on a Career/Career-Conditional Appointment or Covered Under OPM's Interchange Agreement) and CTAP eligible.

Major duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Incumbent receives requests for procedures from therapists in the Rehabilitation sections and physiatrists, where applicable. In response, incumbent will set up equipment and assist the patient in getting prepared for procedure. Incumbent understands and carries out requests made by the health care professionals or seeks assistance for new procedures.
• Incumbent secures patients' confidence and cooperation during procedures; explains procedures, positions patients for desired results, and cushions and shields patients, as appropriate. Varies test procedures or position to adjust to patients' medical condition and responds to emergency situations, such as cardiopulmonary failure, hemorrhaging, and shock by assisting in the performance of resuscitation measures.
• Operates and maintains medical instruments and equipment to ensure proper working conditions for diagnostic and treatment procedures. Incumbent understands the physical, emotional, and social characteristics of adult and geriatric adult populations, and adapts his/her behavior in order to communicate effectively with all segments of the patient population.
• At the health care professional' s request, the incumbent sets up equipment technical factors for a variety of tests or procedures; sets up and adjusts accessory equipment required under the supervision of a therapist or physiatrist; locates and sets up equipment and all accessories and understands proper positioning; adjusts equipment placement for patients' comfort; schedules procedures, coordinating with other services. Incumbent notifies staff of shortages of supplies to ensure adequate supplies are available at all times to provide therapeutic procedures.
• Incumbent cleans mats, chairs, and tables in clinic areas each morning with approved antimicrobial and cleans equipment after each patient; ensures that clean paper linens; checks temperatures of hydrocollators (heater/cooler) and paraffin baths and keeps monthly/daily logs; cleans hydrocollators and defrosts freezer at prescribed intervals; and documents quality assurance/quality control.
• Incumbent performs range of diagnostic support duties, arranges and passes medical instruments and materials to health care professionals for a variety of diagnostic tests and procedures; makes gross visual observations and identifies subtle changes regarding the patient's condition.
• Assists patients in contacting volunteer or social services as needed; assists patients, visitors, and others requesting information, guidance or referral for special assistance; assists patients to the wards, clinics, or outside to cars with equipment, as needed. Incumbent answers the phone, providing non-clinical information; refers callers to appropriate staff; records telephone messages for delivery to PM&R therapists.
• Performs all others duties assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm. Work schedule subject to change based on agency needs.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Health Technician/PD01429A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• 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)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial 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 or trial 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, 12/01/2025.

Individual Occupation Requirements: These requirements are specific to the job series and define the basic qualifications that candidates must meet to be eligible for this particular position.

• Specialized Experience: Positions in this series range widely in type and include support duties to medical or health personnel such as audiologists, speech pathologists, medical officers, and optometrists. Therefore, technician experience is experience that required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled. or,
• Education: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position.

In addition to meeting the above Individual Occupational Requirements, 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-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: Practical knowledge of standard procedures using any one of several technical procedures. Skill in the operation and use of specialized equipment and materials under the supervision of a staff therapist. Knowledge to handle problems and deviations in work assignments in accordance with standard practices and written procedures. Knowledge to work independently in carrying out routine assignments after learning the priorities concerning the categories of assignment. OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed 4-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation. OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond the first 60 semester hours.

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 active and requires some standing, walking, bending, lifting, squatting and carrying of light items. The work requires above average agility and dexterity and may require heavy lifting of equipment or patients.

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

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.

• Cover Letter
• Other (1)
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable 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.

Next steps