Health Technician (Optometry) Job in Chesapeake County, VA

Vacancy No. CBTA-12724431-25-LP Department Veterans Health Administration
Salary $36,584.00 to $73,001.00 Grade 4 to 8
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 4/30/2025 Close Date 5/19/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Chesapeake County, VA


Summary

This traveling position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Mid Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6), Hampton VAMC and CBOC locations, Optometry/Surgical Service, . The incumbent provides a varied range of significant patient-related duties in support of the eyecare and treatment given to patients in the Eye Clinics managed by the Optometry Service.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Area of consideration - Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order: 1st Area of Consideration - current permanent Hampton VA Medical Center employees; 2nd Area of Consideration - current permanent Veterans Healthcare Administration employees; 3rd Area of Consideration - current permanent VA Nationwide employees; and 4th Area of Consideration - all others.

Duties

Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf
Duties and skills needed to be successful in this position include, but are not limited to:

  1. The health technicians (Optometry) understands basic hygiene, cleaning and disinfection of reusable medical equipment (RME) instruments and ophthalmic equipment.
  2. Assist optometry staff by obtaining an accurate medical/ophthalmic history, as well as coding and entering eye testing performed on the encounter form.
  3. Deviations from regular procedures, unanticipated problems and unfamiliar situations are referred to the supervisor for a decision or assistance.
  4. Measures and accurately records visual acuity; obtains accurate specialized visual acuity measurements; accurately assesses accommodation, near point of convergence, and ocular alignment; and determines a preliminary objective estimate of optical status of the eye (not to include final subjective refraction).
  5. Accurately evaluate pupillary light responses and measure pupil size.
  6. Performs Amsler grid testing; administer eye drops under the supervision of an eye care provider (optometrist or ophthalmologist);.
  7. Performs basic tonometry; estimate anterior chamber depth using a penlight or slit lamp biomicroscope; obtain spectacle prescription using a lensometer;.
  8. Obtain accurate autorefractometry and keratometry measurements; perform visual field testing and basic color vision testing; measure and record corneal thickness, exophthalmometry, tear testing, and ocular imaging; and triage and manage eyeglasses issues.
  9. Assist with ophthalmic procedures performed by eye care providers (optometrists and ophthalmologists) and provide advanced patient education for eye and/or vision conditions.
  10. Demonstrates knowledge of complex examinations and techniques, including advanced color vision testing, advanced perimetry, and advanced ophthalmic imaging and diagnostic testing.
  11. Perform difficult and responsible ophthalmic technology duties with considerable latitude for the exercise of independent judgement.
  12. Perform duties such as advanced color vision testing, advanced perimetry including both automated and manual techniques, advanced ophthalmic imaging and diagnostic testing (e.g. anterior segment optical coherence tomography, advanced ultrasonography,
    confocal microscopy, electro-diagnostic testing, etc.), advanced patient education and training, and vision rehabilitation services.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 07:30am-4:00pm
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized.
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized.
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Telework: Not Authorized
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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.
  • Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
  • You may be required to serve a probationary period.
  • 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.
  • Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
  • Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENTS.

Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).
English Language Proficiency. Health Technician (Optometry) candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).Experience and Education.
Experience. One year of experience as a health technician or assistant in the health care field demonstrating the applicant's ability to perform the work or by demonstrating a basic understanding of work in the health care field.
OR
Education. Successful completion of two academic years above high school with a minimum of 12 semester hours related to health technician/assistant or health technician (optometry)/assistant or associate degree, or completion of an independent study course in an optometry related technician or assistant field.

OR
Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying. Examples are listed below:
  1. Six months of experience comparable to the next lower level which demonstrates the knowledge of optometry assistant theory and practices and general understanding of the health technician/assistant duties and one year above high school with a minimum of six semester hours of health technician/assistant or health technician (optometry)/assistant related courses.
  2. Successful completion of a course for health care technicians or assistants, hospital corpsmen, medical service specialists, or hospital training in a program given by the U.S. Armed Forces, the U.S. Maritime Service, or the U.S. Public Health Service, may be substituted on a month-for-month basis.
Licensure/Certification/Registration. None.

Individual Occupational Requirements

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.

GRADE DETERMINATIONS. In addition to the Individual Occupational Requirements, you must also meet the Minimum Qualifications stated below.

Health Technician (Optometry), GS-04

Experience.
  • Knowledge of current health technician (optometry) practice. To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with a health care field of knowledge, skills, and abilities related to the current occupation. Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid or non-paid employment in the health care field.
  • Part-time Experience. Part time experience as a health technician (optometry) is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time work week. For example, a health technician (optometry) employed 20 hours per week, or on a ½ time basis, would receive one full-time work week credit for each two weeks of service.

Health Technician (Optometry), GS-05
Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA):
(a) Knowledge of basic eye anatomy and function.
(b) Ability to obtain, document and record ophthalmic and medical information from patients in order to develop an accurate electronic progress note.
(c) Ability to practice basic hygiene and infection control in a patient care setting.
(d) Ability to follow eye clinic and patient care medical policies and procedures.
(e) Ability to perform minor eyeglasses repairs, such as replacing nose pads and screws.

Health Technician (Optometry), GS-06
Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
(a) Ability to provide patient education for eye health and/or vision conditions, to include assisting with patient contact lens insertion, removal and hygiene (cleaning and disinfection) care.
(b) Ability to accurately enter into a phoropter the autorefractometry or habitual refractive prescription (i.e., eyeglasses prescription) or lensometery findings, including sphere, cylinder and axis.
(c) Ability to perform patient spectacle fitting and dispensing, including selection of appropriate frame, ophthalmic lenses, interpupillary measurements (distance and near) and proper segment height determination, as well as the ability to transpose sphere, cylinder and axis.
(d)Ability to provide basic triage of patient telephone calls or optometry requests.
(e)Knowledge of ophthalmic medications and supplies needed in the process of restocking the eye clinic exam rooms.


Health Technician (Optometry), GS-07
Experience. One year of experience comparable to the next lower level which demonstrates the knowledge, skills and abilities related to the duties of the position to be filled.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition to meeting the experience or educational requirements for this grade level, the candidate must fully demonstrate the following KSAs:

(a)Ability to determine preliminary objective estimate and/or refinement of the optical status of the eye, not to include the patient's final subjective refraction.
(b)Ability to triage and manage eyeglasses issues (e.g., measurement of vertex distance, base curve, prism correction, center thickness, slab off, Fresnel prism, decentration, etc.).
(c)Ability to perform accurate assessment of accommodation, near point of convergence and ocular alignment (far and near).
(d)Ability to assist the eye care provider (optometrist or ophthalmologist) with ophthalmic procedures.
(e)Ability to assist with obtaining accurate ocular cultures and smears.
(f)Knowledge and ability to provide advanced patient education for eye health and/or vision conditions.


Health Technician (Optometry), GS-08
Experience. One year of experience comparable to the next lower level which demonstrates the knowledge, skills and abilities related to the duties of the position to be filled.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition to meeting the experience or educational requirements for this grade level, the candidate must fully demonstrate the following KSAs:

(a)Ability to provide patient education and training to manage complex eye and vision conditions.
(b)Knowledge of advanced triage of patients depending upon level of urgency or optometry needs.
(c)Knowledge of complex, non-standard treatment and/or complex examinations and techniques.
(d)Knowledge of ocular pharmacology and systemic medications with ocular side effects.


Preferred Experience: Basic Knowledge of Eye Anatomy with a minimum of 1 year of experience working in an Eye Clinic setting.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-8. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-6 to GS-8.

Physical Requirements: Physical demands are in relation to helping handicapped patients coming to the clinic, otherwise the routine demands of a hospital environment such as bending, extending arms to take measurements, lifting light weights, walking short distances to call patients, etc. For additional information please see VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

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.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

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 MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

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.

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.

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.

Required Documents

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 ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

  • Cover Letter
  • DD-214/ Statement of Service
  • Disability Letter (Schedule A)
  • Disability Letter (VA)
  • License
  • Other (1)
  • Resume
  • SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
  • Transcript

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 05/19/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12724431.

  1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
  2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.

NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

Agency contact information

Lydia Pharr
Address
Hampton VA Medical Center
100 Emancipation Drive
Hampton, VA 23667
US

Next steps

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.

You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.

NOTE: Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a condition of employment and a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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