To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/22/2025.
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 by the closing date of this announcement. For a
GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the
GS-06. 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: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade
GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:
- Completing incoming and outgoing calls in a call center to assess caller needs.
- Utilizing critical decision-making skills to quickly, logically, and accurately prioritize difficult needs and potential situations.
- Maintaining comprehensive administrative records of calls and specific actions taken.
- Using Microsoft Office and other VHA-related computer programs to enter, research and/or update data records.
- Conducting suicide assessments of callers via telephone interview.
~OR~
Education: You must have successfully completed a one-full academic year of graduate level education with a major study in social sciences. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application. Education cannot be credited without documentation.
~OR~
Combination: You must have an equivalent combination of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience as described above may be used to meet total qualification requirements. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application. Education cannot be credited without documentation.
You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
- Attention to Detail
- Customer Service
- Oral Communication
- Technical Competence
- Technology Application
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 is primarily sedentary with no special physical demands. The employee is often required to talk, type and navigate systems for long periods of time.
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/.