Clarification from the agency

ALL US CITIZENS DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.201) for this occupation.

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The Housekeeping Aids who maintain VA facilities for Veterans and their families are essential to the patient care experience at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The Housekeeping Aid executes a full range of housekeeping activities in patient and non-patient care areas. A VA healthcare career as a housekeeping aide means working alongside other Veterans, who make up 85 percent of the housekeeping staff. As a Housekeeping Aid, you will perform a full range of light and heavy cleaning duties and routine housekeeping duties. Veterans rely on the skills of these professionals to keep patient areas clean and safe by addressing spills quickly, discarding trash, installing light bulbs in halls and rooms, and vacuuming and polishing floors. Typically, the incumbent works independently with general supervision, or works with a team and is responsible for the full-range of cleaning duties in an assigned area throughout the medical facility.

Major duties include, but are limited to the following:

• Uses proper cleaning solutions and/or chemicals to successfully remove stains from a variety of surfaces (floors, carpet, tile, walls, etc.)
• Applies appropriate cleaning solutions to various types of floors (linoleum, wood, or marble), walls, and ceilings to clean and maintain such surfaces.
• Clean and sanitize restrooms: urinals, commode, sink, mirror, etc.
• Clean patients' rooms using sanitizing chemicals that will not compromise patients' health to disinfect surfaces.
• Remove soiled linen from ward areas or clinics using the proper collection methods for handling possible contaminated items.
• Provides bed-making services in patient care areas, and OD rooms;- Cleans mattresses, springs, and bed frames;
• Check and replenish consumable supplies (e.g.: soap, hand towels, toilet tissue, bottled water, latex gloves, etc.) in the course of cleaning and servicing rooms and areas within the Medical Center.
• Keep a stock of cleaning materials and equipment needed to do your work. [0] A. I know little or nothing about this.
• Operate powered equipment such as scrubbing machines, buffers, carpet cleaning machines and/or industrial vacuums.
• Keep equipment, cords, hoses, etc., clean and properly stored when not in use.
• Use ladders and/or scaffolds to wash ceiling fixtures; washing or replacing venetian blinds, or room partitions.
• Perform routine maintenance on cleaning equipment such as changing filters and brushes on vacuum cleaners and floor buffers.
• Perform routine maintenance on cleaning equipment such as tightening nuts and bolts and/or greasing/oiling fittings and wheels.
• Defrosts and cleans patient care refrigerators and ice machines in nourishment kitchen areas.
• Sweep and mop floors repetitively in high traffic areas such corridors, restrooms, stairways, entryways, cafeterias and other areas.
• May remove, transport, repackage, dispose and store sharps as a part of service rendered to clinics in patient rooms, and may replace filled sharps containers with empty containers.
• Read and follow posted instructions through signs and pictures.
• Other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Full-time, 7:00am-3:30pm, Wednesday-Sunday (work shift may varying including nights, weekends and holidays)
Position Description Title/PD#: Housekeeping Aid/PD11564A
Physical Requirements: The position demands continuous walking, standing, stooping, kneeling, pulling, and pushing. The work requires the occasional use of heavy powered cleaning equipment (e.g., wall washers, industrial type buffers) weighing over 50 pounds. The duties necessitate considerable dexterity, hand, foot, and eye coordination, and concentration as well as visual acuity to see dirt, dust and debris.

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
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Pre-employment physical required
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. 12/20/2024

EXPERIENCE: A specific length of training and experience is not required, but you must show evidence of training or experience of sufficient scope and quality of your ability to do the work of this position. Evidence which demonstrates you possess the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform the duties of this position must be supported by detailed descriptions of such on your resume. Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualification Standards.

SCREEN-OUT ELEMENT: Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element, which usually appears as question 1 in the on-line questionnaire. Those applicants who appear to possess at least the minimal acceptable qualification requirement are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated. The potential eligibles are then rated against the remainder of the Job Elements:

• Ability to Do the Work of the Position without More Than Normal Supervision
• Dexterity and Safety
• Follow Directions
• Handle Weights and Loads
• Reliability And Dependability
• Special Aptitude - Housekeeping Work
• Work Practices

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.

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. Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received.