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.

Major Duties include but are not limited to the following:

• Performs independently fitting of orthotic appliances.
• Application of prefabricated appliances such as, but not limited to, lumbo-sacral supports, prosthetic socks and sheaths, elbow and ankle supports, elastic support hose, hand splints, soft knee braces, neck collars, abdominal binders, trusses, and non­ custom in-depth shoes.
• Assignments involve measuring, modifying and fitting patients with orthotic devices.
• Authorizes the purchase of a wide variety of prosthetic and orthotic devices, medical supplies and durable medical equipment.
• Administers small purchase orders that involve the use of instruments that are not firm fixed price (e.g., time and materials, labor hours, or other un-priced small purchase orders).
• Enters a record of the action taken on the consult in CPRS along with VistA suspense.
• Assist with management inventory for Prosthetics.
• Conducts routine physical inventory counts, updates inventory and keeps excess inventory to a minimum.
• Ensures inventory locations are kept clean and organized.
• Provides veteran centered patient care that follows the ICARE values.

Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm
Position Description Title/PD#: Health Technician/PD02201A, PD02200A, and PD02202A
Physical Requirements: The work is mainly sedentary, but may require walking, bending, standing, and/or carrying of light items such as files and manuals. The may require some physical exertion such as prolonged periods of standing, bending, reaching, crouching, stooping, stretching, and lifting moderately heavy items such as manuals and record boxes.
Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• May serve a probationary period
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc
• 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.

Qualifications

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

Individual Occupation Requirement (Basic Requirement):For GS-05: You may qualify at the GS-05 grade based on experience or education as described below:

• 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.
• 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.

For GS-06 and GS-07: You may qualify at the GS-06 and GS-07 based on the experience described below:

• 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.

In addition to meeting the IOR and time in grade, you must also meet the experience and/or education as described below to qualify:

Minimum Qualifications:
GS-05:

• 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
  • Ability to interpret consults.
  • Working knowledge of computers.
  • Ability to instruct patients.
  • Respond to inquiries.
  • Conduct inventory and record keeping. OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed four (4) years of education above high school. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial, or technical school.
  • NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted if qualifying for the position using education. 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 post-high school education to meet total experience requirements. (Only education more than the first 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience.)
  • NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted if using any part of education to qualify for this position.

GS-06:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:
  • Knowledge of rules and procedures and operations.
  • Knowledge of computerized data entry and retrieval systems to analyze medical records.
  • Maintain special registries.
  • Perform quality assurance, compile statistical data, and release medical information.
  • Collect and organize data for statistical reports, audits, and/or research projects.
• There is no educational substitution for the GS-06 level.

GS-07:

• 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:
  • Knowledge of all types of disabilities and skill in the fabrications of devices.
  • Skill with working with metals, leather, plastics, fabrics, and other materials.
  • Ability to read and understand prescriptions and orthotic procedures to undertake the fitting of orthotic appliances.
  • Knowledge of wide variety of standard and custom medical equipment, prosthetic and orthotic appliances.
  • Basic knowledge for troubleshooting/repairing of medical equipment and prosthetic and orthotic appliances.
• There is no educational substitution for the GS-07 level.

Preferred Experience: Working knowledge of Anatomy and Physiology/Medical Terminology, Strong Customer Service Skills and Patience Experience. ABC/BOC Certified Orthotic Fitter, ABC Certified Therapeutic Shoe Fitter, and knowledge of Orthotics and Prosthetics.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Attention to Detail
• Contracting/Procurement
• Manages and Organizes Information
• Production and Processing

To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-05. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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.

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.