Clarification from the agency

Open to current permanent Department of Veteran Affairs employees, current permanent Federal employees of other agencies and all US Citizens. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. This occupation is listed on the OIG Determination of Veterans Health Administration's Occupational Staffing Shortages Fiscal Year (FY26). Therefore, this vacancy announcement is exempt from Veterans Preference.

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Support functions of the Health Technician (HT) include both direct patient care and administrative duties.

Direct patient care duties may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Greeting and escorting patients;
• Triaging patients to an audiologist based on complexity of the procedures being completed;
• Patient set up for procedures (e.g., vestibular, neurodiagnostic procedures);
• Patient instruction and counseling on hearing loss, hearing protection, or hearing aids either on an individual basis or in a group setting;
• Conducting hearing Puretone air-conduction testing without interpretation for the purpose of hearing conservation and for established patients in regular VA clinic;
• Immittance screening without interpretation;
• Non-diagnostic otoscopy;
• Taking earmold impressions;
• Hearing aid troubleshooting and repair;
• Providing basic hearing aid information for patients and caregivers;
• Performing listening checks on hearing aids;
• Electroacoustic analysis of devices;
• Pairing hearing aids and accessories via Bluetooth technology;
• Programming previously stored settings into hearing aids; completing adjustments to hearing aid settings as outlined specifically in the audiologist's plan of care,
• Activating remote controls; and Training of employees and patients on personal hearing protection devices.
• Conducting drop off/ Repair follow up VA Virtual Care appointments;

Administrative duties may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Managing office supplies;
• Tracking loaner stock hearing aid inventory;
• Electronic ordering, verifying orders upon arrival to ensure components are present and working correctly;
• Scheduling appointments;
• Packaging and mailing hearing aids and accessories;
• Processing ROES transactions (e.g. certifying and issuing hearing aids, entering orders and repairs);
• Responding to routine inquiries from patients, including determining nature of hearing aid inquiry and responding to administrative questions;
• Assisting patients, visitors, and others requesting information;
• Management of infection control, patient safety, and clinical supplies for the audiology clinic;
• Maintenance of clean, disinfected instrumentation, equipment, and work surfaces in the audiology clinic;
• Reprocessing reusable medical equipment based on facility policy according to Medical Center infection control procedures and reusable medical equipment policies.
• Perform ancillary work assignments, including other administrative collateral duties as assigned in support of the service.
• The incumbent will support the Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals of the Medical Center and actively participate in Performance Improvement activities

Work Schedule: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 7:00am - 5:30pm.
Travel: You will be required to travel up to 25% of the time - Driver's License Required
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
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)
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 81430F

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.
• 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).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 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 trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

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 (HIS) candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• Experience and Education.
  • Experience. Completion of the Department of Labor Apprenticeship Program for Hearing Aid Specialists; OR,
  • Education. Successful completion of two academic years above high school that includes coursework related to the field: hearing science, human anatomy and physiology, hearing instrument science, gerontology, psychology or other general healthcare areas.
    • Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs
• Certification. Certification by the Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation (CAOHC) as a Certified Occupational Hearing Conservationist (COHC) is required for this assignment.
  • Loss of Credential. An employee in this occupation who fails to maintain the required certification identified for the HTA, GS-08 position will be removed from the assignment, which may also result in termination of employment.

GRADE DETERMINATIONS

Health Technician (Audiology) - GS-8

• Experience. Completion of one year of progressive experience and/or experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-7) directly related to the position being filled.
• Certification. CAOHC certification as a COHC is required.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
  • Ability to conduct employee hearing conservation education and training.
  • Knowledge of the hearing conservation program requirements to manage records and files.
  • Ability to perform pure tone air conduction testing.
  • Ability to provide audiologic technical support to the employee hearing conservation program.
  • Ability to identify a threshold shift and make appropriate referrals for further testing when indicated.

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

Physical Requirements. Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, pulling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment. Work Environment. Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Area of Consideration - Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:

1. Current permanent VA employees of the facility.
2. All other VA employees.
3. Current permanent Federal employees of other agencies.
4. All other applicants.

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.