Clarification from the agency

This job is open to current permanent Department of Veteran Affairs employees and CTAP. 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.

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Major duties include but not limited to:

• Develops and conducts free choice programming for all facility-wide leisure activities for medical, long term and psychiatric, nursing home care, alcohol/drug treatment Veteran's.
• Observes recreational activities to identify any adverse impact upon the participants.
• Assists in carrying out the treatment plan developed by the recreation therapist for the Veteran regarding free choice and neighborhood activities.
• Schedules various indoor games, hobbies, and craft activities.
• Works closely with Voluntary Service to assure successful events.
• Maintains attendance records at recreation activities.
• Orients, trains, and supervise volunteers, Compensated Work Therapy Veterans, students, summer temporary employees, and those assigned to work within incumbent's delegated areas of responsibility.
• Assure safe operation and maintenance of recreation areas.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: This position would require at least one weekend a month and one evening per week, schedule can be flexible dependent upon programming requirements.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Recreation Assistant/PD04185A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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
• 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.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

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

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/23/2026.

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-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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-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 methods and techniques of recreation therapy programming; Practical knowledge of a variety of adaptive sports, crafts, hobbies, and games; knowledge of planning, coordinating and scheduling leisure activities in a variety of areas such as neighborhoods, recreation activity areas, outdoors or indoor activities, special events, etc.; Skill in working with medical staff, community representatives, volunteers, temporary employees, students, etc., while conducting events and other planned leisure activities; Knowledge and ability to implement treatment plans and make appropriate changes in programming as needed; skill in dealing with special populations with physical and mental illness; and Skill in oral and written communication and interpersonal relations, to appropriately and courteously relate to internal and external customers.

OR,

• Education: Have successfully completed 6 months of graduate education related to this position in any combination of subjects directly related to the work of the position? Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position and been obtained at an accredited college or university. Nine (9) semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 6-months of full-time study requirement. Transcripts Required.

OR,

• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have possess equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate level education AND specialized experience as described above, which may be used to meet total experience requirements? Transcripts Required.

AND,

Individual Occupational Requirements:
Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:

• Group leader, counselor, or similar work in public and private recreation programs for adults or children such as summer camps, local playgrounds, YWCA, and YMCA clubs, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, urban community centers or resort recreational activities.
• Teacher's aid in elementary school recreation or physical education program, with emphasis on development of general recreational skills and abilities.
• Aid or assistant assignments in recreation while on active military service.
• Aid or assistant in the organization and administration of recreation activities, such as preparing activities calendars, maintaining attendance records, and providing information concerning schedules and activities.
• Summer aid in a State or national park, with duties related to the recreational activities of visitors to campsites, trails, picnic areas, nature and raft centers, and boating and fishing areas (e.g., demonstrating camping techniques and park safety, conducting nature tours, and overseeing farm animals areas provided for children).
• Sales or stock clerk in a recreation supplies and equipment shop.
• Aid of assistant in the issuance of authorized property, and in the maintenance of inventory control and accountability for such property in a recreation facility.
• Aid or assistant in a hotel or resort recreation service, with duties such as setting up areas for games, tournaments, and other organized group recreational activities.

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

• Communications
• Interpersonal Skills
• Personnel Security and Safety
• Public Planning

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: This work requires moderately heavy physical exertion on an intermittent basis such as assisting a Veteran in transfer activities; i.e. wheelchair to transport vehicle. There are also regular periods of standing and walking throughout the medical center and at off-station sites. Additional, at times the work requires lifting , moving, and carrying of moderately heavy items and equipment for set-up or use by Veterans during recreational activities.

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/.

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.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

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.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the 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.