This position is located in the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks (VHSO), Surgical Service, Eye Clinic in Fayetteville, AR, and VHSO Community Based Outpatient Eye Clinics. Will independently provide direct patient care services in ophthalmic dispensing involving education, selection, verification, adjustment and repair of ophthalmic lenses and eyewear.
Summary
This position is located in the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks (VHSO), Surgical Service, Eye Clinic in Fayetteville, AR, and VHSO Community Based Outpatient Eye Clinics. Will independently provide direct patient care services in ophthalmic dispensing involving education, selection, verification, adjustment and repair of ophthalmic lenses and eyewear.
Independently provide direct patient care services related to patient education, selection, ordering, verification, troubleshooting, adjustment and repair of ophthalmic lenses and eyewear.
Educate the patient on the lens materials, lens designs, frames, tints and coatings that have been prescribed and will assist patient in the selection and ordering of proper fitting standard eyewear frames with understanding of frame selection to include the following: size, materials, relationship between frames, lenses and face.
Measurements of interpupillary distances, optical centers, and multifocal or progressive addition lens segment heights will be accurately obtained and documented.
Properly adjust eyeglasses for comfortable fit and proper alignment of optical centers and segment heights
for optimal visual performance and will Instruct/educate patients on how to wear and care for eyeglasses.
Skills to repair broken or defective eyeglasses. The incumbent will provide necessary information for a pair of spectacles to be duplicated, to include prescription, lens type and form, centration and fitting positions, frame details and lens surface treatments.
Work Schedule: 08:30am-5:00pm (Subject to change based on the needs of the agency.) Position Description Title/PD#: Health Technician (Optician)/PD03147A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
A complete application package; including Resume, Transcripts, etc. is required
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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary 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 , 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.
Applicants must meet the experience requirements relevant to this position. For this Health Technician-Phlebotomy/Acute Care, GS-06 position: To qualify at the GS-06 grade, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level or higher. Specialized Experience to include, but not limited to:
Experience with basic instruments and diagnostic or treatment procedures commonly used in the specialization
Experience with positioning patients for examination or treatment
Experience with using alternate positions for patients with common physical disabilities
Experience with using sterilization methods to clean instruments
Experience and knowledge of opticianry services
Experience preparing work order for optical laboratory
Experience and knowledge basic anatomy
SCREEN OUT ELEMENT: Your qualification will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element, which usually appears as question 1 in the online questionnaire. Those applicants who appear to possess at least the minimal acceptable qualification requirement are considered for further rating: those who are rated ineligible and are eliminated. The potential eligibles are then rated against the remainder of the job elements.
Competencies:
Attention to Detail
Clerical
Customer Service
Technical Competence
Technical Problem Solving
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 Demands: The work requires an ongoing mix of sitting, standing, walking, bending, and carrying light weight
items. Many of the positions major duties require a high degree of manual dexterity and accuracy. All patient care activities require PC keyboard and mouse use for data entry in the electronic patient record. Occasional heavy lifting will be required. In some instances, interaction with patients, caregivers, and staff can become intense, and the employee may be placed in a position of stress.
Work Environment: The work area has good lighting, heating, cooling and ventilation. The work area is generally
shared by multiple staff in close proximity. Work is primarily performed in an outpatient clinic setting or office with occasional patient care visits to inpatients. Risk/discomforts in this job could be possible injury when adjusting/repairing glasses and exposure to communicable diseases. Masks and gloves are readily available as a safety precaution. Environment of care rounds are done monthly to ensure areas are clean and safe both for patients and employees.
Education
There is no educational substitution at this grade level.
Additional information
Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information.
The following will be communicated to applicants for VA employment in a testing designated position and will also be included in all VA vacancy announcements for such positions: All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drugs use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/.
Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
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.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
Resume Requirement: Your resume must include the following information: Job title, description of duties, beginning and ending date (month/year) of employment; and average hours worked per week.
Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application. Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees).You will not be contacted for additional information. Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted.
Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.
Applications are accepted online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 05/04/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12933626.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
Fayetteville AR VA Medical Center
1100 North College Avenue
Fayetteville, AR 72703
US
Next steps
After the vacancy announcement closes, applicants are evaluated to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
Resume Requirement: Your resume must include the following information: Job title, description of duties, beginning and ending date (month/year) of employment; and average hours worked per week.
Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application. Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees).You will not be contacted for additional information. Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted.
Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.
Applications are accepted online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 05/04/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12933626.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
Fayetteville AR VA Medical Center
1100 North College Avenue
Fayetteville, AR 72703
US
Next steps
After the vacancy announcement closes, applicants are evaluated to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
