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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Major duties and responsibilities include:

• Repairs manual and electrical wheelchairs, scooters, power assist devices for wheelchairs, and a variety miscellaneous durable medical equipment to meet the comprehensive functional mobility and assistive technology needs of the individual Veteran.
• The incumbent must provide installation of complex rehabilitation seating equipment on manual and power wheelchairs. The incumbent must be independent, practice with great autonomy, demonstrate the knowledge and skills to provide services appropriate to the nature of the equipment repairs and/or programming. The incumbent initiates and provides a program of general preventative maintenance, repairs, and warehousing for power/ manual wheelchair, assorted durable medical equipment, seating and positioning equipment, and their replacement components.
• Incumbent is responsible for work initiation of work orders completion using the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service (P&SAS) Electronic Work Order Form. Incumbent must be knowledgeable in open-market and contractual wheelchair and durable medical equipment products and their function. Must provide training for medical center and spoke site staff, P&SAS staff, and patients on the functions of manual wheelchairs, power wheelchairs, components of manual and power wheelchairs, complex rehabilitation seating components, environmental control unite, and augmentative communication technology as required.
• Incumbent establishes work methods and procedures to test, diagnose, and repair all electric/electronic components associated with motorized wheelchairs and electric-motorized 3 and 4 wheel carts that are out of factory warranty. The incumbent repairs and maintains all components of an electric wheelchair to include the support battery charger unit. This includes making repairs that can be accomplished by removing replacing, tightening, splicing, insulating and soldering defective wiring, controls, motors, power modules including intricate printed circuits, replacement of switches, relays, micro-chips, fates, transistors and diodes.
• Power/Manual wheelchairs and carts, under warranty, must be inspected by the incumbent for acceptance or return to the vendor or factory for repair or replacement. Incumbent assembles, energizes, adjusts and tests new power wheelchairs before issuance to severely disabled patients and accomplishes necessary modifications for hand or chin controls, various supportive or restrictive devices such as straps, belts and postural supports for maximum benefit to the patient in the operations of the power wheelchair.
• Position will require travel to multiple sites. Incumbent will manage a credit card in alignment with the PD description. The incumbent is responsible for purchasing and maintaining adequate inventory of components on hand to allow repairs to be accomplished without undue delays.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Full time, Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm.
Compressed/Flexible Schedule: Not Authorized.
Position Description Title: Equipment Servicer, PD#523-00853-0.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized.
Telework/Virtual/Remote Work: Not Authorized.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.
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).
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required.

Notifications:

• This position is in the Competitive Service.
• Current Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held.
• This position requires a physical.
• This is a Bargaining Unit position.
• These positions are covered by Federal Wage System Special Wage Rates for the Boston, MA area.
• Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation
• Selective Services Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• 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.
• 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-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.

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:

• Equipment Assembly, Installation, Repair
• Interpret Instructions, Specifications (includes blueprint reading)
• Technical Practices
• Troubleshooting
• Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment
• Use of Measuring Instruments
• Without more than normal supervision

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: The incumbent will be required to do a great deal of stooping and bending while inspecting and repairing wheelchairs and scooters. He/she will be required to lift parts and supplies from inventory shelving. He/she will carry and move heavy items of supplies from storage to work areas. These loads may exceed twenty pounds in weight, but should not exceed fifty pounds without assistive devices. Care is exercised to avoid minor injuries such as cuts, scrapes, and bruises, strains or sprains.

Working Conditions: Incumbent works in a health care environment providing equipment and services to a variety of customers. Work is performed in the patient care and laboratory setting. The majority of the repairs and work will take place in the prosthetics and orthotics laboratory. The work involves repairing and making modifications to wheel chair electrical systems and/or structural systems. The incumbent work with thermoplastic sheets heated in infrared oven at very high temperatures. Incumbent may work with solvents, adhesives, adhesive thinners, methyl methacrylate (bonding agent), WD40, petroleum based agents, thermoplastics, leather, vinyl, Dacron, and other chemicals associated with wheel chair repair and maintenance. Protective clothing (i.e. face shields, safety glasses, particulate face masks, scrubs, latex and latex free gloves, hot gloves (for use with thermos plastics) etc. will be used by the incumbent for safety and health reasons.

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.

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.