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Health Technician-Prosthetic-Orthotic

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
VA North Texas Health Care System (VANTHCS)

Summary

This position is located in the Prosthetic-Orthotic Laboratory, within the Prosthetic & Sensory Aids Department, at the North Texas Health Care System or subsidiaries thereof. The personnel in the Lab design, fabricate, repair, modify and fit a wide range of custom, non-custom prosthetic-orthotic devices prescribed by physicians. This work requires a specialized knowledge of the medical and psychological problems directly related to the use of orthotic and prosthetic devices.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Posted this week · Apply by 07/08/26
Due by 11:59 p.m. ET on July 8, 2026
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$54,857 - $71,315 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7
Promotion potential
None
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
Yes
Drug test
Yes
Security clearance
Other
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
CAZM-12995048-26-RR
Control number
874837700

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

ALL US CITIZENS DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.205) for this occupation.

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Duties

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Duties are but not limited to:

Measures and Fits Patients:

  • Incumbent must follow ABC or BOC scope of practice based upon ABC or BOC certification.
  • Incumbent measures and fits patients independently based upon ABC or BOC certification.
  • Under the guidance of a Prosthetist/Orthotist, fits clients with devices prescribed by physicians for orthotic or prosthetic items that are not based upon incumbent's ABC or BOC certification. Measures, fits and repairs appliance, such as shoes, inserts, corsets, belts, trusses, breast prosthesis, Bras, compression garments or simple braces for cases which require standard techniques. Interprets physician prescriptions, measures, fits appliances to clients with a variety of conditions that often require adapting standard techniques. Incumbent will also be responsible for assisting in the assembly of components for custom orthotic/prosthetic devices.
Inventory Management:
  • Utilizes and manages inventory databases such as the Generic Inventory Package (GIP). Analyzes stock levels and usage schedules to determine funds required and execution of budget plans for assigned inventory. Analyses, coordinates and controls management of assigned items of material. Computes requirements for assigned items. Uses a range of usage, cost, availability for established suppliers, alternative sources of supply and other similar conditions.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Health Technician-Prosthetic-Orthotic/PD094670
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Physical Requirements: Duties require extensive periods of standing and walking. Duties require regular and recurring bending, lifting, stooping, stretching, pushing, reaching, carrying supplies and similar activities. Duties require incumbent to be able to lift. Occasionally it may be necessary to lift supplies and objects weighing as much as 50 pounds. Requires use of proper body mechanics. Incumbent must be able to work in stressful situations. The Lab is busy with patients, phones ringing and sometimes vary irate patients who need to be subdued.
Work Environment: Work involves moderate risks or discomforts that require special safety precautions. Incumbent will be working around machinery, irritant chemicals and exposed to patients who may be contagious. Incumbent is required to utilize standard precautions and personal protective equipment when at risk. Incumbent is required to observe normal safety practices with equipment, avoidance of trips and falls, and adherence to fire regulation. Incumbent must inform management and Employee Health of medical conditions that contraindicate exposure to chemicals and hazardous materials.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
  • To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the 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
  • 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 identification 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 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 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, 07/08/2026.

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-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. 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.

The personnel in the Lab design, fabricate, repair, modify and fit a wide range of custom, non-custom prosthetic-orthotic devices prescribed by physicians. This work requires a specialized knowledge of the medical and psychological problems directly related to the use of orthotic and prosthetic devices; and a specialized knowledge and understanding of satisfactory fitting of the orthotic and prosthetic devices. This position requires American Board for Certification (ABC) or Board of Certification/Accreditation (BOC) certification as a Certified Orthotic Fitter (COF) or, obtaining either of these credentials during the probationary period as a condition of retention as a permanent employee. Maintenance of these credentials will be at the expense of the employee and a condition of employment.

GS-07 grade level:
One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-06 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes:
1.) Measures, fits, and repairs prosthetic and orthotic appliances such as braces, inserts, compression garments, and prosthetic devices using established techniques.
2.) Fits prosthetic and orthotic appliances for patients with a variety of medical conditions, adapting standard fitting techniques to meet patient needs.
3.) Assists in assembling components for custom orthotic and prosthetic devices and analyzes inventory levels and usage to support supply and budget planning.
4.) Enters prosthetic and health information into computerized medical record systems and maintains accurate records of items and services provided while ensuring care appropriate to the age of the patient served.

There is no educational substitution for the GS-07 level.

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/.

Education

There is no educational substitution for the GS-07 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. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

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.

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 qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

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.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position:

  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork


USA Hire Assessments include a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. 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. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

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.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator.

Veterans Health Administration

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate whole health care to Veterans?

VA North Texas Health Care System (VANTHCS) is the second busiest VA system in the nation and we are growing! Comprised of the Dallas VA Medical Center, Sam Rayburn Memorial Veterans Center in Bonham, Fort Worth Outpatient Clinic and Tyler VA Primary Care Clinic, VANTHCS is an integrated health care system with approximately 4,000 employees and over 1,600 volunteers and clinical trainees. VANTHCS also coordinates a Community Based Outpatient Clinic program throughout its 40-county primary service area to improve access to care for veterans throughout 38 North Texas and 2 in southern Oklahoma. Through these four distinctive facilities and relationships with other agencies, VANTHCS offers a continuum of health care services to a veteran population of approximately 500,000.

Through its partnership with The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas (UT Southwestern), it also has emerged as a major teaching and medical research center.

DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.205) for this occupation.

Agency contact information

Roxanne Ringold
Email
roxanne.ringold@va.gov
Address
Dallas VA Medical Center
4500 South Lancaster Road
Dallas, TX 75216
US

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