Clarification from the agency

This vacancy announcement is open to current permanent employees of the Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center, current permanent Department of Veterans Affairs employees, and all US Citizens. Veterans Preference does not apply to this announcement in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7412 and VA memo dated 9/25/2025 (FY2026 Annual Determination of Staffing Shortages).

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Duties include, but not limited to:

• Shows courtesy, respect, and a positive attitude for patients, co-workers and the public
• Assists customers with questions or concerns.
• Sets up operatory and/or surgery suite for planned dental procedure and cleans dental unit for timely turnover;
  Possesses advanced knowledge of instruments, materials, and standardized dental procedures used in all phases of restorative, surgical, endodontic and periodontal care;
• Assists in routine general dental procedures using concepts of four-handed dentistry;
• Possesses ability to identify normal anatomy;
• Exposes both standard and specialty dental imaging (i.e. TMJ, cephalometric, cone beam) in traditional and/or digital formats;
• Modifies settings to achieve the images as requested by the provider;
• Captures images characterized by diagnostic quality and accurately oriented and exposed;
• Demonstrates proper infection control procedures in setting up and cleaning up operatories;
• Disinfects oral appliances to prevent cross contamination;
• Properly prepares instruments for transfer to SPS for sterilization;
• Assists in filling gaps in the doctor's schedule due to late cancellations and failed appointments;
• Assists dentist in charting findings and treatment plans in patient records.
• Maintains patient confidentiality per HIPAA with written and verbal information;
• Modifies care as necessitated by patient's age and abilities (patient transfer and position);
• Provides accurate and understandable instructions to patients;
• Monitors patient condition during treatment, being alert for signs of physical distress.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Work Schedule: Full-time, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Monday - Friday.
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
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)
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)
Functional Statement #: 000000

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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation.
• 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:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency. Dental assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part
• Experience and Education
  (1) Experience. Six months experience that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work, or provides familiarity with the work. OR,
  (2) Education. Successful completion of a 1-year dental assistant program accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on [Dental] Accreditation [(CODA)].
  OR,
  (3) Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of experience and 2 education are qualifying.

• Certification. Public Law 97-35 requires that persons who administer radiologic procedures meet the credentialing standards in 42 CFR Part 75. Essentially, they must have successfully completed an educational program that meets or exceeds the standards described in that regulation, and is accredited by an organization recognized by the Department of Education, and be certified as radiographers in their field.
  
  (1) Provisions for Certification of Radiologic Competence
  
  (a) Successful completion of the Dental Radiation Health and Safety Examination administered by the Dental Assisting National Board, Inc.;
  OR,
  (b) Successful completion of the Principles and Practice of Dental Radiology and Radiographic Safety courses and examinations developed by the Assistant Under Secretary for Health for Dentistry.
  OR,
  (c) Successful completion of a radiation health and safety program or examination approved by a state board of dentistry or the Department of Defense (DoD).]
  
  (2) Non-certified applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for certification of radiologic competence may be given a temporary appointment as a graduate dental assistant under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405 (a) (1) (D). Failure to obtain certification during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment. This [will result in removal from the GS-681 series and] may result in termination of employment.

Grandfathering Provision. All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including certification [(for positions above the full performance level)] that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:

(1) Such employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or [changed to lower grade] within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. Such employees [MUST] meet the [certification] requirement before they can be promoted to those higher grade levels.

(2) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.

(3) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.

(4) If an employee who was retained under this provision leaves [the] occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.


Grade Determinations:

GS-03 Dental Assistant
Experience or Education Requirement - None beyond the Basic Requirements.

GS-04 Dental Assistant
Experience or Education Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-04 you must possess one of the following:

• One (1) year of experience at the next lower grade level (GS-03)

OR

• Two (2) years of education above high school that included completion of a dental assistant program accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).

In addition to meeting the experience/education requirements at the GS-04 level, you must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA):

• Basic knowledge of infection control and safe instrument handling.
• Basic knowledge of dental procedures and medical emergencies.
• Ability to perform basic radiographic image capture and processing/retrieval.
• Basic knowledge of maintenance, care and storage of dental equipment.
• Basic knowledge of patient privacy requirements.

GS-05 Dental Assistant
Experience or Education Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-05 you must possess one of the following:

• Possess at least one (1) year of experience at the next lower grade level (GS-04) that demonstrates the core competencies described at that level.

OR

• Successful completion of a full four (4) year course of study that included or was supplemented by completion of a dental assistant program by CODA.

OR

• You are a current VHA Employee in this occupation and covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard.

In addition to meeting the experience/education requirements at the GS-05 level, you must demonstrate the following KSA's:

• Knowledge of anatomy and ability to evaluate diagnostic quality.
• Broad knowledge of common medical emergencies and vital signs measurement.
• Basic knowledge of instruments, materials and standardized dental procedures.
• Ability to learn and utilize software programs used within VHA.
• Basic communication skills to provide patient instructions according to established protocol.

GS-06 Dental Assistant (Full Performance Level)
Experience Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-06, you must possess at least one (1) year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-05).

In addition to meeting the experience requirements at the GS-06 level, you must demonstrate the following KSA's:

• Ability to identify normal oral anatomy.
• Advanced knowledge of instruments, materials, and standardized dental procedures used in all phases of restorative, surgical, endodontic and periodontal care and procedures.
• Ability to monitor and perform basic interpretation of vital signs.
• Ability to independently provide procedure-specific patient education and appropriate referral of patient concerns to treating dentist.
• Ability to capture standard and special dental images of good diagnostic quality in traditional or digital formats.
• Ability to perform maintenance on dental equipment used for routine and specialty dentistry.
• Ability to enter and retrieve data utilizing electronic dental records.
• Ability to perform dental assistant-appropriate laboratory procedures.

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-06. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-03 to GS-06.

Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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 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.