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Social Services Assistant

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
San Diego Veterans Health Administration, Social Work Services
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The position is at the full performance level located at the VA San Diego Healthcare System in Social Work Service. In his/her capacity as a Social Services Assistant the incumbent engages in activities which extend the functions and support the mission of Social Work Service. One focus of this position is on the effective screening of Veterans.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
07/01/2025 to 07/14/2025
This job will close when we have received 50 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$57,070 to - $74,196 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
San Diego, CA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
CBSX-12757595-25-JJ
Control number
839878300

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Current VHA employees only.

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Duties

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All the social workers are members of multidisciplinary teams in one of the several programs or bed services at the VASDHS. Several programs are under the organizational structure of Social Work Service, including the Transition and Care Management program, Healthcare for Homeless Veterans program, the Contract Nursing Home program, Community Residential Care program, the Contract Adult Day Health care program, the Contract Homemaker/Home Health aide program, Caregiver Support program, and the Intimate Partner Violence program. Social Work Service also oversees provision of psychiatric emergency department coverage seven days/week from 7am-11pm. The Social Services Assistant is an extension of the social work staff and can perform many of the basic social work functions to maximize the effective use of time by the professional staff.

Major duties are below but not limited to:

  • Incumbent is the principal point of contact for all Veterans seeking social work services at the VA Medical Center and other office locations in the community that house social work programs.
  • Make an assessment of their needs, identify problems, inform them of the VA services or benefits available, provide supportive counseling, refer them to appropriate programs and resources, and when needed, assist them in linking up with a Social Worker or program that can be of most assistance.
  • Provides education/guidance and assists Veterans and family members with completing Advance Directives (Living Will/Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care) and provides guidance to patients regarding these documents.
  • Triages incoming calls and inquiries regarding the transfer of Veterans from outside facilities to the VAMC.
  • Ensures that all necessary information is transmitted into CPRS.
  • Acts as the service's liaison with both local Vet Centers to ensuring that they receive all necessary administrative support. Refers Veterans to these centers as appropriate.
  • Incumbent is an integral member of Social Work Service and participates in the formulation, structure and assessment of the policies and procedures for the service.
  • Provides administrative support to the following clinical services: Transition and Care Management program, Healthcare for Homeless Veterans program, the Contract Nursing Home program, Community Residential Care program, the Contract Adult Day Health care program, the Contract Homemaker/Home Health aide program, Caregiver Support program, and the Intimate Partner Violence program, and to the main Social Work office.
Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm. This can change based on need at time of hire. On-Call, Overtime, Holidays and weekends may be required.
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a Virtual position.
Position Title/Functional Statement #:Social Service Assistant/91613390
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorizes
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

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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
  • You may be required to serve a probationary/trial period
  • 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)

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/14/2025.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-6. 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-6 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Performing administrative clerical/technical support, knowledge of basic computer skills, including the collection and management of clinical and administrative data and customer service. Expected to do outreach to assist homeless Veterans.
You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
  • Administration and Management
  • Customer Service
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Self-Management
  • Technical Competence
  • Writing


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 physical demands of this position involve primarily walking, talking, driving, use of the telephone, fax machines and copy machines. Strenuous physical activity is not required although the incumbent is expected to withstand pressure and stress as part of their day-to-day 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/.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or 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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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.

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.

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.

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