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Social Services Assistant (Community Health Worker)

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Veterans Health Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The incumbent is the first line of contact for the Veterans who are admitted to the Homeless Program. Incumbent must be able to help patients set and achieve health goals, which requires the ability to work with multiple Veterans at one time on a range of issues. They are responsible for working independently to identify specific needs of Veterans participating in the Homeless program and providing individualized assistance that is appropriate to the specific circumstance.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
10/02/2025 to 10/09/2025
Salary
$55,052 to - $71,571 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Vineland, NJ
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
75% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
CBSZ-12809927-26-AG
Control number
847275400

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

The public

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Duties

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Incumbent is responsible for working independently to identify specific needs of Veterans participating in the Homeless program and providing individualized assistance that is appropriate to the specific circumstance. This assistance may be related to specific health care needs (i.e. assisting in making follow-up appointments and getting prescriptions filled); and connecting Veterans with resources and benefits (i.e. food stamps, senior centers, and housing services). Meets patients in a clinic or hospital setting and conduct a needs assessment, including helping patients develop health management plans and goals. Responsible for having specific knowledge of the Veterans' needs, overall treatment plan and is responsible for ensuring progress is being made by the Veteran toward achieving his/her health goals.

Participates in weekly follow-up calls and home- and community-based visits to Veterans to help them meet their health goals. This includes providing motivation and coaching to identify and troubleshoot barriers and connect to additional resources, as needed. Collaborates with primary care, behavioral health, and specialty care teams regarding Veteran challenges and needs and care plan. Initiates, organizes and coordinates various activities related to clinical and administrative services provided to program clients. These may include helping schedule appointments and ensuring appropriate services are provided in a timely fashion and documented in the medical record. This also includes helping Veterans secure transportation to appointments, outings, meetings, and additional places to support the goals of the CHW program.

May perform other duties as required.

Work Schedule: 8:00am - 4:30pm, Monday - Friday
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Social Services Assistant (Community Health Worker) / PD00893A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
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
  • Subject to background/security investigation
  • Must have a valid, unrestricted driver's license.
  • 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)
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period 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 probationary period or trial 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, 10/16/2025.

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-07 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.

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: group leader in community or residential recreation or training programs; counselor in a youth summer camp; instructor in a training program for the development of job skills; work that demonstrated the ability to be responsible for and to lead and train members of a job crew; group activities leader in the Armed Services; Unit leader-monitor-proctor for dormitory group in a boarding school or other residential facility; aid or assistant to professional or specialist staff in such fields as personnel (private or government), employment guidance in a vocational or academic institution, social service, or manpower development; aide or assistant to professional or associate staff engaged in a work of a social services nature in private, public welfare, government program, or community organizations, or in voluntary activities; aid or assistant to professional or specialist staff working with individuals who are addicted to or abuse alcohol and/or drugs.. OR,
  • Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have One full year of graduate level education that is directly related to the work of the position (such as social behavior, human behavior, psychology, or counseling). The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended. OR,
  • Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. An equivalent combination of specialized experience and successfully completed graduate education with courses directly related to the work of this position and that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position. Note: If you wish to qualify based on a combination of education and experience, your experience must be well documented on your resume and you must submit transcripts at the time of your application.
You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
  • Communication
  • Veteran and Customer Focus
  • Interpersonal Effectiveness
  • Critical Thinking
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: Work involves a significant amount of walking when visiting Veterans at home or in the community. This includes visiting Veterans who may live in residences with multiple floors or accompany Veterans to appointments or other activities in the community. May occasionally be exposed to physically and emotionally stressful situations brought about by agitated or emotionally disturbed Veterans.

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

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

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.

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.

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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