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Summary The Social Services Assistant is the first line contact for the Veterans who are admitted to the Community Health Workers (CHW) Program at the VA Medical Center in Vineland, NJ. Responsibilities ***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Working independently to identify specific needs of Veterans participating in the CHW program and providing individualized assistance that is appropriate to the specific circumstance; 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; Conducting needs assessments, including helping patients develop health management plans and goals; Ensuring progress is being made by the Veteran toward achieving his/her health goals; Participating in weekly follow-up calls and home- and community-based visits to Veterans to help them meet their health goals; Providing motivation and coaching to identify and troubleshoot barriers and connect to additional resources, as needed; Collaborating with primary care, behavioral health, and specialty care teams regarding Veteran challenges and needs and care plan; Initiating, organizing, and coordinating various activities related to clinical and administrative services provided to program clients; Helping schedule appointments and ensuring appropriate services are provided in a timely fashion and documented in the medical record; Helping Veterans secure transportation to appointments, outings, meetings, and additional places to support the goals of the CHW program; Maintaining detailed and accurate records, including computer-generated files, by editing sensitive and non-sensitive data, extracting and printing electronic information related to patient accountability, treatment regimen and administrative issues which include, but are not limited to, setting clinical appointments and treatment plans; Entering information on Veteran needs, goals, and status updates; Assisting with the creation of a directory of community resources; Performing related duties as required. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized. Requirements 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 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) 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 DRIVERS LICENSE REQUIREMENT: You must have a valid state driver's license. AND MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS GS-07: One year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-06 grade level. Examples of qualifying experience include: 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 a 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; aid or assistant to professional or associate staff engaged in 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. This experience must be detailed in your resume to receive credit. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Communication Critical Thinking Interpersonal Effectiveness Veteran and Customer Focus IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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; religious; 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. 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. Work is performed in a hospital/clinic, in administrative offices, and in homes and the community. There may be frequent personal and telephonic interruptions with continual demands placed on the individual for their time and input involving numerous activities. May occasionally be exposed to inclement weather. 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. 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: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov). Additional Information Note: Per "Executive Order 14251: Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs", this position is no longer eligible 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.