Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/23/2026. This announcement will close February 23, 2026 or at the point when the first 100 applications are received, whichever comes first. 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-05. 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-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: experience in a program of direct social welfare services that required the application of program policy and operations knowledge in providing social welfare services and/or assisting social workers. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have one full academic year of graduate study in social sciences. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond a bachelors degree. Preferred Experience: Homeless population and community based provider experience. 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 work is primarily sedentary and non-strenuous and is carried out within the confines of the office./work space provided in the community or in VAMC/CBOCs. Some walking, climbing stairs, standing and handling and carrying of light objects is required. No special physical demands are required to perform the work. A significant amount of walking throughout the Medical Center and in the community, is required for face-to-face contact with patients, family members, medical center staff, and community agency staff. Work will be done on site at the VAHCS, GPD, or CBOC's and in the community. Some of the work involves travel to various community agencies, domiciles or service providers, and agencies to obtain/provide information. The incumbent works in close proximity to patients and is therefore, occasionally exposed to communicable diseases. The incumbent may also be subjected to hostile behavior of a client during an interview and defensive maneuvers to protect self may be necessary. 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/.