Housekeeping Aid

SummaryThese positions are located in the Environmental Management Service of the VA Medical Center in Fort Meade, SD. These positions will support the Federal Government's response efforts to COVID-19. Click the "Learn more about this agency" link below to discover the perks and benefits of a Housekeeping career!ResponsibilitiesDutiesThe housekeeping aides who maintain VA facilities for Veterans and their families are essential to the patient care experience at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). A VA healthcare career as a housekeeping aide means working alongside other Veterans, who make up 85 percent of the housekeeping staff. As a Housekeeping Aid, you will perform a full range of light and heavy cleaning duties and routine housekeeping duties. Veterans rely on the skills of these professionals to keep patient areas clean and safe by addressing spills quickly, discarding trash, installing light bulbs in halls and rooms, and vacuuming and polishing floors. Duties include cleaning wards, patient rooms, storerooms, offices, corridors, restrooms, shower rooms, and other areas. Housekeeping Aids sweep, mop, scrub (machine) floors, vacuum carpets and upholstered furniture, empty waste baskets, clean light globes and Venetian blinds, wash walls, windows and ceilings by climbing small ladders, refill toilet tissue and towel dispensers and move furniture. Housekeeping Aids carry out assignments with minimal supervision. Work Schedule: Multiple schedules available including nights and weekends. Recruitment & Relocation Incentive: Not authorized.RequirementsConditions of EmploymentQualificationsPHYSICAL EFFORT: Employee must be able to handle weights of up to 20 -50 pounds in dealing with heavy trash and linen, as well as products such as stripper/finish etc. that comes in large, heavy containers. Employee must push, pull, load and unload carts; bend, stoop, twist and tum with moderate effort; climb ladders to change cubical curtains, clean out light fixtures, and clean windows, etc; and must be able to fit and kneel in small spaces to clean, i.e. restroom stalls and other tight areas. WORKING CONDITIONS: On a regular and recurring basis, the employee alternates between contaminated/dirty environments to clean environments; and is subject to burns from accidentally touching hot items. The employee often works around body fluids, excretions, some of which may be foul smelling. Strong, unpleasant odors are encountered while cleaning or removing trash for disposal. Chemicals used can be caustic and frequently have strong odors. Potential for splash hazard, cuts, sticks, bumping and bruising exists from normal work. The work area can be noisy due to the rumbling of carts and operation of equipment. Work is generally conducted in heated and air-conditioned areas, however staff must go outside to empty trash in dumpsters in all types of inclement weather. Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualifications. For this position, the job element method is used to match what you, the applicant, can do against what the work calls for. Your knowledge, skills and abilities will be compared to the knowledge, skills and abilities (called job elements) needed for success. Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element (WG-2 and higher only; screen-outs are not applicable to WG-1). Applicants who appear to meet the screen out element are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated from consideration. The potential eligibles are rated against the remainder of the job elements. While a specific length of training and experience is not required, your responses to the questionnaire must be supported by detailed descriptions of your experience on your resume. You will be rated on the following Job Elements as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Dexterity and Safety Follow Directions Handle Weights and Loads Reliability And Dependability Special Aptitude - Housekeeping Work Work PracticesEducationN/AAdditional InformationIMPORTANT NOTICE: By law, Housekeeping Aid positions may only be filled with applicants eligible for Veterans' Preference when announced to US Citizens. Non-preference eligible applicants may be considered only if there are an insufficient number of preference eligibles to fill the vacant position(s). In order to receive proper consideration as a preference eligible, a copy of your DD-214 and/or other acceptable proof of preference eligibility must be submitted. Receiving Service Credit for 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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. 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. Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities (i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities), and/or disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. For more information on how to apply using this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator within the office, contact the facility Human Resources Department at (605) 347-2511. 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. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 90 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application