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Health Technician (Dietetic)


Job Location:

Buffalo, IA - USA

Yearly Salary: USD 48820 - 48820
Posted: 18 October 2026 (6 days ago)
Application Deadline: 15 January 2027
Vacancies: 1 Vacancy

Job Summary

Summary

This position is located in the Nutrition and Food Service (N&FS) of the VA Medical Center in Buffalo NY serving as a Health Technician (Dietetic) providing administrative and customer service support for the VA hospital food service program.


Duties

Major duties and responsibilities will include:

  • Has a broad knowledge of routing modified diets combinations of diet modifications and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) dietetics software
  • Handles patient meal service orders in person or by phone - Interacts with Veterans dietitians nursing staff and other medical center employees
  • Receives patient meal orders and preferences meal and nourishment requests from nursing clinical staff and other members of the interdisciplinary team
  • Takes whatever action necessary within authority to maximize patient satisfaction with meal service - Completes select and non-select menus as required
  • Retrieves computerized information to assist with tray and/or nourishment assembly such as standing orders nourishment labels tabulated recipe lists and other simple information to assist in meal delivery
  • Provides education and information on local facility therapeutic diets to patients guests and nursing staff - Assists patients in selection of the proper foods according to their individual diet
  • Performs clerical and administrative duties in support of the service
  • Performs other related duties as assigned.
Work Schedule: 10:15am-6:45pm including weekends and holidays
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Health Technician (Dietetic)/PD99855S
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements
Conditions of employment

    • You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
    • To be considered for this position you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the 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
    • Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
    • 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 ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers licenses or state-issued identification 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 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 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 10/20/2026.

    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-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: entering patient food preferences into computer system; running tally guides production reports nourishment labels and tube feeding reports; processing new admissions; providing information on meal service and menus; making appropriate adjustments to patient diet patterns and taking corrective action when needed; verifying the physicians diet order. OR
    • Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelors degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position. 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.
    Physical Requirements: This work requires walking standing bending lifting and carrying of light items such as food trays instruction materials books and manuals. NCC Associate function require long periods of sitting and moving about in an office environment including repetitive motion activities of the hands and fingers for extensive keyboard and computer mouse use and office tasks such as answering and holding a telephone and writing. The work may require walking indoors outdoors or to and from other areas of the medical center. It may be necessary to lift and/or push equipment. Incumbent is subject to periods of continuous standing sitting walking and frequent stooping reaching pushing pulling and bending. Frequently lifts or moves objects weighing up to 20 pounds and pushing loaded carts of trays and/or nourishments.

    For more information on these qualification standards please visit the United States Office of Personnel Managements website at
    Additional information

    Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicants 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.

    Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e. physical or mental) covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position after notification of the adjudication of your request you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA please review the
    Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

    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 employees 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.

    This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

    The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice your most recent performance rating and your most recent SF-50 noting current position grade level and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPMs Career Transition Resources website at
    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.

    A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

    Review our benefits

    Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.


    Required Experience:

    IC