Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical)

The Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical) provides high-level support training and advanced management of telehealth operations and is typically stationed at a clinical care delivery site (CBOC) with duties that will require travel. Duties include but are not limited to:

• Provides direct patient care and supports telehealth care within and across VA facilities including TeleDermatology TeleOpthomology TeleCardiology and TeleWound care in an effort to expand specialty care from VA hospitals into the CBOC locations;
• Serves as patient-facing technician for Veterans seeking synchronous and asynchronous care across the agency;
• Assists with remote monitoring technologies such as digital photography EKG placement diabetic foot and eye exams and current technology tools such as wound measurement and ClearSteth;
• Supports established telehealth competency-based training for CBOC staff;
• Supports clinical telehealth encounters for both the patient and provider locations by serving as the tele-presenter within scope of practice;
• Functions as an imager and supporting clinical data for telehealth store and forward applications;
• Manages real-time clinical telehealth events providing established patient education and technical and administrative support of telehealth operations;
• Evaluates telehealth operations and supporting performance improvement efforts;
• Provides technical support to end-users;
• Utilizes VA scheduling technology and consult tracking to schedule simple and complex intra-facility and inter-facility telehealth appointments;
• Installs configures maintains and troubleshoots technology;
• Performs a variety of program support duties; and
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday exact tour of duty will be discussed during the interview process.
Compressed/Flexible:Not available.
Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized.
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized.
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave 13 days of sick leave 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work experience or military service experience.
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth adoption or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment full time employees with a total family income below $144000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Telework: Not authorized.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #:
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.

Notifications:

• This is a LIUNA Bargaining Unit position.
• This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay.
• Due to a critical staffing shortage 38 U.S.C. 7412 waives the requirement to apply Veterans preference for this job announcement.
• Narrative responses to the knowledge skills and abilities (KSAs) may be required from the selectee in order to proceed with the appointment
• The incumbent will be required to travel to other VA campuses and CBOCs.
• Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50 (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title series grade step tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held.
• Veterans preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.

• 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.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• 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).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the Required Documents section of this announcement.
• A current valid state-issued Drivers License is required for this position
• A pre-employment physical is required for this position

As a condition of employment for accepting this position you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial 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 trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification in writing that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency Requirement: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English.
• Experience or Education: Applicants must meet one of the following:
  • Experience. One year of experience in a health care field that demonstrates the applicants ability to perform the work or provides an understanding of the work such as but not limited to a medical or clinical assistant (or technician) or health technician. OR
  • Education. Four academic years above high school leading to a bachelors degree with courses related to the occupation. OR
  • Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable. Examples are listed below:
    • Six months of experience in the health care field and two years of education above high school that included at least six semester hours in health care related courses such as biological science surgical technician courses nursing assistant or other courses related to the position; or an associates degree in a health care related field; or
    • Six months of experience in the health care field and successful completion of a course for health care technicians hospital corpsmen or medical service specialists given by the U.S. Armed Forces.

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

• Grandfathering Provision. All Health Technicians (Telehealth Clinical) employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title series and grade held. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it the following provisions apply:
  • Such employees may be reassigned promoted up to and including the full performance (journeyman) level or changed to lower grade within the occupation but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
  • Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
  • If an employee who was retained (grandfathered) under this provision leaves that occupation the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation.

GS-7 Grade Determination: In addition to meeting the basic requirements applicants must meet one of the following:

• Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-6)

AND

• Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities. In addition to the experience above the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
  • Ability to use independent technical judgment to analyze evaluate and resolve problems.
  • Knowledge of quality control and assurance procedures and principles of performance improvement.
  • Ability to function effectively between competing priorities.
  • Knowledge of proper maintenance and troubleshooting of telehealth equipment.
  • Ability to work with a team to provide technical guidance plan organize and coordinate activities of a health technician in order to effectively complete job duties of assignment such as distributing workload monitoring the status and progress of work monitoring accuracy of work.
  • Ability to assist in Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical) development outcome management and strategic planning.
  • Ability to perform successful knowledge transfer regarding the use of telehealth technologies.

Preferred Experience:

• Patient Care
• Health Information Systems & Medical Record Documentation
• Telehealth
• Diagnostic testing

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard please visit Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.