Therapy Assistant (Recreation)

This position is located at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), within the Phoenix VA Medical Centerdical Center. The purpose of this position is to develop, plan, organize, implement, conduct, monitor, and evaluate a wide variety of recreational therapy interventions and programs for patients with an array of physical and/or mental health conditions within the Phoenix VA Healthcare System.

30 Day Hiring ModelThe Department of Veterans Affairs is implementing a streamlined 30-Day Hiring Model designed to accelerate hiring while maintaining the highest standards of merit-based selection. This improved process reduces traditional hiring timelines by integrating early coordination, faster assessments, and efficient pre-employment actions. Applicants can expect a more transparent, predictable, and efficient hiring journey from announcement to entry on duty.What Applicants Can Expect

• Expedited Candidate Review Once the announcement closes, Human Resources will quickly review applications, issue certificates of eligible candidates the day after the announcement closes and refer applicants for hiring manager consideration.
• Quick Interviews & References

HR may arrange interviews and will request references within 3-5 days after being referred to the hiring manager.

• Streamlined Pre-Employment Requirements: Following a tentative offer, applicants should be prepared to complete required steps, such as fingerprinting and background check, credentialing, and medical examination within 3 days of the offer.
• Clear and Timely Communication: Applicants will receive clear communication at key milestones, including referral, tentative offer, and onboarding instructions.

After meeting pre-employment requirements, candidates will receive a final job offer and start date. Onboarding tasks may continue after starting, with HR ensuring timely completion for a smooth transition into VA service. If selected, applicants should be prepared to come on board within 30 days of the announcement closing.

Major Duties and not limited to:

• Manage position responsibilities with little supervision as well as set priorities and deadlines adjusting the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs.
• Assist the Recreation Therapist(s) in carrying out a full range of treatment modalities.
• The work requires the ability to identify each patient's requirements relative to his or her age specific needs and to provide the care needed as described in the unit's policies and procedures.
• Must be able to work with the constantly changing patient therapeutic needs and be able to alter aspects of the therapeutic program being administered to meet the needs of the patients served.
• Duties include interventions to eligible Veterans who have significant barriers to leisure functioning which affect health conditions.
• Assist in the overall cleanliness and safety of recreation therapy storage rooms and clinics, assists in ordering, stocking, and maintaining supplies.
• Completes daily encounter notes indicating patient participation and response to treatment.
• Provides phone coverage and ensure telephone calls, office visitors, and patients are screened and referred to appropriate individuals.
• Incumbent must possess a government purchase card (not to exceed the single purchase limit of $3,000) and complete the required annual purchase card training.
• Coordinates Environment of Care rounds and follows up on all work orders related to the SCI Therapy Group work areas.

Work Schedule: Tuesday-Friday, 9:30 am - 6:00 pm; Saturdays, 7:00 am - 3:30 pm and Sundays 7:00am-3:30pm; Monday-Thursday 8:00am-4:30pm
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: 144760/
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement,06/18/2026 .

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-06 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: GS-6: In addition to meeting time in grade, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Work as an assistant to one of the specialized therapies, such as occupational, physical, manual arts, corrective, or educational therapy; or Experience gained as an assistant or aid in patient care, social work, or psychology where the duties involved actual participation in physical medicine and activities of a hospital or clinic. ~OR~
• EDUCATION: Have successfully completed six months of graduate education, or an internship, meets the specialized experience required only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the Therapy Assistant position. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~OR~

• COMBINATION: Have equivalent combinations of successfully completed directly related graduate education and specialized experience to qualify.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Attention to Detail
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Reading Comprehension
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

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: Physical Demand requirements for Moderate Work.

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/.

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

• 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.
• 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's 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 or 2-year trial 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.