Therapy Assistant

The incumbent will serve as the Recreational Therapy Assistant (RTA) for assigned patient care programs and is responsible for assisting in developing, organizing, administering, assessing, and documenting therapeutic treatment interventions and responses to the Recreational Therapy Program. Patient care programs the assistant may be involved with include the Community Living Center, Domiciliary Progam High Intensity Psychiatric Unit, and outpatient mental healh programs.

• Assist the recreation therapists in the design, planning, and implementing of specific therapeutic interventions and routines to maintain or improve the patient's general state of physical or mental health.
• Patient populations include those with mental health, substance abuse and rehabilitative conditions who generally have multiple medical concerns.
• Strives to restore mental and physical deterioration, maintaining the highest degree of self-help and independence within limitations or the patient's disability.
• Evaluate the patient's level of functioning, physical, emotional, mental and social limitations, needs, skills, aptitude and interest.
• Utilizes the therapeutic objectives that are complex because of the severe and multiple disabilities of the patients assigned.
• Works with difficult cases involving patients who have multiple diagnosis and/or severe medical complications that require unconventional creative and flexible approaches to treatment that may require modification of substantial adapting of procedures and modalities to more fully engage the patient in treatment.
• Implements the recreation therapy treatment plan and integrates interventions with other treatment in order to achieve the goals established for the patient.
• Observes, assesses, and reports to the treatment team reactions of the patient to treatment.
• Administers therapeutic recreation interventions that strengthen debilitated muscles resulting from the aging process, prolonged bed rest, amputation, stroke, wound care, and joint replacement.
• Performs administrative duties.

Work Schedule: Wednesday-Sunday 8:00am-4:30pm. Subject to work evenings and Holidays.
Telework: Not authorized.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Therapy Assistant/PD619093
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized.
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): No approved.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/02/2026.

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-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. 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-6 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: implementing recreation therapy treatment plans, and instructing on recreation therapy programs or providing status reports. Knowledge of equipment, materials, and supplies used in a large variety of treatment procedures that support specialized recreation therapy and rehabilitation treatments. OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have . OR, Graduate education or an internship meets the specialized experience required above GS-5 only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position, such as Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Kinesiotherapy, Kinesiology, Sports Medicine, or Exercise Science. NOTE: You MUST submit a copy of your transcript with your application.

In addition to the specialized experience the Rehabilitation Therapy Assistant Series 0636 has an Individual Occupational Requirement that you must meet.

Experience

Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 and above): Examples of qualifying specialized experience include 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 and Training:

For GS-3: Successful completion of l year of study.

For GS-4: Successful completion of 2 years of study in a program directly related to the specialized field of therapy.

Note: You must submit your most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility

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.