Dept of Veterans Affairs-VA BOSTON HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

VA BOSTON HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
Department of Veterans Affairs - An Equal Opportunity Employer
_____________________________________________________________________
NOTICE OF VACANCY
Announcement #: 06-144 BHS
Opening Date: 2/21/06 Closing Date: 3/13/06
Position: Police Officer
Series & Grade: GS-083-5/6 target 7 or GS-7
Salary: GS-5 $34,435 to $41,995 GS-6 $38,381 to $46,805 pa
GS-7 $42,649 to $52,009 pa
Service: Police & Security Service
Duty Station: Positions may be filled at any of the three locations: Brockton,
West Roxbury, Jamaica Plain

Who May Apply:
• Current permanent employees of the VA VISN I including permanent Veterans
Canteen Service employees.
• Employees of VAMC New Orleans who participate in the Special Placement Program.
• All federal employees serving on a Career or Career-Conditional appointment.
• Former federal employees eligible for reinstatement.
• Permanent Title 38 employees employed on a full-time basis.
• Veterans eligible as 30% Disabled Veterans.
• Veterans eligible under a Veterans' Recruitment Appointment (VRA)
• Veterans eligible under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA)
• Those eligible under the Employment Program for People with Disabilities
• Those eligible under ICTAP.

NOTE: The selectee may be required to work at any Boston Healthcare campus, as
needed.
NOTE: This is an AFGE Bargaining Unit position (Jamaica Plain); NAGE Bargaining
Unit position (West Roxbury & Brockton)
NOTE: If selection is made at the GS-5 or GS-6 level, the appointee may be
advanced to next higher grade level without further competition upon completing
Time-In-Grade, other requirements and upon the recommendation of the supervisor.
NOTE: Travel and relocation expenses are not authorized.
NOTE: Applicants may not have a police record

NOTE: Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 refers to veterans who are
eligible for veterans preference OR who have been separated from the armed forces
under honorable conditions after 3 years or more of continuous active service
performed under honorable conditions.

DUTIES: The primary duties of VA police are the performance of law enforcement
work in the preservation of the peace; the prevention, detection, and
investigation of crimes occurring on VA controlled property; the arrest of
violators; the control of traffic; the providing of assistance for citizens in
emergency situations, including the protection of personnel and civil rights; and
the protection of VA owned or controlled property. The VA police officer assures
compliance with federal, state, county and municipal laws and ordinances as they
pertain to VA property and agency rules and regulations pertaining to law
enforcement work. Duties include providing crowd control and defusing stress;
independently conducting foot and vehicle patrols; issuing traffic citations;
responding to a wide variety of emergencies, including bomb threats and crimes in
progress, disturbances, assaults, etc.; determining the need for and conducting
searches; assessing and controlling crime scenes and investigating crimes;
interrogating suspects; taking statements from witnesses; collecting and
preserving evidence; and performing apprehensions, restraints, and arrests.
He/she also prepares reports; testifies in federal and state court; provides
assistance; and transmits messages and instructions to officers on patrol. The
applicant must have a valid driver’s license. A more detailed description of this
position is available in Human Resources Management Service.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: (From the OPM Qualification Standards Operating
Manual).

GRADE SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE -OR- EDUCATION
GS-5 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-4 level 4
years of education, in an accredited institution, leading to a Bachelor’s Degree
in Police Science or a comparable degree program related to the work of this
position.
GS-6 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level
NONE
GS-7 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-6 level
NONE

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: (1) VA Police Officers must be able to achieve and
maintain mandatory firearm qualifications; (2) New VA Police Officers are
required to attend a 5-week course at the VA Law Enforcement Training Center in
Little Rock, Arkansas, when scheduled; (3) Candidates must pass physical and
psychological examinations prior to entering on duty and annually thereafter as a
condition of continued employment; and (4) An officer who is convicted of a
domestic violence violation can no longer be authorized to own, be issued,
purchase or otherwise have possession of a handgun under the Lautenberg Amendment
(PL 104-208) to the Gun Control Act of 1968 (18 USC 922).

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Experience that provided knowledge of a body of basic
laws and regulations, law enforcement operations, practices and techniques, and
involved responsibility for maintaining order and protecting life and property.
Creditable specialized experience may have been gained in work as a Police
Officer on a city/town police force, through service as a military police
officer, in work providing visitor protection and law enforcement in parks,
forests, and other natural resources or recreational environments, in performing
criminal investigative duties, or in other work that provided the required
knowledge and skills, and included the power of arrest. Education can be combined
with experience to qualify for this position, but for GS-5 only the semester
hours in excess of the first 60 semester hours can be used in place of
experience.

APPLICANTS MEETING THE QUALIFICATION STANDARDS WILL BE EVALUATED ON THE FOLLOWING
KSAO’S:
1. Thorough knowledge of law enforcement principles, operations, and techniques
and the skill, including arrest techniques to carry them out.
2. Knowledge of federal, state, county and municipal laws and the ability to
learn VA rules and regulations and apply them in support of the mission of the
VA.
3. Skill in using police equipment.
4. Skill in overcoming life threatening situations such as hostage, barrier,
terrorist attack, kidnap or felony assault.
5. Skill in dealing with a variety of individuals from different backgrounds and
varying levels of understanding.

NOTE: Credit for education in lieu of experience will only be given if the
appropriate transcript is on file in your Official Personnel Folder by the
closing date of this announcement. Education must be accredited by an accrediting
institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be
credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education
requirement.) Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees
from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S.
Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following
website: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html. All education claimed
by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly.

NOTE: Subsequent vacancies may be filled under this announcement for a period of
90 days from the date of the Certificate. Candidates who fail to submit required
forms will not be considered. None of these forms will be subsequently loaned or
returned to the applicant.

This agency provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities.
If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring
process, please notify the Department of Veterans Affairs. The decision on
granting reasonable accommodations will be on a case-by-case basis.

HOW TO APPLY:
VA APPLICANTS: Boston Healthcare System employees should submit a completed VAF
4078 to Human Resources Management Service, Brockton campus, Room 124 no later
than COB: 3/13/06. Employees supplemental form VAF 4676a and Supervisory
supplemental form VAF 4667b must be completed and returned to VA Boston
Healthcare System, Human Resources Management Service, 940 Belmont Street,
Brockton, MA 02301, Attn: D. Audyatis no later than COB: 3/15/06. VA VISN 1
employees must also submit in addition to the above-mentioned supplemental forms,
an OF 612 or resume, latest SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, and latest
performance appraisal by COB: 3/13/06. New Orleans VA employees must also submit
in addition to above forms: a copy of the Special Placement Program letter. Forms
should be submitted to VA Boston Healthcare System, Denver Audyatis, Human
Resources Management Service, 940 Belmont Street, Brockton, MA 02301.
Supplemental forms may be obtained in the Human Resources Office, Building 1,
Room #124, Brockton campus or by calling 774-826-1203.

NON VA APPLICANTS may apply by submitting the following forms/documents to the VA
Boston Healthcare System, Human Resources, 940 Belmont Street, Brockton, MA
02301, Attn: D. Audyatis postmarked by the closing date of this announcement.

1. OF-612, Optional Application for Federal Employment, or Resume
2. DD-214, Military Discharge Paper (if applicable).
3. SF-15, Application for 10-point Veteran's Preference (if applicable).
4. VA letter of service-connected disability rating (if applicable) dated
within past 12 months.
5. SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable).
6. Optional Form 306, Declaration of Federal Employment.
7. A copy of your college transcript (if applicable).
8. Narrative statement relating to the KSAO’s. Candidates should submit a
narrative statement on a separate page(s) with specific responses to the
knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAO’s) in this announcement. Failure to submit
your narrative response to the KSAO’s for this job may negatively affect your
eligibility for this position.

(It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure timely receipt of the
application, regardless of the method used for submission. The VA assumes no
responsibility for the late delivery of applications (i.e. postal service delays,
computer system or fax machine is down at the sending or receiving locations,
etc.)



Suzanne M. Wilkinson
for
WILLIAM A. WARFIELD
Chief, Human Resources Management Service



ATTACHMENT

If you are a displaced Federal employee you may be entitled to receive special
priority under the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program. To receive
this priority you must:

1. Be a displaced Federal employee. You must submit a copy of the
appropriate documentation such as a RIF separation notice, a letter from OPM or
your agency documenting consideration status with your application package. The
following categories of candidates are considered displaced employees:

A. Current or former career or career-conditional (tenure group I or II)
competitive service employees who:

1. Received a specific RIF separation notice; or
2. Separated because of a compensable injury, whose compensation has been
terminated, and whose former agency certifies that it is unable to place; or
3. Retired with a disability and whose disability annuity has been or is
being terminated; or
4. Upon receipt of a RIF separation notice retired on the effective date of
the RIF and submits a Standard Form 50 that indicates "Retirement in lieu of
RIF"; or
5. Retired under the discontinued service retirement option; or
6. Was separated because he/she declined a transfer of function or directed
reassignment to another commuting area.

OR

B. Former Military Reserve or National Guard Technicians who are receiving
Office of Personnel Management (OPM) disability retirement annuity under section
337(h) or 8456 of title 5 United States Code.

2. Be applying for a position at or below the grade level of the position
from which you have been separated. The position must not have greater promotion
potential than the position from which you were separated.

3. Have a current (or last) performance rating of record of at least fully
successful or equivalent. This must be submitted with your application package.
(This requirement does not apply to candidates who are eligible due to
compensable injury or disability retirement).

4. Occupy or be displaced from a position in the same local commuting area
of the position for which you are requesting priority consideration.

5. File your application by the vacancy announcement closing date and meet
all the application criteria (e.g., submit all required documentation, etc.).

6. Be rated well qualified for the position. Well-qualified employees are
eligible employees who satisfy all education, experience and knowledge, skill and
ability (KSA) factor(s) for this vacant position. Well qualified employees are
those who are rated above average for all KSA factor(s)

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