Nursing Assistant (Community Living Center)
Department of Veterans Affairs
Summary
NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. The Nursing Assistants function as a member of the nursing care team and assist licensed nursing staff in the care of patients/residents receiving preventive, acute, sub-acute chronic, maintenance, and hospice care.
Duties
- Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The NA may perform these duties in a variety of health care settings such as outpatient, inpatient, home or community living care, acute, sub-acute.
- The NA will care for patients/residents with acute to chronic conditions.
- Duties will vary by grade, but at the GS-5 Level: Functions: Provides a range of care that contributes to the Veteran’s treatment plan, recovery, and wellness under the direction of a licensed health care provider.
- The NA will care for patients/residents with acute to chronic conditions.
- The NA utilizes glucose monitoring machine to receive glucose readings for Veterans and refers deviation to appropriate health care staff.
- Provides direct care for complex Veterans.
- Make observations of subtle changes in resident’s condition, i.e. behavior shifts, mood, skin coloring, appetite, etc. and takes action accordingly within the NA’s assigned role.
- Documents care given, observations and responses on appropriate tools or forms.
- Responds appropriately to subtle patient changes by contacting the appropriate nursing personal.
- Administers complete tracheostomy care Performs nursing procedures within scope of practice and according to policies and standard procedures to care for the veteran Works on small group activities with patients/residents according to the patients/resident treatment plan.
- Recognizes the residents’autonomy and promotes independence by means of respect, limit setting and individualized treatment.
- Actively participates in Treatment Planning Meetings.
- Utilizes equipment to promote self-care Verbally provides patient information to the treatment team for inclusion in the veteran/residents’ plan of care, participates in treatment team meetings for resident care planning.
- Enters information about the residents’ condition in the chart, utilizing appropriate formats.
- Participates in maintaining a clean, safe environment for the patient/resident.
- Removes defective equipment, reports hazards, observes safety regulations, contributes to infection control, and utilizes proper aseptic technique in performance of duties.
- Serves as preceptor and mentor to other NAs.
- Orients members of the health care team to the units as appropriate.
- Manages distributed patient behavior and intervenes and requests assistant from other health care members.
- Appropriately initiates basic life support, takes appropriate action.
- Completes all mandatory training within appropriate timelines.
- Actively participates in annual competency assessment and validation.
- Other duties as assigned, as related to the needs of the program.
- Work Schedule: 2:00pm – 10:30pm, rotating weekends Recruitment Incentive (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 $144,000 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 Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
- Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Requirements
- 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 (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.
- Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation.
- 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.
- 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 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 trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
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/.
How You Will Be Evaluated
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully.
Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate’s abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
- Resume Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document.
- This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted ‘Resume’ document upload field.
- Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the ‘Other’ document upload field.
- The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position.
- Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50’s (current/former Federal employees), etc.
- Cover Letter DD-214/ Statement of Service Disability Letter (VA) Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation Other (2) Other (3) Professional Certification Resume SF-15 Transcript
- Resume Reminder: Your resume must include the following information for each job listed: Job title & Duties (be as detailed as possible) Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008) Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week) Series and Grade, if applicable, for all Federal positions you have held Please be aware that your answers will be verified against information provided on your resume.
- Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all of the questions by addressing your work experience in detail.
- Recommended: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to fully evaluate your qualifications.
- To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title.
- If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy.
- We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications.
- Veterans’ Preference: – Does not apply to this announcement per OCHCO Bulletin, Annual Determination of Staffing Shortages, dated September 25, 2025
About this role
The Nursing Assistant (Community Living Center) position with the Department of Veterans Affairs is based in Tacoma, Washington. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. The role pays $42,127 to $68,781 per year.
Day to day, the work involves total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The NA may perform these duties in a variety of health care settings such as outpatient, inpatient, home or community living care, acute, sub-acute. The full list of duties, conditions, and required documents appears in the official announcement linked on this page.
Who should apply
This role calls for United States citizenship, an active, unrestricted license or required registration, and a valid driver's license. It is graded at GS-5, which sets both the pay band and the experience reviewers expect you to document. Be prepared for a pre-employment drug screening and physical or medical requirements as part of the hiring process. Match your federal resume directly to the announcement's wording so a reviewer can confirm each requirement in writing. For this Nursing Assistant (Community Living Center) position with the Department of Veterans Affairs in Tacoma, Washington, confirm you meet each requirement before applying.
How competitive it is
The posted pay of $42,127 to $68,781 per year places this in a competitive but attainable range for qualified applicants. As an entry or assistant-level position, it is a realistic starting point, and gaining federal status here can open doors to higher-graded roles later. Based in Tacoma, Washington, it competes within that local market, which can mean lighter competition than major metropolitan postings. The announcement closes on June 22, 2026, and federal postings can close early once enough applications arrive, so applying promptly is wise.
This overview is general guidance from Job Army to help you understand the role. Always read the official announcement for exact duties, qualifications, and requirements before applying.