Veterans Service Officer

THIS IS A NEW ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION. The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list and may last approximately one year, but can be extended. Applications must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. Applications will only be accepted on-line.

Supplemental Questionnaire:  A properly completed Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted with each application.  Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing.  Failure to submit the application or fully completed supplemental questionnaire will result in disqualification.

Ideal Candidate Description:

• Adept knowledge regarding laws and regulations pertaining to Veterans Programs
• Experience supervising and evaluating work 
• Experience working with Veterans
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively
• Strong written skills
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize
• Ability to adapt to situations quickly
• Well versed in computers and Microsoft Office

THE AGENCY

The Alameda County Social Services Agency (SSA) is comprised of 2,200 men and women working collectively and in partnership with community-based organizations to serve the needs of the community.  Services are provided through four departments:  Agency Administration, Adult, Aging and Medical Services, Children and Family Services, and Workforce and Benefit Administration.  The Agency assists approximately 11.3 percent of Alameda County's residents.  Benefits programs contribute over $278 million to the local economy through cash assistance and CalFresh (formerly known as Food Stamps).  Every month, more than 52,000 people receive CalWORKs (assistance for families with children), CalFresh and General Assistance.  Every month health insurance is made available to more than 78,000 people through the Medi-Cal program. More than 11,000 frail, elderly and disabled individuals receive in-home care, adult protection and support managing their affairs monthly and 16,000 seniors will receive services through the Area Agency on Aging throughout the year.  3,700 children are in foster care.  More than 1,600 reports of child abuse or neglect are filed with SSA each month.  Emergency shelter is made available to 415 people nightly. Under general direction to plan, organize and direct the operations of the Social Service Agency’s Veterans Service Office to provide aid and assistance to Veterans and their dependents in obtaining the rights and entitlements provided by Federal, State and local legislation; and perform other duties as required.

THE POSITION

This single position class reports directly to the Program Manager for Adult Services in the Social Services Agency, and is responsible for a variety of administrative, coordination, supervisory, planning and public relations functions relative to the on-going operations of the Veterans Services Office. It is distinguished from the lower-level class of Veterans Claims Representative in that the Veterans Service Officer serves as the representative of the Social Services Agency in any matters pertaining to veterans affairs, including acting as liaison with the California Department of Veterans Administration.

Education:

Possession of a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, Social Welfare, or a related field from an accredited college or university,

AND

Either Experience Pattern I:

The equivalent of one year of full-time experience as an Administrative Specialist II with Social Services that included counseling experience and supervision, or in an equivalent or higher level supervisory classification in the Alameda County classified service.

Or Experience Pattern II:

The equivalent of three years of full-time experience in a recognized Veterans Service Office of a Federal, State, or County government, or a recognized public or private veterans service organization, at least one year of full-time experience which must have included supervision.

Special Requirements:
• Must be a veteran in accordance with Section 980 of the California Military and Veterans Code.
• Must have a valid California Driver’s License.
• Within one year of employment, must be accredited by the California Department of Veterans Affairs (Title 38, Code of Federal Regulations 14.629).

NOTE: The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:

Knowledge of:
• Provisions of Federal, State, and local legislation, rules or regulations relating to all veterans entitlement programs.
• Principles of administration, supervision and training.
• Interviewing and counseling techniques.
• Community resources.
• Veterans Administration claims and special practices and procedures.
• Outreach techniques and community development skills.

Ability to:
• Plan, develop and administer a comprehensive Veterans Service program.
• Train, supervise, and evaluate the work of subordinate staff.
• Interpret laws and regulations concerning the rights and entitlements of veterans and their dependents.
• Prepare or assist veterans in the preparation of appropriate forms and correspondence.
• Assemble, organize, and present in written and/or oral form, comprehensive studies and reports.
• Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with diverse groups or populations and with Federal, State, or County/local organizations and individuals.
• Learn computer applications related to performing the job.

THE EXAMINATION WILL CONSIST OF the following steps: 1) A review of candidates' applications to verify possession of minimum requirements. Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process. 2) An oral interview which will be weighted as 100% of the candidate's final examination score. The oral interview may contain situational exercises.

CANDIDATES MUST ATTAIN A QUALIFYING RATING ON EACH PORTION OF THIS EXAMINATION.

We reserve the right to make changes to the announced examination components. Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit. Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position. Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position. Other recruitments many be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work. To learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the “What You Need to Know” section of our website, www.acgov.org/hrs.  

 

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN

Deadline for Filing:	Thursday, March 26 2015
Review for Minimum Qualifications:	Thursday, April 9, 2015
Panel Interviews:	Week of May 18, 2015

We reserve the right to make changes to the announced examination components.

Alameda County and the Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination and/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Alameda County’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy and applicable statues.  To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the examination/selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement before the last date of filing.  Alameda County requires applicants to provide supporting documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a disability/medical condition pursuant to the ADA, FEHA and applicable statues.  

Alameda County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many different employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall well being.  These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Welfare Benefits

• Medical – HMO & PPO Insurance
• Dental – PPO & DHMO Insurance  
• Vision
• Basic Life Insurance 
• Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage) 
• County Allowance (Employer Credit)
• Health Flexible Spending Account
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• Accident, Critical Illness & Hospital Indemnity
• Long Term Care Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

• Short-term Disability Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Retirement Plan – (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
• Deferred Compensation Plan

For your Work/Life Balance

• 11 paid holidays
• Vacation and sick leave accrual
• Vacation purchase program
• Management Paid Leave**
• Group Auto/Home Insurance
• Commuter Benefits Program
• Group Legal
• Guaranteed Ride Home
• Employee Wellness Program (e.g. At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
• Employee Discount Program (e.g. theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
• Child Care Resources
• 1^st United Services Credit Union 

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement.  This provides a brief summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.

** Non-exempt management employees are entitled to up to three days of management paid leave. Exempt management employees are entitled to up to seven days of management paid leave.

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @acgov.org and alamedacountyHR@acgov.org as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you may use. If you do not do this, your email blocking or spam filtering program may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments. You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you. All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in your online application account by clicking on the "My applications" button on the Current Job Openings page.

Please take the steps recommended above to insure you do not miss any notices about a recruitment for which you have applied. The County of Alameda is not responsible for notices that are not read, received or accessed by any applicant for a County recruitment.

NOTE: All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box alamedacountyHR@acgov.org are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. If you have questions please go to our website at www.acgov.org/hrs. You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the job announcement for the recruitment for which you have applied.  

Ione Bell,  Human Resources Analyst II

Human Resource Services,

County of Alameda

510-272-6456

Alameda County is an Equal Opportunity Employer