Summary
The Investigator position within ICE Health Service Corps (IHSC) involves conducting administrative investigations at detention facilities, including health care complaints, morbidity/mortality incidents, and staff misconduct. Requires a clinical license, investigative skills, knowledge of ICE standards, and travel.
This position is only open to current USPHS officers.
USPHS Call to Active Duty (CAD) candidates are not eligible for this position.
Duties
Duties And Responsibilities
- Conducts prompt, equitable, and impartial administrative investigations (e.g., referred medical complaints, patient morbidity and mortality, and alleged staff misconduct). Researches and applies relevant policies/standards, conducts interviews, reviews and gathers evidence, and writes reports of investigative findings; audiences include senior leadership, external agency and department stakeholders, congress, and the general public.
- Tracks, calculates, and documents time and costs for investigative activities.
- Assists regional senior investigator with reviewing unit operations, and as appropriate, recommends strategies to accomplish workload, improve performance, and achieve unit efficiencies.
- Judgmental failure can result in incomplete or ineffective investigations, inaccurate findings, and inappropriate corrective or disciplinary actions. This may negatively impact the work of subordinate investigators, impair employees' faith in the accountability process, bring discredit to the agency, or damage the public's opinion of the agency's health care delivery system.
- The purpose of work contacts is primarily to collaborate, explain, and interpret policies and programs within the mission of the unit. In addition, work contacts include agency senior officials and contract detention facility leadership for the purpose of planning and conducting on-site investigations within the mission of the organization.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
- You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
- You must successfully pass a background investigation.
- You must successfully pass a drug screen.
- Males born after 12/31/59 must certify registration with Selective Service.
- Requirements by Closing Date: Unless otherwise noted, you must meet all requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
- Service Remaining Requirement Agreement: Upon appointment to this position, officers will be required to serve an 18 to 24-month commitment to IHSC.
- ASSIGNMENT PAY AGREEMENT: You must not have a current Assignment Pay Agreement. However, if you have a current Assignment Pay Agreement, it must be fulfilled within 90 days of your application submission.
- Applicants must be a current USPHS Commissioned Corps Officer.
USPHS Call to Active Duty (CAD) candidates are not eligible for this position.
Civilians are not eligible for this position.
- PHS officers must participate in IHSC TDY On-Call Schedule (ITOS.) ITOS is either an entire month or two 16-day periods a year where, depending on the needs of the agency, the officer is required to be available to serve.
Qualifications
PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
- May be exposed to stressful situations while completing assignments.
- Sitting and/or standing for extended periods of time (6-10 Hours).
- Lifting and carrying: investigative equipment (e.g., laptop computer, portable printer, office supplies and documents), personal luggage, patients with assistance.
- Average manual dexterity for computer operation.
- Phone use for extended periods of time.
- Must be able to wear N-95 respirators.
- Required to perform CPR standing or kneeling.
Education
Required Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities
- Current unrestricted license to practice in any U.S. State or Territory in one of the following professional categories: Registered Nurse, Advanced Practice Nurse, Physician Assistant, Behavioral Health Professional, Pharmacist, Dentist, Dental Hygienist, and/or Physician.
- Qualifying degree for the officer's category plus a minimum of five years of professional experience relevant to the officer's category. Of the total professional experience, officer must possess at least two years of experience satisfactorily performing duties of a licensed health care professional in a detention/correctional facility.
- At least two years of supervisory experience or experience related to management or administration of public health programs is preferred.
- Applicant must meet qualifications for the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) Management Inquiry Training within one year of hiring. Requirements include:
- GS 13, or PHS LCDR, or above;
- Minimum six years' experience in an ICE office, or at the unit chief's discretion;
- No recent or pending disciplinary action;
- Working knowledge of ICE rules, regulations, and policies; and
- Must receive a favorable adjudication on a Tier 4 background investigation.
- Valid driver's license and be willing to travel, by agency-directed means, up to twice per month, for 1 - 7 days per trip, with little or no advanced notice.
- Knowledge of investigative resources, investigative principles and techniques, evidence collection and interviewing techniques, investigative report writing, agency writing style, patient safety and medical quality management principles and techniques, and health care risk management principles and techniques.
- Knowledge of ICE Detention Standards, American Correctional Association Standards, National Commission on Correctional Health Care Standards, generally applicable health care standards, laws, and regulations, and professional practice standards, laws, and regulations.
- Knowledge of IHSC, ICE, and PHS rules, regulations, and policies.
- Proficiency with computer applications used in general office settings, e.g., Microsoft Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, and SharePoint.
- If the incumbent holds a clinical license, it is the responsibility of the incumbent to fulfill the obligation(s) of their licensing or certifying body to maintain currency. This position may be required to perform clinical activities with the scope of clinical license in times of critical needs within the agency.
Additional Information
This is a U.S. Public Health Service position within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), ICE Health Service Corps (IHSC), Office of the Chief of Staff, IHSC Investigations Unit (IIU). This is a non-supervisory position
Incumbent serves as an entry-level program management officer for IHSC Headquarters. IIU is a national IHSC program responsible for conducting investigations at over 140 detention facilities that house noncitizens. The incumbent is responsible for investigating: 1) allegations of inappropriate health care; 2) incidents of mortality or significant morbidity; and 3) allegations of employee misconduct.
In Fiscal Year (FY) 2021, the ICE Health Service Corps (IHSC) administered and managed a health care system that provided direct care to over 88,000 detainees housed at 21 designated facilities throughout the nation, to include medical, dental, mental health care, and public health services. Oversaw health care for over 169,000 detainees housed in 150 non-IHSC-staffed facilities, totaling over 53,000 beds. In FY 2021, there were a total of 205,242 individuals in ICE custody, with an average length of stay of 37 days. IHSC also directly supports ICE field office directors on medical issues within their area of responsibility. IHSC executed a budget that approached $316M in FY 2021.
Supervisory Controls
Incumbent reports to the Regional Senior Investigator.
Assignments are usually of a long-term, recurring or broadly defined nature. Officer plans, and organizes own work, determines sequence of assignments, selects and develops methods and seeks assistance from experts only rarely. Work is reviewed for attainment of objectives. Guidelines may be applicable to some but not all parts of assignment and may contain some inconsistencies and be partially unconfirmed. Selection and adaptation from available possibilities involving a moderate amount of modification and innovation is required. The officer uses judgment in interpreting and adapting guidelines such as PHS policies, regulations, precedents and work direction for application to specific cases.
The officer analyzes results and recommends changes in guidelines and program policies. Innovations and modifications to accepted procedures must be approved and clearly documented. The officer keeps the supervisor informed of the status on projects and consults with him/her on any significant problems encountered.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
We will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the minimum qualification requirements. You may be selected for an interview at the hiring authority's discretion. You will be notified of selection or non-selection.
