Department of Civil Service

New York State Department of Civil Service Announces Examinations Open to All Qualified Individuals

Developmental Disabilities Secure Care Treatment Aide Trainee

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NO APPLICATION PROCESSING FEE REQUIRED

OPEN TO ALL QUALIFIED EMPLOYEES OF THE NEW YORK STATE
OFFICE FOR PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES

* As a Developmental Disabilities Secure Care Treatment Aide Trainee, you would participate in a traineeship ranging from 9 to 15 months depending on your ability to demonstrate competency in certain critical performance areas of consumer care. The traineeship includes a wide range of learning experiences in the provision of care for individuals diagnosed with developmental disabilities in a secure setting. You will be required to successfully complete all mandated trainings. At the successful completion of your traineeship, you will advance without further examination to Grade 11 (Beginning Salary $41,953). An appointee not meeting required standards can be terminated at any time after the initial four (4) weeks and before completion of the traineeship.

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Minimum Qualifications to Participate in this Examination

On or before the date of filing your application, you must be a qualified employee of the New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) and have had one year of permanent competitive, non competitive, labor, or 55-b/55-c service in a position allocated to Grade 3 or higher; AND you must have:

Either 1. graduated from high school or have earned a high school equivalency diploma (such as a GED) or higher;**

Or 2. a Direct Support Professional (DSP) Certificate from an accredited public or private organization.***

**You must include the name and location of the high school or governmental authority that granted the diploma in the “Education” Section of your application.

***You must include the name and location of the organization that granted the DSP Certificate in the “Education” Section of your application and you MUST supply a copy of the Certificate with your application.

There will be a written test administered in English only, which you must pass. If you pass the written test, you must meet the QUALIFICATIONS FOR APPOINTMENT.

In accordance with Section 52.11 of the Civil Service Law, individuals serving permanently in the non-competitive or labor class in a qualifying title (including those serving under Section 55-b/55-c) who otherwise meet the requirements for taking this examination are eligible to compete in this transition examination.

Qualifications for Appointment

1. License Requirement: You must possess a valid license to operate a motor vehicle in New York State at the time of appointment and continuously thereafter.
2. Physical/Medical Requirements: Your physical and medical condition will be evaluated to ensure that you are able to satisfactorily perform the duties of this position with or without reasonable accommodation. A complete statement of the physical and medical standards is available at: http://www.cs.ny.gov/ehs/forms.cfm. A medical examination will be required prior to appointment, and you are responsible for payment of the clinical laboratory test fee. Please note that the medical examination includes psychological and drug screening. Appointees to this position may be required to undergo periodic medical examinations to reassess their ability to perform the essential duties of the position.
3. Background Investigation/Justice Center Review: The names of all prospective employees will be:
   
   • Checked against the Staff Exclusion List (SEL) maintained by the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs. Prospective employees whose names appear on the SEL as having been found responsible for serious or repeated acts of abuse or neglect will be barred from appointment and may have their names removed from the eligible list(s) for the title(s);
   • Investigated through a Criminal Background Check (CBC). All convictions must be reported. Conviction of a felony or misdemeanor or any falsified or omitted information may bar appointment or result in removal after appointment. Each case will be determined on its own merits, consistent with the applicable provisions of state and federal laws;
   and may be:
   
   • Screened against the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR). Prospective employees whose names appear on the SCR may be barred from appointment. (NY Social Services Law, Section 424a.)
   You will be responsible for payment of all required fees.
4. Medicaid and Medicare: In order to be eligible for appointment and to maintain employment, you cannot be listed as an excluded individual or entity on any of the Federal and/or State Medicaid and Medicare exclusion lists (or excluded from any other Federal or Federally assisted program). If you are appointed and subsequently listed as an excluded individual or entity on any of these lists (or excluded from any other Federal or Federally assisted program), you may be terminated from your employment.

Notes

1. Your high school diploma or equivalency diploma must have been awarded by a high school or educational institution accredited by a regional, national, or specialized agency recognized as an accrediting agency by the U.S. Department of Education/U.S. Secretary of Education. If your high school diploma was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to the Examination Information Desk of the NYS Department of Civil Service for a list of acceptable companies who provide this service. This information can also be found on the Internet at http://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/degrees.cfm. You must pay the required evaluation fee.
2. This examination uses the same test as the Direct Support Assistant examination. A candidate cannot be tested more than once during the same test form period. Each test form period runs from July 1st through June 15th of the following year. If you take the test more than once during the same test form period, you will not receive a score for the second test.
3. If you are successful on this examination, your name will be placed on both the transition and open-competitive lists used by your OPWDD facility. You may request that your score be transferred to Developmental Disabilities Secure Care Treatment Aide Trainee and Direct Support Assistant Trainee transition and/or open-competitive lists at other OPWDD facilities. Instructions on how to have your score transferred will appear on your written test score notice.
4. If you submit an application for No. 10-027 Developmental Disabilities Secure Care Treatment Aide Trainee (Spanish Language), an application for No. 10-026 Developmental Disabilities Secure Care Treatment Aide Trainee will automatically be submitted for you. If you are successful on the examination, your name will be placed on both lists.
5. Language Proficiency: If you are considered for appointment to a language parenthetic position, you will be required to pass a performance test to demonstrate your proficiency in the language. Proficiency must be at a level that will ensure your ability to properly perform the duties of the position. If other language parenthetic positions are established, the examination for Nos. 20-151 and 10-026 , Developmental Disabilities Secure Care Aide Trainee will be used to fill those positions.

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Subject of Examination

There will be a written test which you must pass in order to be considered for appointment. The written test is designed to test for knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in such areas as:

1. Dealing with daily situations in an OPWDD setting - These questions test for the ability to apply common sense in dealing with daily situations encountered by direct care staff in OPWDD settings. No specific knowledge or training is needed to answer these questions.
2. Observing and recording situations of daily living - These questions test for the ability to accurately observe and record situations of daily living. Candidates will be given a brief description of a situation of daily living, followed by a number of sentences. Candidates must indicate whether or not the sentences factually and accurately describe the situation presented.
3. Understanding and applying written instructional material - These questions test for the ability to understand and apply written instructional materials. Each question has two parts. The first part presents a short piece of instructional information. The second part describes a related situation. For each question, candidates must pick the one best answer based on the instructional material and the situation presented.
4. Arithmetic for daily living - These questions test for the ability to use basic arithmetic in daily living situations encountered by direct care staff in OPWDD settings. The situations involve the application of simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division, as well as interpreting information from simple tables, to answer the problems presented.

Your final score must be 70 or higher in order to pass. Your final score on the eligible list will be determined after adding any wartime Veterans' and Civil Service Law Section 85-a credits.

Credit for Seniority

Seniority is credited at the rate of one credit for each five-year period (or fraction thereof) excluding the first year of service.

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Duties

As a Developmental Disabilities Secure Care Treatment Aide Trainee, you would assist in the habilitation and care of individuals with developmental disabilities living in an OPWDD secure unit. These individuals may exhibit criminal and offending behaviors, have severely deviant behaviors, and/or be dangerous to themselves or others. You would be responsible for providing these individuals with a safe and secure environment and assisting in the implementation of their habilitation plan. You must be able to stand, bend, stretch, lift, and participate in physical interventions.

The Positions

These positions are located ONLY in intensive treatment units in certain facilities operated by OPWDD.

Important: OPWDD may communicate with you through email correspondence. This may include the notification of your examination results and canvassing you for interest in appointment. It will be important for you to keep your email address, phone number, and mailing address current by contacting your Personnel Office.

How and Where to Apply

Use application/supplemental questionnaire Form NYS-APP-3 #10-026 & 10-027 with SUPP #10-026 & 10-027. The application and supplement are also available at the following website: https://www.cs.ny.gov/announ/applications.cfm. Forms are also available by mail or in person from the New York State Department of Civil Service, Albany, NY 12239 or email cs.sm.examinfo@cs.ny.gov. State employees may obtain forms from their agency/facility personnel offices.

The application/supplemental questionnaire is an examination application; it is not a job application. You will not receive any notice of the receipt of your application. When a test has been scheduled by the facility, an admission notice, detailing where and when the examination will be held, will be mailed to you approximately two weeks prior to the examination date.

Within OPWDD, facilities have varying ongoing needs for persons qualified for appointment to these positions. Facilities with accept applications at any time and will schedule the written test whenever additional eligible are needed. It is anticipated that the examinations will be held on a periodic basis throughout the year. For the testing schedule and other information about this examination, contact the personnel office of the facility where you wish to be tested.

Retest Policy

Qualified candidates may file as frequently as once a year, but a new application is required each time.

Additional Information

New York State is an Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of the State of New York to provide for and promote equal opportunity employment, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment without unlawful discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, disability, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, veteran or military service member status, marital status, domestic violence victim status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, arrest and/or criminal conviction record, or any other category protected by law, unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification or other exception.

Appointment to many positions in State government require candidates to undergo an investigative screening. This may include a thorough character investigation, a Federal Bureau of Investigation Criminal Record History Check, a Child Abuse Registry clearance, or other similar procedures. Candidates may be fingerprinted and may be required to pay any necessary fees for that procedure. Depending on the nature of the job, the criminal convictions discovered, or any falsified or omitted information revealed, the investigative findings may bar appointment or result in removal after appointment.

Eligibility for Employment

You must be legally eligible to work in the United States at the time of appointment and throughout your employment with New York State. If appointed, you must produce documents that establish your identity and eligibility to work in the United States, as required by the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, and the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Reasonable Accommodations in Testing

It is the policy of the Department of Civil Service, in accordance with the New York State Human Rights Law and the Americans with Disabilities Act, to provide qualified persons with disabilities equal employment opportunity and equal opportunity to participate in and receive the benefits, services, programs, and activities of the Department. It is the policy of the Department to provide such persons reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications as are necessary to provide equal opportunity. Persons with disabilities who require an accommodation to participate in an examination must note this on their application. Further information is available from the Test Accommodation Unit of the Department of Civil Service at Testaccommodation@cs.ny.gov.

New York State Residence Is Not Required For Most Positions

However, you must be eligible for employment in the United States.

Cell Phones or Electronic/Communication Devices at the Test Site

The use of cell phones, beepers, headphones, or any electronic or other communication devices at your personal testing site or in the test room, hallways, restrooms, building, grounds, or other areas, except as expressly authorized by the Department of Civil Service, could result in your disqualification.

Continuous Recruitment/Eligible Lists

Candidates who meet the qualifications and pass this examination will have their names placed on the eligible list in the order of final scores, regardless of the date on which they filed or took the test. Generally, the names of qualified candidates will remain on the eligible list for two years. Appeal of ratings will not be allowed as the opportunity for retest exists. The Department of Civil Service reserves the right to terminate this special recruitment program.

S1/TB2 BLM-klr
Reissued: 7/2022

This announcement is subject to amendment or cancellation without notice. Do not copy it, or post it to any other site, but link to it instead.

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