Program Support Assistant (OA)

Summary

This Program Support Assistant position is located at the Lebanon VA Medical Center in the Behavioral Health and Sciences (BH&S) Service . This position provides program support to several BH&S clinical/administrative operations and programs.

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Duties

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Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Collects, compiles, researches, tracks and reports program data for use in program development, reporting to leadership, and other respective offices/staff.
• Functions as the main program support point of contact for the SPC program.
• Assists Coordinator/Leadership and case management staff in preparing for, organizing and conducting Outreach Events designed to increase access to VHA services to those at-risk Veterans.
• Performs comprehensive clerical duties, including phone coverage, software use (word processing, spreadsheets, presentations), and specialized medical systems (VistA/CPRS), while providing cross-coverage for administrative support roles across the entire BH&S care line.
• Gathers data for facility, Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN), VA Central Office (VACO) and Northeast Program Evaluation Center (NEPEC) reports, utilizing various data collection systems.
• Collects, compiles and/or tracks statistical information in support of program operations, and accesses status and outcomes in relation to established performance measures, goals and objectives.
• Receives and processes documents and reports in accordance with established procedures. Use software applications to draw information from a wide variety of sources in order to prepare reports.
• Provides data/reports related to the administrative, clinical, and technical aspects of the programs to the VISN Network Office, Central Office, or other facility leadership needing this data.
• Manages the patient flow through various programs, with a goal of high census and compliance of performance measures at all times.
• Manages all clinics stop codes/encounter/report paperwork related to these programs, as well as keeping all policies/procedures/ operation manuals to meet Joint Commission and other VHA standards.
• Utilizes statistical data to compile monthly workload reports for all program staff.
• Accurately collects, enters and manages data, including both patient data and program data, and enters required data into the database in a timely fashion.
• Acts as a consultant to program team members with regard to program support and administrative matters.
• Provides administrative support for PTSD Clinical Team (PCT), Evidence Based Psychotherapy (EBP) Coordinator, Local Recovery Coordinator (LRC), Psychological Testing Lab, Primary Care-Mental Health Integration (PC-MHI) team, Substance Use Disorders (SUD) team, Residency and Internship Programs, and Acute Inpatient Psychiatry, ect.
• Serves as primary back-up to the Mental Health Commitment Coordinator.
• Provides a point of contact for patients, medical center staff, Veteran's VISN staff, community agencies and various others who contact these BH&S programs.
• Assembles of PTSD Assessment Clinic intake packets and filing of patient assessment products
  (checklists, inventories, etc.).
• Assists with special projects, such as the Mental Health Summit and Behavioral Health Grand Rounds.
• Creates purchase requests and equipment requests in support of BH&S program areas. Data gathering, tracking, managing and reporting in support of BH&S program areas.
• Coordinates of schedules and office space for students in educational programs.
• Coordinates meetings, conference calls and scheduled leave, as well as prepare travel papers and schedule conferences for program staff.
• Exercises independent judgment demonstrates highly effective interpersonal skills with individuals and groups ranging from patients and family through professionals to upper-level management in local and community-wide settings.
• Prepares commitment paperwork for all levels of involuntary commitment.
• Communicates several times a week with the offices of both the County Courts and Mental Health agencies in both Lebanon and Lancaster Counties to coordinate commitment hearings and transfers to differing levels of mental health commitment.
• Prepares court documentation and validates completion of commitment forms as required.
• Secures witnesses for court hearings.
• Updates list of due dates for civil commitments on a weekly basis.
• Coordinates communication with crisis workers and counties when addressing civil commitment
  cases/issues.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am- 4:30pm.

Telework: This position may be authorized for ad-hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant (OA)/ PD595-049800

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
• 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 ( 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.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period 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 probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/14/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement : Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one (1) full year of specialized experience that equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties the Program Support Assistant that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-5) in the Federal service. Specialized experience includes experience where you were responsible for providing administrative support; collecting, compiling and tracking data and information; processing documents and reports; establishing, updating and maintaining office files and records; performing automation duties using such software applications such as word processing, spreadsheet, electronic mail, desktop publishing, calendar, database and/or graphics; and providing information and customer service. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at

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.

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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. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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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.