Program Support Assistant

Summary This position is in the Bone Marrow Transplant Program within the Hospital and Specialty Medicine Service Line (HSM} at VA Puget Sound Healthcare System, Seattle, WA. Responsibilities Duties include but are not limited to: The incumbent manages resources and the budget for the hotel contract. Responsible for all aspects of TRACER reporting for transplant reimbursement to the facility. Responsible for coordination of the transplant process from candidate referral, evaluation, acceptance, transplant and follow-up. Prepares monthly housing report for statistical information used by management and contract hotel payment. Develops, submits and monitors the housing contract for usage and the budgeting requirements. Coordinates the meal reimbursement program with beneficiary travel for all transplant patients. Coordinates and ensures transportation arrangements are made with the home VA for evaluation, admission and discharge home. This includes the patient, donor and caregiver for the lung and bone marrow transplant programs. Instructs patients, donors and caregivers regarding hotel rules and deals with transportation issues. Resolves hotel operational issues. Instructs patients, donors and caregivers regarding hotel rules and deals with transportation issues. The incumbent is and active and vital part of a multi-disciplinary team. Communicates regularly with the clinical staff regarding the housing program and to keep them informed of housing statuses and any issues regarding patient care and safety at the hotel. Responsible for education and consumer information by developing and writing brochures/pamphlets/flyers to explain and orient patients, donors and caregivers to community resources to meet the needs of the transplant program. Initiates and compiles patient treatment schedules for the bone marrow transplant program. Responsible for implementing policies and procedures for housing the lung and bone marrow transplant patients, donors and caregivers. Works closely with hotel staff to ensure our patients, donors and caregivers are following hotel rules. When appropriate deals with any issues in this regard. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:00am- 3:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant/PD412570 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements 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 Pre-Placement Physical Examination Required Physical Requirements: The work requires not special physical demands. It may involve some walking, standing, bending or carrying of light items. Driving an automobile (GOV) to contract housing for inspections and meeting with hotel staff. 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, 09/14/2026. 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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. 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 and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Ability to analyze the results while applying guidelines and recommends changes to them for an effective and efficient program; ability to interpret and develop complex written procedures; ability to use the Microsoft office suite of software products (Word, Excel, Outlook, Access, PowerPoint) and familiarity with computerized medical records; ability to problem solve with critical thinking, interpersonal communication, and conflict management; Knowledge of maintaining an automated system of program-specific data to track suspense items such as project milestones, progress reports, funding accomplishments and compliance strategies; experience preparing materials needed to respond to correspondence and inquiries. NOTE: As a general rule, education is not creditable above GS-5 for most positions covered by this standard; however, graduate education may be credited in those few instances where the graduate education is directly related to the work of the position. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed graduate level education, which is DIRECTLY RELATED to the duties of the position and have submitted transcripts verifying my education.( transcripts required). DRIVING REQUIREMENT: Incidental operators are employees, other than those occupying a position officially classified as a motor vehicle operator, who are required to operate a Government-owned or -leased motor vehicle to properly carry out their assigned duties. To qualify as an incidental operator, an employee must possess a valid State license, have a safe driving record, pass a road test, and demonstrate that he or she is medically qualified to operate the appropriate motor vehicle safely. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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: 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: 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. Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. 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 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. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration