Program Support Assistant

Summary

This position is located in the Health Administration Service (HAS), Eligibility and Enrollment Section, under the direct supervision of the Eligibility and Enrollment Supervisor. The incumbent continuously enhances, embraces, and supports the Rocky Mountain Veterans Affairs Medical Center (RMRVAMC) mission, vision, and core values. The purpose of the position is to serve as a Program Support Assistant (PSA), also known as a Business Office advisor in HAS.

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Duties

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Duties and skills needed to be successful in this position include, but are not limited to:

• Enrolls and/or facilities the process of the enrollment of veterans and/or their family members into the Eastern Colorado Health Care System
• Councils veterans, their dependents, and their beneficiaries regarding all benefits available through the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as non-VA benefits available through other agencies.
• Responsible for entering personal demographics, health care insurance and income verification the Enrollment System and other systems as required.
• Explains the types of documents necessary to facilitate timely processing of claims and provides assistance.
• Directly involved in Patient Business Office activities, beneficiary travel, correspondence, decedent affairs, eligibility, medical information, and patient care services to include facility admissions and death cases.
• Supports the clerical and medical staff by serving as a direct contact for veterans and beneficiaries seeking medical treatment, experiencing problems and requesting information.

Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday 08:00am to 4:00pm

Telework: Not Authorized

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant/ PD13689A and PD13688A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

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, 10/27/2026.

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 05 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS 04, for the GS 06 you must have served 52 weeks at the GS 05. 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.You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

For the GS-05 position:Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• 1) Thorough knowledge of Medical Center regulations and Public Laws regarding eligibility for inpatient services, outpatient care, dental care, travel reimbursement, and indigent services to advice and aid persons who apply for service or inquiries about eligibility for various programs.
• 2) Knowledge of various resources which aid in establishing legal entitlements, i.e., county, state, and federal records and fingerprinting.
• 3) Knowledge of manual instruction and hospital policy regarding patients who are found to be barred to VA benefits.
• 4) Thorough knowledge of routine admission screening process in order to expedite applications and assure no delays are created and no misunderstandings between ward staff and Medical Administration staff are created that could be avoided.
• 5) Through knowledge of computer operations and computer security.
• 6) Working knowledge of counseling principles is needed in as much as complaints involved not only with medical care but also financial and emotional problems. OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed four years of education above high school. The education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university. TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED .
• OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond the first 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year). TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED .

For the GS-06 position:Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grades GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• 1) Thorough knowledge of Medical Center regulations and Public Laws regarding eligibility for inpatient services, outpatient care, dental care, travel reimbursement, and indigent services to advice and aid persons who apply for service or inquiries about eligibility for various programs.
• 2) Knowledge of various resources which aid in establishing legal entitlements, i.e. county, state, and federal records and fingerprinting.
• 3) Knowledge of manual instruction and hospital policy regarding patients who are found to be barred to VA benefits.
• 4) Thorough knowledge of routine admission screening process in order to expedite applications and assure no delays are created and no misunderstandings between ward staff and Medical Administration staff are created that could be avoided.
• 5) Through knowledge of computer operations and computer security.
• 6) Working knowledge of counseling principles is needed in as much as complaints involved not only with medical care but also financial and emotional problems.

Preferred Experience: A thorough and comprehensive knowledge of pertinent laws, federal regulations, polices guidelines, VHA directive and procedures that require extensive training. An in-depth knowledge and experience in the field of patient administration (both inpatient and outpatient), including medical records and related fields of medical administration, especially related to any HAS Program.

• Provides veterans, their families, medical center staff, other government facilities and private sectors with information regarding medical center policy and procedures. Provides this information, communicating orally and in writing in a professional manner using tact and courtesy.
• Ability to interpret and communicate requirements of VHA Scheduling Directives and facilitate accurate scheduling responsibilities to include communication with PACT and PCMM Coordinator to ensure sufficient access is available for scheduling.
• Knowledge of clinic procedures and regulations; skill in operating computer systems and applications, such as VistA, CPRS, and Microsoft applications to accurately enter or extract information.
• Identifies and collates health insurance information from all applicants for entry to the ICB, VistA, and/or VES, copies or scans insurance company enrollment identification cards, research for employers as needed to obtain complete data when applicants do not have complete information. The ability to apply knowledge of revenue process requirements as they relate to the facility and processing patients for care and ensure proper capture of insurance data.
• Determines eligibility category and entitlement for beneficiary by verifying source documents to include, but not limited to, DD214, discharge certificates, rating letters, HINQ, 7131 and documented telephonic communications.

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

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.