Program Support Assistant

Summary This position is located at the Hampton National Cemetery in Hampton, Virginia. Responsibilities This is a bargaining unit position. This position is represented by NAGE. Please note that as provided for in the NAGE/VA Master Agreement the FIRST area of consideration for this position will be permanent employees of the local facility in which this position is being filled, the SECOND area of consideration will be employees at other VA facilities, and the THIRD area of consideration will be all other eligibles. This position is located at the Hampton National Cemetery Complex at Hampton VA. The incumbent frequently will act as the initial and primary contact with veterans, visitors, funeral directors, and family members and confirm the eligibility for interment by evaluating discharge information, accessing agency computer records, or pursuing other verification resources This is a multi-tasking position whose primary duties include assisting in the administrative management of the national cemetery. Primary duties will include responsibilities pertaining to Cemetery Representative duties, administration of VATAS, and budget responsibilities of a government purchase card. Correspondence, reports, public relations, and outreach. Incumbent will check in funeral and obtain necessary papers, such as burial transit permit, military escort orders or other special forms as required, checks forms for completeness and accuracy. He/she may need to make on the spot changes to cemetery representative's funeral assignment as necessary to expedite interments. Meet with the deceased's next of kin to explain the various regulations pertaining to the burial benefit program and to confirm information for the marker. Coordinate movement of military ceremonial detachment and clergy to various committal service locations as required. Escorts funeral corteges to committal shelter and controls parking of funeral cortege and traffic control by assisting and giving instruction to the funeral Supervisor. If needed, may assist in moving the casket in and out of the committal sites for services. Attends funeral services held in the National Cemetery to eliminate mishaps or confusion, aid next of kin and family of deceased and to answer questions about National Cemetery programs and operations. Prepare funeral attendees for the military honors tribute to prevent startling the attendees who may be in a highly emotional state. Assures the flag is properly folded and presented to the next of kin. Handle various funeral cortege activities at the same time. ADMINISTRATIVE Incumbent will serve in an administrative capacity during non-interment hours. Using a personal computer, enters information for burial of deceased veterans and dependents into the Burial Operations Support System (BOSS), reviews interment requests for completeness of information and correct scheduling, and assures that verification of veteran's military service is obtained from appropriate records center to determine eligibility for national cemetery burial benefits. Uses personal computer with State and Municipal Agency telecommunications software to access veterans' records to determine burial benefit entitlement. Assists in assuring that cases are authorized prior to interment, monitors unverified cases nearing scheduled interment time and advises supervisor of verification status. Upon verification of service, notified funeral Supervisor or next of kin, as appropriate, and confirms interment schedule and finalizes any remaining arrangements or special desires made by the next of kin. Maintain telephone contact with VA National Cemetery Administration, National Scheduling Office and other governmental agencies as required when resolving problem cases in an expeditious manner. Incumbent will screen cases when identification is not conclusive and uses ingenuity in obtaining facts which may substantiate identification of decedent as a person who performed honorable military service. Performs public outreach as needed. Work schedule: Required to work Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. May include occasional weekends. Due to the mission of the National Cemetery, the cemetery cannot be closed for more than 2 consecutive days at any given time. Additionally, when a Federal holiday falls on a Monday or Friday, staff may be required to work on that holiday or a Saturday. All staff is required to work Memorial Day and Veteran's Day each year. Staff will be required to work overtime, weekends and holidays when necessary to meet the needs of the cemetery. Occasionally staff may be called back to the facility to perform emergency overtime work. Compressed/Flexible Schedule: Not Available Telework: Not Available Position Description Title/PD#: Program Support Assistant/PD1641556 Relocation Expenses: Not Authorized Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: No Required If interested in applying for this position you ay preview the online application: Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all specialized experience and time in grade requirements within 45 days of the closing date of this announcement, 10/01/2026. 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 within 45 days of 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 your most recent non-award 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 non-award SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one year time-in-grade. 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. Must have the ability to type at least 40 words per minute. Must possess and maintain a REAL ID compliant valid state driver's license. You may qualify based on your experience, 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: interacting with customers and staff, analyzing data; preparing graphs, charts, presentations, maintaining a database system; tracking and logging expense items; scheduling appointments; coordinating meetings and scheduling conferences; establishing and maintaining an efficient filing and reference system for all files; using automated data processing equipment to generate a variety of reports; typing letters, memos, reports, etc. in final form; processing incoming and outgoing materials such as correspondence, reports, memoranda, and other forms of written communication; establishing priorities and setting deadlines; providing an interpretation of policies; gathering data; preparing reports, and making recommendations; develop findings, recommendations, and justifications, coordinating budgets, performing work as a Contracting Officer representative, etc. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Preferred Experience: Basic Administrative Skills, Intermediate Microsoft office Skills, Customer Service Background. Physical Requirements: Work is conducted within an administrative office setting requiring bending, stooping, and sitting. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary 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. Education There is no educational substitution at this grade level. PLEASE NOTE: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement). Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. 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. Additional Information Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/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 (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. 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. 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. For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.