Program Support Assistant (OA)

Summary

The position is located at the Salisbury VA Medical Center within the Geriatrics and Extended Care (GEC) Service and is organizationally aligned within the Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC) Program. The primary purpose of the work is to ensure clerical, administrative and programmatic day-to-day operations of the HBPC Program have the necessary data and processes in order to provide high-quality patient care.

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Duties

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• The primary purpose of the work is to ensure clerical, administrative and programmatic day-to-day operations of the HBPC Program have the necessary data and processes in order to provide high-quality patient care
• Serves as the subject matter expert (SME) and point of contact for clerical, administrative, and technical HBPC program tasks and takes successive steps to independently resolve conventional issues within the scope of work
• Schedules meetings at the request of the program director, develops an agenda to include all necessary data to be reviewed, and completes the minutes following station policy (ie: daily HBPC/GEC huddles, weekly HBPC/GEC team meetings, local VAMC meetings, etc.)
• Ensures all providers within the HBPC program have the appropriate access, competencies, training, and safety protocols
• Assists management by ensuring all clinical operations are in accordance with HBPC program, Joint Commission, and VA standards
• Assists management by ensuring all clinical operations are in accordance with HBPC program, Joint Commission, and VA standards
• Responsible for maintaining and distributing meeting minutes to respective staff members
• Provides input in meetings and collaborates with team members on special projects to resolve issues and/or improve program operations
• Maintains calendars and coordinates meetings for HBPC staff and leadership
• Prepares memoranda, letters, and other forms of correspondence in final form. Processes and facilitates appropriate distribution of all incoming correspondence and ensures timely follow-up
• Processes incoming phone calls for HBPC and assures critical calls/needs are forwarded appropriately
• Assists in the creation of spreadsheets, charts, graphical presentations, and other visual aids when needed
• Performs work involving the collection, compilation, tracking, reporting and/or management of statistical information in support of HBPC Program operations
• Tracks and trends issues related to the HBPC program
• Utilizes statistical data to compile monthly reports, as requested, for the HBPC Program Director
• Coordinates incoming data from a variety of sources including, but not limited to Military Treatment Facilities, VA/Department of Defense (DoD) liaisons, and other VHA facilities
• Enters pertinent information into an automated tracking system
• Maintains automated system of program-specific data to track items such as, but not limited to, completed transfers, patient transfer status, liaison activity, project milestones, progress reports, compliance strategies, etc.
• Corrects, and resolves inconsistencies between Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS), Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA), and patient data
• Maintains patient data in support of program activities
• Creates and maintains a database of active HBPC patient rosters
• Send reports and correspondence to necessary stakeholders
• Performs other duties as assigned

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

Telework: Not Authorized

Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant (OA)/ PD502440

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• 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, 07/02/2026.

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 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: 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. Specialized experience in developing and implementing spreadsheets for tracking, organizing, and analyzing data; ensuring processes for accuracy of coding, workload capture and billing; and maintaining processes that ensure efficient and accurate workflow for programs.

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.

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.

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.

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.