Program Specialist - Survivor Assistant & Memorial Support Specialist (SAMSS)

Summary

The position serves as a Program Specialist assigned to the Survivors Assistance and Memorial Support (SAMS). Program under the Chief, Social Work or Social Work Executive at the VA medical facility as a primary person responsible for the facility SAMS Program. SAMS's focus is to provide personalized, supportive services to families, caregivers and survivors at the end of a Veteran's life and ensures Veterans without identified family receive dignified burials to honor their service.

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Duties

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MAJOR DUTIES

Program Administration - 60%

With minimal supervisory oversight, the position:

Advises Veterans and their NOK of burial benefits. Helps Veterans and NOK prearrange burial, interment, cremation, as desired by Veteran. Advises surviving relatives about burial benefits and other potential benefits provided by VA. Reviews eligibility and entitlement of burial and death allowances and advises on the process for applying for those benefits. Refers surviving relatives with specific benefit inquiries to a VBA point of contact, not the toll-free telephone number.

Informs Veteran, caregiver and NOK of available supportive services within the medical facility, such as Chaplaincy, and Social Work, to provide support at end of life and immediately following death.

Reviews daily death notifications. Submits completed death certificates to designated Funeral Director and County Registrar's Office.

Ensures Veterans with no relatives (unclaimed remains) are provided a dignified funeral and burial at VA (contract or purchase order) expense. Collaborates with VA offices to locate NOK when not readily known.

Views, as required, the deceased Veteran's unclaimed body and/or remains to confirm VA funds are executed as intended in the burial purchase.

Requests any clinical staff involved with care prior to death contact the survivor within 24 hours of the pronouncement of death.

Identifies, in collaboration with designated facility staff, a responsible funeral home for the unclaimed remains and prepares a purchase order and/or contract to this effect.

Completes required VA authorizations to release personal effects and any remaining funds in the patient's account to NOK or designated party.

Records and transcribes providers' requests for permission from the legal next of kin or other designee by law to conduct an autopsy.

Coordinates with VA physician and NOK/legal designee in obtaining signed consent in the event the family is not present to sign, or the death occurred outside of normal business hours.

Coordinates release of remains with appropriate services/outside agencies in the event of autopsy, or organ/tissue/body donation. Establishes and/or follows local procedures for whole body donation.

Collaborate with Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT), Pharmacy and Prosthetics to cancel all appointments to include orders.

Coordinates with Pathology Services to complete all forms and paperwork required to release the deceased remains to selected funeral home.

Prepares and provides military information forms to the funeral home representative.

Requests death certificates from the County Registrar's Office for all external notifications of a Veteran's death and updates records as appropriate within VA system.

Coordinate the disposition of personal funds and effects with the Office of General.

Council for Veterans that have been adjudicated as incompetent. This may require the position to appear in-person at county court houses.

Data & Quality Management - 20%

With minimal supervisory oversight, the position:

Collaborates with palliative care to promote quality end-of-life care by assisting in developing action plans and process improvements related to quantitative and qualitative reporting from the Bereaved Family Survey.

Investigates and analyzes adverse quality trends or conditions and initiates corrective action. Consults with staff and managers to identify opportunities for quality improvement. Facilitates quality management plan development and implementation.

Collects, analyzes, and reports program data to local management, the designated VISN POC and the National SAMS Program. Evaluates program progress and outcomes using data to modify and improve the facility program and processes.

Fiscal Management - 10%

The position collaborates with Fiscal office to financially support SAMS operations. Assesses past budget requirements, projects future budget needs, submits budget requests and manages program budget.

Serves as the fund control point clerk, purchase card official and Contracting Officer Representative for SAMS contracts.

Personnel Management -10%

The position participates in facility initiatives relating to No Veteran Dies Alone (NVDA). Partners with staff and leadership to identify needs and opportunities throughout facility.

Provides general education, training and resources about SAMS to staff throughout the hospital, community living centers (CLC) and community who provide support to Veterans at end-of-life and to their family and NOK.

Collaborates with the VA Center for Development and Civic Engagement to recruit, train, schedule and oversee volunteers at the facility and CLC.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30 am to 4:00 pm

Virtual: This is Not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist - Survivor Assistant & Memorial Support Specialist (SAMSS)/ PD25112A

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 dentification 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 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, 06/02/2026.

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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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:

BASIC REQUIREMENTS

Specialized Experience:

You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• Knowledge of a wide range of concepts, principles and practices in the areas of end-of-life, hospice death, burial, funeral and bereavement.
• Knowledge of a substantial body of administrative and program principles, concepts, policies and objectives in these and related programs.
• Ability to perform analytical studies and interpretation of results to coordinate the evaluation of medical/scientific programs and policies and to recommend improvements.
• Ability to communicate, both orally and in writing, to make presentations, explain recommendations, represent the division and assigned program areas, provide guidance and advise program administrators, respond to inquiries and prepare reports.

OR,

Education:

Applicants may substitute education for the required experience.

• To qualify based on education for this grade level, you must have a Master's or equivalent graduate degree OR
• 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree OR
• LL.B. or J.D. in a course of study that directly reflects the job-related KSAs/competencies necessary to satisfy the minimum qualifications and perform the duties of the Program Specialist-Survivors Assistance and Memorial Support Program.

OR,

Combination of Specialized Experience and Education:

Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond the graduate level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level.

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

Education

Applicants may substitute Education for the required Experience.

To qualify based on education for this grade level, you must have a Master's or equivalent graduate degree

OR

2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree

OR

LL.B. or J.D. in a course of study that directly reflects the job-related KSAs/competencies necessary to satisfy the minimum qualifications and perform the duties of the Program Specialist-Survivors Assistance and Memorial Support Program.

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:

OUR MISSION:

To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate whole health care to Veterans?

The Washington DC VA Medical Center, located within sight of the Nation's Capitol, is the only health care system that specifically provides care to Veterans. Offering tertiary care in a Complexity Level IA hospital, allows ours staff to provide comprehensive primary and specialty care in medicine, surgery, neurology and psychiatry.

The medical center has 175 acute care beds, 30 Psychosocial Residential Rehabilitation Treatment beds, and a 20-suite Fisher House. Also, the medical center is home to an adjacent 120-bed Community Living Center which provides Veterans with geriatric long-term care, hospice and palliative care.

The VA has adopted Core Values and Characteristics that apply universally across the Department.

The Values are I ntegrity, C ommitment, A dvocacy, R espect and E xcellence (" I CARE "). As a VA professional, your opportunities are endless. With many openings in the multiple functions of VA, you will have a wide range of opportunities and leadership positions at your fingertips.

Additional information

Whole Health:

Whole Health is an approach to health care that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their life to the fullest. The VA is committed to Whole Health and values Veteran and Employee health and wellbeing. As a VA employee, you will practice Whole Health in an environment that supports personalized and proactive care.

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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