Program Analyst

Summary

This position is located in the Veteran and Family Member Programs (VFMP) Directorate under Integrated Veteran Care (IVC). The analyst reviews operational, reporting, and compliance controls to ensure efficient operations, reliable reporting, and adherence to guidelines. The position evaluates VFMP health benefits program processes to help management achieve objectives and safeguard resources.

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Duties

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Major Duties:

• Develops and executes reviews of quality controls and process effectiveness for the processes overseen by the Directorate.
• Reviews all standard operating procedures for compliance with the applicable policies. Reviews may include interviews of personnel, observation of processes, and reviews of claims and other related documents.
• Reviews results to determine error rates and assess overall effectiveness of quality control program.
• Participates in work groups that review business processes. Communicates to the work groups to ensure Analysts follow all program requirements, and all design and operational effectiveness goals and objectives are achieved.
• Evaluates activities and related quality controls, and provides recommendations to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of VFMP operations.
• Research guidelines (e.g., regulations, work standards) and related accounting and cost information to make comparison to actual work situations and established program goals for compliance, accuracy, and reliability.
• Serves as a continuing resource to management by studying and analyzing areas of concern revealed by examinations, audits, reviews, investigations, inspections, etc.
• Describes scope, methodology, findings, and recommendations on all reviews to VFMP management. Communicates quality control concepts and control deficiencies to various VFMP stakeholders and leadership groups.
• Participates in audit, VFMP internal control and quality committee/workgroup, and other meetings.
• Determines process improvements and manage any change associated with the process improvements.
• Modifies and/or enhances review procedures to align with changing programs and procedures.
• Conducts reviews of quality controls in place for operational processes within VFMP/CHAMPVA.
• Assists in evaluating controls and various tests within the organizations systems' artificial intelligence to assess system integrity.
• Keeps the supervisor informed of progress and of potentially controversial matters such as the possibility of fraud or items of major impact on other review or examination efforts or agency program areas.
• Makes recommendations for remediation activity and re-reviews failed controls as needed.

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: Full-time, 8-hour shifts Monday through Friday, with tours scheduled between 8:00am-4:30pm .

Telework: This position may be authorized for Ad-hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Ad hoc is defined as occasional, non-recurring telework.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Return to Office (RTO): RTO mandates are in effect and selectees will be required to report to in-person work unless they are approved for an exception or an exemption. Any approval for an RTO exception, exemption, or extension will happen after a tentative job offer, but before a final job offer.

Position Description/PD#: Program Analyst/ PD13235A and PD48197A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

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, 07/30/2026.

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. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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:

GS-09:

• GS-09 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:
  • Performs entry-level analytical support such as gathering, organizing, and tracking program data.
  • Reviews documents or work products for completeness and obvious errors using established procedures.
  • Prepares simple summaries, notes, or routine reports for higher-graded staff.
  • Uses office systems to enter data, run basic queries, or generate routine spreadsheets.
  • Coordinates with staff to gather documents, schedule meetings, and follow up on routine tasks.

OR,

• GS-09 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., if related.

OR,

• GS-09 Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the grade levels specified in the table, and may be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9 and GS-11.

GS-11:

• GS-11 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:
  • Analyzing routine program or administrative processes to identify issues or areas for improvement.
  • Assisting with reviews or evaluations by gathering information, organizing data, and documenting findings.
  • Reviewing work products, procedures, or operational steps to ensure they follow established guidelines.
  • Preparing drafts of reports, summaries, or recommendations based on analysis or review activities.
  • Researching applicable policies, instructions, or guidance to support program operations or problem-solving.

OR,

• GS-11 Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree
  or
  3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree
  or
  LL.M., if related

OR,

• GS-11 Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the grade levels specified in the table, and may be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9 and GS-11.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience with Healthcare operations and Processing Claims.
• Applying analytical techniques to identify deficiencies and recommend improvements.
• Using automated systems for data input, retrieval, and analysis.
• Communicating clearly and effectively in both oral and written formats.

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.

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.