Program Support Assistant

Summary

The position will serve as the Program Support Assistant to the Post 9/11 Military2VA (M2VA) Case Management Program and the Vocational Rehabilitation Program.

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Duties

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Incumbent serves as the initial point of contact to veterans, families, Health Care System personnel, representatives of community agencies, and other visitors who come to the M2VA and Vocational Rehabilitation Offices.

Works closely with involved services for clarification of policy and planned implementation of regulatory requirements, and as appropriate shares such information with professional and clerical staff. Assembles and prepares various recurring reports of a statistical nature for Health Care System management.

Receives and screens calls that come to the program offices as well as greeting walk-in and scheduled appointment Veterans within the programs. Determines what can be handled personally or must be directed to other staff. On own initiative is responsible for prioritizing calls/visits as to their urgency. Direct patient contacts may include sensitive, problematic calls/visits from psychiatric patients, as well as representative of community agencies, administrative personnel, other Health Care System personnel. When required, documents actions taken in appropriate system. incumbent will assist with any future proposals/projects/special events that are implemented.

Incumbent will assist with eligibility and enrollment processing of Active Duty Servicemember's and Veteran's healthcare applications; will assist in all outreach efforts within and outside of the medical facility to promote VHA enrollment and Post 9/11 M2VA and Vocational Rehabilitation Programs.

The incumbent is responsible for collecting, compiling and/or tracking statistical information in support of program operations. The incumbent tracks achievement on performance measures, goals, and objectives; receives and processes documents and reports in accordance with established procedures; uses software applications to draw information from a wide variety of sources in order to prepare reports; and assists in the planning, review, and reporting of data/statistical results of program studies. The incumbent retrieves a variety of computerized data, establishes protocols for incoming data, and organizes and maintains data.

The incumbent tracks and trends issues related to program effectiveness and role implementation: assures that all staff members are aware of current Decision Support Systems (DSS) codes for patient services and names of clinics utilized by the program. utilizes statistical data to compile monthly workload reports as requested for all program staff: assists with keeping program staff apprised of patient census and any changes/problems that might be encountered; participates in performance improvement activities related to the program quality improvement process; and offers performance improvement advice to program staff.

The incumbent is responsible for providing data/reports related to the administrative, clinical, and technical aspects of the program as requested. The incumbent will manage the patient flow through the programs, with a goal of compliance with VHA directives and performance measures at all times. Incumbent will manage all clinic stop/encounter/report paperwork related to the programs, as well as maintaining all policies/procedures/operation manuals to meet Joint Commission, Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) and other Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Quality Assurance (QA) standards.

The incumbent utilizes a variety of software programs and communication tools to input and retrieve data as required. The incumbent accurately collects, enters, and manages data, including both patient data and program data. The incumbent assists with document preparation of the program budget and prepares annual estimates of a variety of programmatic costs including grants and other special projects. The incumbent maintains a calendar of appointments of patients for staff, meetings, conference calls, and scheduled leave as well as coordinates meetings, prepare travel papers, schedules conferences, and assists the treatment team with all administrative functions. Organizes and maintains files and records, manuals, handbooks, and other materials related to the missions of the programs.

Incumbent will manage all program consults, new and follow-up appointment scheduling. Assist in management of all grids, clinic management, and book ability issues. Incumbent will have applied knowledge of primary and secondary stop codes and clinic set-up requests.

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant/ PD37098O

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 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 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-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-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:
  
  
  • Performing a variety of administrative and office support tasks to assist daily operations.
  • Creating, organizing, and maintaining staff and/or patient files and records.
  • Interpreting office policies and sharing updates and guidance with staff.
  • Drafting and reviewing correspondences, reports, and other documents for clarity.

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.

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.