Program Support Assistant

Summary The Program Support Assistant (PSA) provides administrative, programmatic and management assistance to the Director of Outpatient Mental Health, or designee. The PSA is responsible for providing administrative support to the Outpatient Section and may be further assigned duties to support Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI), Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP), Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) programs or contract clinics as needed. Responsibilities The OMH Program Support Assistant will conduct all office functions and will ensure seamless workflow within the section/program. Incumbent coordinates on boarding process such as submitting IT tickets to on board or transfer new employees, inputting ePAS to ensure CPRS accounts are created, coordinating telework packet completion/ submission, participates in interviews, obtains equipment, and orders keys as appropriate. Incumbent will be the records liaison and main document control personnel for the service. The incumbent greets, provides answers, information and guidance, and initiates action as appropriate to Veterans, members of the public and clinical staff. Performs specialized duties regarding clinic grid management necessitating considerable specialized experience regarding a wide variety of situations (such as trainee supervision, collaborative relationships, committee involvement, etc.). The incumbent develops grid proposals, identifies interrelationships between grid exemptions and exceptions, and takes actions consistent with all applicable Book ability memorandums in both PCMHI and BHIP. OMH Program Support Assistant provides general clerical and administrative coordination. Incumbent creates, edits, and maintains current Mental Health specific forms and documentation. The incumbent is also responsible for all program memorandums, letters, reports, fund control transactions, evaluations, program brochures and other written communication, both electronically. Incumbent serves as secondary timekeeper for OMH. OMH Program Support Assistant will collaborate across multiple clinics and administrative areas to ensure credentials for assigned staff are maintained. Incumbent manages and reviews records for accreditation for The Joint Commission, acts as the Records Liaison for the service and Supervisor records. Incumbent will serve as an OMH Automated Data Processing Application Coordinator (ADPAC) by assisting new employee onboarding and access, the Talent Management System {TMS) administrator to assign new TMS courses as needed and monitor completed trainings to ensure OMH personal remain in compliance, the Personal Identity Verification {PIV) sponsor for OMH, renewing sponsorship for current staff and inputting new staff to be credentialed, and Mental Health Treatment Coordinator {MHTC) Designator by assigning Mental Health Treatment Coordinator designations within MHTC dashboard. The Program Support Assistant will collaborate with the ACOS Mental Health or designee and MHCL Outpatient Mental Health Program Managers on all budgetary and fund control tasks. Incumbent will support fiscal management, data collection, data entry, analysis, and preparation of reports for the MHCL program. Incumbent oversees entry of all program evaluation forms into national on line data collection system. Utilize computer systems and data bases related to the processing of Veterans mental health care. Incumbent extracts and compiles data from patient medical records. Uses Microsoft Office products to produces various reports for high levels of management including service and facility leadership, VISN, VA Central Office and the Northeast Program Evaluation Center {NEPEC). Creates and manages various tables, spreadsheets, queries, and reports for use in reporting statistical data to higher levels of management including facility, VISN and National levels. Coordinates scheduling of personnel including clinical and administrative meeting appointments, lectures, vacations, and other calendar items. Incumbent maintains continuity and timeliness of preparation of the weekly assignment schedule for daily caseload. Incumbent makes travel arrangements for all conferences and administrative meeting arranging schedules of site visitors and reservations utilizing knowledge of format, ability to schedule various modes of travel, knowledge of staff's schedule and travel regulations. Arranges meetings/conferences, research conferences, and administrative meetings. Types and assembles and distributes travel itinerary, agendas, and schedules. OMH PSA Collects and organizes sensitive information to use in writing response to control correspondence, congressional, and reports of contact. Controlled correspondence and congressional are prepared in final format for signature by the Medical Center Director. Decides according to nature of report of contact as to appropriate staff to gather investigative information. Coordinates responses from various staff to draft final response to concerns. Work Schedule: 7:30am - 4:00pm, Monday - Friday Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant/PD709350 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Requirements 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, 07/15/2026. 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-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-6. 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-6 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 VA resources, benefits, and administrative procedures; knowledge of medical terminology and medical records; skill in utilizing Microsoft Office and Adobe products; skill in collection and management of clinical and administrative data; skill in preparing and editing forms, memorandums, letters, reports, and other written communication. 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