Program Support Asst (OA) - Patient Care Services

Summary

The Program Support Assistant has a primary responsibility to provide day-to-day administrative and clerical support in the overall operations of Nursing Service. The incumbent assists the ADPCS, EA to ADPCS, Nursing Service Chiefs, and Nurse Managers in compiling info and data into final reports, provides administrative support for performance improvement initiatives, creates meeting documents, attends meetings, maintains accurate files, and communicates information effectively.

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Duties

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Duties include, but are not limited to the following:

• The PSA duties include a mix of clerical, technical, and procedural support functions
• The incumbent will compile, analyze, and track program information using spreadsheets, databases, and internal systems.
• Generates routine and special reports to monitor performance improvement metrics or outcomes
• Receives, logs, reviews, and routes correspondence and documents following established medical center procedures.
• Draft, format, and prepare general correspondence, meeting materials, and program related reports.
• Maintain calendars, schedule meetings, and assist with coordinating logistics for medical center surveyors, site visits, leadership retreats, etc.
• Serves as a liaison and point of contact for internal staff, Veterans, families, vendors, and stakeholders.
• Assists with program compliance, track performance measures, and identify issues requiring administrative intervention
• Maintains databases, such as Talent Management System (TMS) reports, personnel folders, or document repository and resolves routine technical issues.
• Position uses all types of Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams, Publisher, etc.) and specialized service specific computer applications.
• Assists with coordination of computer information needs of new and existing employees.
• The incumbent will support resource and budget management with attention to accountability and tracking needs.
• Assists with ordering and organization of office supplies and equipment, coordinates support materials for meetings, and provides courteous, professional frontline support.
• Tracks open action plan activities, documents steps taken towards objective, monitors timely deliverables, and follows actions to completion.
• The PSA will assist in developing a systematic approach to assessing and improving organizational performance, efficiency, and effectiveness, making improvement recommendations for implementation, and supports implementation of process modification or approved policy adjustments.
• Attends meetings as a meeting recorder, coordinates meeting logistics, prepares timely agenda and minutes and delivers effective communication to meeting attendees.
• Supports Patient Care Service timekeepers as a backup on a as needed basis with timekeeping duties.
• Considered an expert in payroll matters and independently provides technical advice and assistance with pay and leave matters to employees and management.
• Performs data entry and tracking to include schedules, leave balances, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) usage, andpremium pay benefits within the VA Time and Attendance System (VATAS) and Acustaf.
• Ensures time and leave status are posted and correctly entered with any necessary remarks when required.
• Compares time and leave postings to ensure completeness and accuracy prior to certification.
• Investigates and resolves errors which involve correction of pay, need for retroactive adjustments, and error tracing that may occur outside the control of the incumbent.
• Alerts time approving officials when employee pay period hours are inaccurate.
• All other duties as required.

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 8:00am-4:30pm

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 Asst (OA) - Patient Care Services/ PD203070

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, 06/11/2026.

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-05 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-04. 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.

In order to qualify for this position at the GS-5 level, you must possess one of the following:

EXPERIENCE: One (1) full year of specialized experience that equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties the Program Support Assistant and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-4) in the Federal service. Specialized experience includes: experience where you were responsible for 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; answering telephones, referring visitors, and providing information. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week.

~OR~

EDUCATION: Successfully completed four (4) years of education above the high school level in any field which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. Transcripts must be submitted at time of application.

~OR~

COMBINATION: Equivalent combination of successfully completed post-high school education (beyond the second year) and specialized experience as described above, which meet the total experience requirements for this grade level. Transcripts must be submitted at time of application.

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.

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

"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."

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.