Program Specialist

Job Title

Program Specialist

Duties

Program Administration

• 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.
• Refers surviving relatives with specific benefit inquiries to a VBA point of contact, not the toll-free telephone number.
• Reviews daily death notifications.
• Submits completed death certificates to designated Funeral Director and County Registrar's Office.
• 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.
• Collaborates 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.
• Coordinate the dispositions 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

• 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.
• Implements information systems to track service activities including visits, referrals, demographics and outcomes.
• 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.
• Maintains and monitors performance measure requirements established by VHA, Assistant Under Secretary for Health for Operations (AUSHO), VISN and/or facility leadership.
• Uses agency, department and program knowledge to determine essential data collection and provide program assessment and analysis.

Fiscal Management

• The position collaborates with Fiscal and Supply Chain 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.
• Conducts quarterly audits of patient fund accounts to identify any deceased patient fund accounts in accordance with VA policies and local procedures.
• Initiates disposition of funds when deceased patient fund account balance is identified.
• Develops and maintains monthly and fiscal year variance reports.
• Utilizes Integrated Funds Distribution Control Point Activity (IFCAP) and Fund Control Point (FCP) processes with delegated responsibility to resolve funding needs.

Personnel Management

• 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.

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: Monday-Friday 7:30am-4:00pm

Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/ PD12131A

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required