Program Support Assistant

Summary

This Program Support Assistant position, located in Care in the Community Service (CCS) at the VA Long Beach Healthcare System. Incumbent provides program support and assistance to the Community Care Program, on practical and technical aspects of office administration and other administrative support services. The incumbent is part of a team of clinical and administrative staff working to coordinate accessible, quality care for all Veterans.

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Duties

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Duties include but are not limited to:

• Provides advanced administrative support for Care in the Community Service (CCS) to provide timely, seamless care between VA and non-VA settings.
• Receives, reviews, and manages consults and referrals; verifies administrative completeness and appropriate disposition; identifies duplicate, incomplete, delayed, or time-sensitive requests; and refers clinical questions or matters requiring clinical judgment to appropriate licensed staff.
• Coordinates care amongst Veterans, VA providers, PACT teams, specialty clinics, CCS staff, community providers, hospitals, diagnostic facilities, and other authorized non-VA entities.
• Schedules, cancels, reschedules, confirms, and tracks appointments in accordance with established procedures and Veteran preferences. Requests, obtains and routes relevant non-VA medical documentation for clinical review.
• Monitors assigned consult queues, referral worklists, and appointment status to ensure timely action on pending, aging, cancelled, incomplete, or unresolved requests. Resolves routine administrative issues and escalates access barriers, authorization concerns, and matters requiring additional review.
• Prioritizes and processes urgent, emergent, and routine referrals, coordinating time-sensitive scheduling activities and facilitating timely access to authorized services.
• Provides professional customer service by responding to telephone calls, secure messages, correspondence, and other inquiries from Veterans, family members, caregivers, VA staff, and external providers.
• Uses electronic health record, scheduling, referral, documentation, and communication systems-including VistA, CPRS, HealthShare Referral Manager (HSRM), External Provider Scheduling (EPS), Integrated Scheduling Solutions (ISS), Consult Tracking Manager (CTM), Referral Documentation Tool (REFDOC), VistA Imaging, payer or thirdparty administrator portals, and Microsoft Office applications-to process referrals, coordinate appointments, document actions, maintain records, and monitor follow-up.
• Participates in team huddles, interdisciplinary meetings, cross-training, process-improvement activities, and coverage assignments. Independently organizes workload and adjusts priorities to meet Veteran, team, and program needs.

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

Compressed/Flexible: May be Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant/ PD11382A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

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, 11/13/2026.

You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

• Specialized Experience: GS-06: 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: Demonstrates the ability to apply administrative and fiscal procedures; collect, track, and maintain program data; assist with processing authorizations, payments, referrals, or similar administrative actions; utilize automated databases, electronic records systems, and office automation software; coordinate actions with internal and external stakeholders; apply established policies, regulations, and procedures to assigned work; prepare reports, correspondence, and other administrative documents; and provide administrative support in a healthcare, customer service, or program environment while exercising sound judgment in completing assignments and resolving routine issues under general supervision. Based on the Statement of Differences, the GS-06 serves as a developmental level where technical knowledge and skills are gained through training and experience in preparation for independent performance at the GS-07 level.

• Specialized Experience: GS-07: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: applying administrative and fiscal procedures; collecting, analyzing, and maintaining program data; processing authorizations and payments; utilizing automated databases and healthcare information systems; coordinating actions with internal and external stakeholders; interpreting applicable policies and regulations; preparing reports and correspondence; and providing comprehensive administrative support in a fast-paced healthcare setting.

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.

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

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.