Program Support Assistant

Summary

This position is in Pharmacy Service at the West Texas VA Health Care System (WTVAHCS), Big Spring, Texas, with administrative pharmacy support responsibilities extending to affiliated Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs). The PSA performs a wide range of administrative and clerical duties in support of Pharmacy Service operations across all aspects of pharmacy operations.

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Duties

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Major duties include:

• Performs work related to the practical and technical aspects of office administration including personnel administration, trainee program support, timekeeping, data processing, project tracking, and file management across WTVAHCS and affiliated CBOCs.
• Serves as a recognized resource within Pharmacy Service for administrative procedures and requirements.
• Responsible for assisting with medication recall notification through the production and distribution of patient level notifications letters and tracking completion within required timeframes.
• Receives, schedules, refers, and contacts members of staff, facility, and persons outside facility ranging from other government agencies to the general public.
• Supports the pharmacy in the maintenance documentation of compliance with pharmacy accreditation standards across all sites.
• Serves as recorder for pharmacy committee meetings.
• In conjunction with Pharmacy management develops and maintains internal policies, standard operating procedures (SOPs), Medical Center Memoranda, and clinical protocols affecting Pharmacy Service across all sites.
• Performs electronic file maintenance including updating and maintaining computer files and inventory, making backup copies, establishing and maintaining a uniform archive library system, and updating and maintaining all manuals, reference books, operating handbooks, and guidelines across all locations.
• Collects, compiles, and reports pharmacy workload data for all WTVAHCS Pharmacy sites on a monthly basis using VA data management systems.
• Assists the Chief of Pharmacy and pharmacy administrative officer with compiling data for the annual budget forecast across all Pharmacy Service sites, drawing on past expenditure records and workload information provided by leadership.
• Perform procurement functions including submitting supply, furniture and equipment requests and following up on outstanding orders across all locations.
• Serves as the primary timekeeper for Pharmacy Service, maintaining time and attendance records for all permanent and temporary pharmacy employees with varied schedules, tours of duty, and on-call arrangements.
• Serves as PIV sponsor for Medical Center employees and pharmacy trainees, completing required documentation and coordinating fingerprinting and physical access with Police Service.
• Coordinates Pharmacy Service's annual mandatory education tracking across all sites using the TMS application, monitoring staff compliance with mandatory training requirements and alerting management of deficiencies.
• Maintains the Chief of Pharmacy's calendar, schedules appointments, arranges meeting space, and notifies participants of meeting details.

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

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant/ PD013100

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.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• 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, 06/22/2026.

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-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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: Broad working knowledge of Pharmacy Service procedures, practices, and administrative guidelines applicable across multiple sites; knowledge of handbooks and directives, HR procedures, accreditation standards (TJC, OIG, ASHP, DEA), timekeeping rules, procurement procedures, and records management requirements; understand the mission, policies, and program goals of the Medical Center and Pharmacy Service and must be able to apply this knowledge to carry out varied administrative duties within established frameworks; ability to apply standard procedures consistently across locations with differing operational characteristics, referring situations outside established guidance to the supervisor; and knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, VistA, CPRS, GovTA/VATAS, TMS, and IFCAP is required.

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.