Program Support Assistant (OA)

Summary

The incumbent serves as the Program Support Assistant to the Program

Director, Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC). Provides administrative technical support

to the Program Director and team members in HBPC and serves as an information

system operator. Requires responsibility for the smooth daily operation of the HBPC

program. Incumbent screens visitors and callers directing them to appropriate staff

members or answering administrative questions as required.

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Duties

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The Veterans Affairs Northern California Health Care System (VANCHCS) is a Level 1a

facility and ranks among a complex system in the VA serving the VA Sierra Pacific

Network (VISN 21). VANCHCS offers a full range of comprehensive health care

services including Dentistry, Geriatrics and Extended Care, Imaging, Medicine Services,

Mental Health Services, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service, Primary Care,

Radiation Oncology, Rehabilitation Services, Specialty Services, and Surgery. The

VANCHCS offers several special medical programs including Centers of Specialized

Expertise, Home Health Services, Homeless Veteran Services, Intensive Care Unit

(ICU) Services, Pharmacy Specialized Services, Rurality, Spinal Cord Injury,

Telehealth, and Women's Health Centers. The VANCHCS operates thirteen communitybased

outpatient clinics (CBOCs) covering nine county areas. These outpatient clinics

are in Auburn, Chico, Fairfield, Mare Island, Martinez, McClellan, Modesto, Redding,

Sacramento, Sonora, Stockton, Yreka, and Yuba City. The Program Support Assistant

positions reports to either the North State, Sacramento Valley, East Bay, and or

Southern Tier Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC) Program Directors.

Major duties include, but are not limited to the following:

• Operates at a level of responsibility that requires independent actions with broad program directives and supervisory guidelines.
• Screens requests for information, personally provides authorized information from files and records or advice on established procedures.
• Effectively interacts with staff, top management officials, Veterans and family members; determining the eligibility of patients for admission to the HBPC program;
• Establishs program priorities for the successful completion of projects and expedition of correspondence within established policies and procedures.
• Independently assess the external requests for information, data and policy guidance and recommend the proper communication channels or actions even if no written procedures or protocols exist.
• Receives and screens all incoming mail, responding to non-technical correspondence and appropriately routing all other correspondence.

Work Schedule: Intermittent, scheduled according to Service's requirements.

Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant (OA)/ PD01151A

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.
• 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)

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/08/2026.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education 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: Performing responsibilities of the Geriatrics and Extended Care (GEC) Service from an administrative and clinical perspective; Ability to take data, formulate recommendations and draw conclusions from analysis of the data. Analytical skills to organize and present data; Knowledge of and thorough familiarity with Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint are essential; Ability to access clinic data for management and tracking, especially the patient registry and clinic scheduling portions; Knowledge of personal computers and management information systems is necessary and also be utilize various PC applications; Organizational and management skills in order to plan for the daily operational issues. Interpersonal skills to be able to have successful interactions with patients, staff and the community; Ability to present effectively throughout the Medical Center and represent the GEC Service in many different forums; and Ability to possess good English oral and written communication skills and the ability to produce reports, prepare correspondence, and generally represent the service through written media.

• Typing Proficiency Requirement: In addition to meeting experience requirement, applicants for these positions must show possession of the following skills, as appropriate. Applicants may meet these requirements by passing the appropriate performance test, presenting a certificate of proficiency from a school or other organization authorized to issue such certificates by the Office of Personnel Management local office, or by self-certifying their proficiency. Performance test results and certificates of proficiency are acceptable for 3 years. Agencies may verify proficiency skills of self-certified applicants by administering the appropriate performance test.Office Automation typing requirement of 40 words per minute typing speed - Words per minute are based on a 5 minute sample with three or fewer errors.

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.

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.