Program Assistant

Summary This position is located in the Patient Administration Service (PAS), reporting to the Chief, PAS Office of the Associate Director, South Texas Veterans Health Care System (STVHCS). The primary function of this position is to assist the Chief, PAS in managing community provider network adequacy and community provider relationships. These include but are not limited to Community Care Network providers, providers with whom STVHCS has sharing agreements and local contracts/agreements. Responsibilities Major Duties: Serves as primary point-of-contact for all inquiries concerning community care contracts and agreements. Facilitates in person visits to community hospitals and providers offices with a team of Community Care staff to meet, build rapport and trust in VA, and educate community providers on VA processes and applications. Works closely with DOD to establish and update referral documents pertinent to our VA-DOD Sharing Agreements. Maintains a working relationship with personnel from the affiliated medical school facilities/providers, DOD agencies, and private sector contracted facilities. Providing on-site direction as needed in coordination with various departments within STVHCS, and ensure timely workload capture leading to VERA credit, MCCF billing, and continuity of care. Serves as the liaison between VA and the TPA on all aspects of network adequacy. Meets routinely with TPA, PAS, and VISN staff to discuss network adequacy and ongoing efforts to build and strengthen the community provider network. Uses HSRM to gather data on community provider availability and utilization. Maintains databases to ensure proper funding for assigned contracts and agreements. These database tools will be utilized to compile and produce accurate reports and statistical data, which will be used by the programs administrators in performing service reviews and the Chief of PAS and the TPA. Creates and maintains a SharePoint site with capacity and utilization data reports for members across VISN 17. Responsible for establishing and managing Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and querying the VA electronic databases to provide monthly breakdown on expenditures for each medical contract and agreement. Work Schedule: 7:30 am - 4:00 pm or 8:00 - 4:30 pm, Monday - Friday Telework: Ad-hoc only Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Assistant/PD00289A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements 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 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, 07/30/2026. 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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. 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-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: Using computer programs such as Microsoft Excel computerized spreadsheets and various portal and websites used by both Veterans Affairs (VA) staff and Community Providers for VA community care to prepare data for reports, inquires, investigations and to analyze the contents of reports; Using medical terminology to aid in conversing and writing concerning eligibility for medical treatment; Applying knowledge of claims, billing principles and concepts to assist community providers with basic questions regarding VA payment for care. 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 Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration