Program Support Assistant

Summary Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC) in North Chicago, Illinois is a VA and DoD dually integrated healthcare center providing care services to Veterans, Active-Duty Military Personnel, and their beneficiaries, including outpatient pediatric services. The primary purpose of this position is to serve as an Office of Community Care (OCC) Coordinator. Responsibilities Duties: The incumbent provides administrative care coordination support to clinicians and other administrative and/other professional staff for purposes of coordinating Non-VA medical care for veterans when inpatient and outpatient, and their VA provider has deemed such care necessary. The OCC program requires administrative scheduling and appointment coordination for diagnostic testing, and referral appointments for many clinical services. This position is responsible for checking eligibility determination for Non-VA medical care in accordance to the MISSION Act, for generating authorizations of pre-authorized medical care. Works closely with the Community Care Nurse Coordinator to ensure proper authorizations are issued, and appropriate correspondence are sent to vendors. Incumbent acts as a liaison between the veteran and the vendors with regard to OCC section and VA clinical services and/or primary care services. Obtains requested medical records including reports, x-rays, labs, and any pertinent information required to complete referrals in the FederalElectronic Health Record (FEHR) or applicable software system. Ensures all necessary components and documentation are distributed to appropriate services at the private institution where service will be provided. Collaborates with OCC nurse to prioritize requested procedure based on urgency (stat and routine), combat veteran status and compensationand pension exams in accordance to policy. The incumbent is responsible for the coordination of all administrative information between the professional staff and veterans. This includes updating and verifying demographic information, data entry, administratively managing referral requests, making and notifying the patient of his/her scheduled appointment with the outside provider(s). The incumbent is responsible for generating correspondence to the veterans and various providers and managing all received correspondence related to care. The incumbent appropriately processes authorizations based on eligibility. Performs assignments involving different processes, complexity, or methods in varying sequence. Applies policies and procedures in resolving non-reoccurring problems. The incumbent reviews and determines veteran's eligibility for specialty programs in the VA Community Care Program and appropriately processes their authorization. He/She discusses eligibility for programs or specific claims with vendors, veterans, and/or service officers. Serves as the point of contact for designated community care claim needs, providing information for Payment Operation and Management when authorizations are required for outstanding claims. Ensures the community care network is appropriate for selection and including timely scheduling. Explains the VA's mandate to collect insurance information to veterans, their families, and other eligible patients. 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: 0730-1600 Monday-Friday Compressed/Flexible: N/A Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant/PD06498A 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 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, 10/16/2026. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: 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-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5 level. 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 and/or education as described below: GS-5 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-4 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Strong communication and interpersonal skills to coordinate with staff across clinical and administrative areas. Detailed knowledge of privacy, confidentiality, and data protection laws including HIPAA, the Privacy Act, and VA information security policies. Familiarity with VA performance improvement principles, safety practices, infection control standards, and equipment use in a healthcare setting. Coordinate meeting logistics, prepare agendas, manage correspondence, and maintain time-sensitive documents with minimal supervision. -OR- Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed full 4-year course of study, above high school, leading to a bachelor's degree in a field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal pre-requisite. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation -OR- Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have equivalent combination of successfully completed post-high school education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the position as outlined above that meets the requirements of the position. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. GS-6 Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience at the GS-5 level that equipped you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the Program Support Assistant position, and that is typically in or related to the duties of this position. Specialized experience includes: Strong communication and interpersonal skills to coordinate with staff across clinical and administrative areas. Detailed knowledge of privacy, confidentiality, and data protection laws including HIPAA, the Privacy Act, and VA information security policies. Familiarity with VA performance improvement principles, safety practices, infection control standards, and equipment use in a healthcare setting. Coordinate meeting logistics, prepare agendas, manage correspondence, and maintain time-sensitive documents with minimal supervision. Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook), SharePoint, and VA systems such as VistA, VATAS, BMS, and HR Smart, with the ability to extract and compile operational data. Working with scheduling systems, time and leave policies for Title 5 and Title 38 employees, and the ability to reconcile complex schedules with varied tours, pay entitlements, and leave statuses. Data entry, document formatting, proofreading, and written communication using VA standards and terminology. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. 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