Program Specialist

Summary

This position is located at the Kansas City VA Medical Center. The incumbent works closely with the VA Office of Veterans Access to Care (OVAC), facility leaders and staff to incorporate new concepts and programs into existing systems and provide education and training to all facility staff impacted by program, role or technology changes.

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Duties

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The Program Specialist position is located within the Business Operations Service at the Kansas City VA Medical Center (KCVAMC). Incumbent works closely with the VA Office of Veterans Access to Care (OVAC), facility leaders and staff to incorporate new concepts and programs into existing systems and provide education and training to all facility staff impacted by program, role or technology changes. The facility VetLink Program Specialist/Point of Contact facilitates programmatic care for the KCVAMC. Incumbent is responsible for the overall planning, coordination, implementation, management and evaluation of clinical applications of VetLink within the facility for approximately 22 VetLink kiosks, with particular emphasis on improving the care and safety of veterans. Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• designated as a VetLink superuser and develops, refines, implements and evaluates a comprehensive strategic plan for VetLink programming, kiosk needs, and use at the facilities;
• provides oversight and expertise to committees, study groups and project assignments;
• establishes the core requirements and standards for the VetLink and kiosk program operations and staff roles at the facility.
• developing data, forming plans and preparing recommendation papers that impact on planning for VetLink and the kiosk program as a whole;
• engages in outreach planning and activities, including work with non-VA community partners in an effort to improve care and safety of veteran's healthcare services via VetLink initiatives and programming;
• communicates and collaborates with CBO and facility VetLink staff, the Office of Information and Technology and other technical staff in the development, implementation, and operation of
• VetLink applications with regard to technology and connectivity, which includes wide area network (WAN); local area network (LAN); and bandwidth issues;
• actively stays abreast of professional and technical development in the VetLink field and of current research on value of new technological approaches and communicates relevant
• information to all involved parties;
• Collaborates with the OVAC VetLink team to maintain a current inventory of VetLink technology including hardware, software, and associated licenses;
• ensures that programs comply with Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization (JCAHO) accreditation processes and American Disabilities Act (ADA) standards;
• provides oversight and guidance to assure that all technologies selected in VetLink programs comply with the requirements of the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and other relevant VHA Directives and guidance e.g. VHA Directive 2002-042.
• manages and provides administrative guidance on the VETEXT program which sends text messages to Veterans concerning upcoming appointments;
• assists in maintaining the LEAF and Share Point sites for Business Operations.
• develops mechanisms to evaluate and monitor the quality, safety, efficiency, utilization, productivity, and effectiveness of VetLink;
• instructs refresher training on kiosk maintenance to kiosk leads and trains clinic area supervisors and administrative staff on reporting kiosk issues.
• performs deskside coaching for kiosk check-in staff. In a classroom setting, provides coaching on various VetLink workflow programs.
• performs other related duties as assigned.

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 700-15:30, 730-1600, or 800-1630

Telework: This position may be authorized for telework.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/ PD092840

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved

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 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, 07/06/2026.

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-05. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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:

• Specialized Experience, GS-07 Level: Candidates 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. Specialized experience includes: evaluates assigned medical center program against established procedures; ensures program compliance with national and local medical center directives; collaborates with national programs in the direction of program requirements, standard operating procedures, and training materials; provides training on assigned program areas; communicates with internal and external contacts for medical center program directives to include community outreach.
• Education Substitution, GS-07 Level: Successful completion of 1 full year of graduate level education or a bachelor's degree with superior academic achievement. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of an Equal Opportunity Specialist.
• Combination of Experience and Education, GS-07 Level: Equivalent combinations of experience and education leading to levels described above.
• Specialized Experience, GS-09 Level: Candidates must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-07) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: develops mechanisms for assigned medical center program evaluation; ensures program compliance with national and local medical center directives; creates program requirements, standard operating procedures, and training materials; conducts initial and refresher training on assigned program areas; communicates with internal and external contacts for medical center program directives to include community outreach.
• Education Substitution, GS-09 Level: Successful completion of a Master's Degree, 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such degree, or LL.B or J.D, if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of an Equal Opportunity Specialist.
• Combination of Experience and Education, GS-09 Level : Equivalent combinations of experience and education leading to levels described above.

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

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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