Program Specialist

Summary This position is the Program Specialist for Survivors Assistance and Memorial Support (SAMS), providing supportive services to families, caregivers and survivors at end of life. The Program Specialist must be comfortable working in the hospital morgue and handling deceased Veterans with professionalism and respect. As part of identity verification, the Specialist may be required to open body bags to locate the internal identification tag, especially if the external tag is unavailable or missing. Responsibilities Duties include but are not limited to the following: Serves as the facility's primary point of contact for the Survivors Assistance and Memorial Support (SAMS) Program, advising Veterans and next of kin on burial, interment, cremation, and related benefits. Ensures Veterans with no identified family receive a dignified funeral and burial at VA expense, including locating next of kin and coordinating with funeral homes. Coordinates administrative aspects following a Veteran's death, including autopsy consent, organ/tissue/body donation, release of remains, and disposition of personal effects and funds. Identifies problem areas affecting patient/family services and recommends solutions or procedural changes, participating in resolution through committee/workgroup involvement as appropriate. Serves as an advocate for patients and families throughout the facility, identifying and helping remove institutional barriers to optimal care. Identifies problem areas affecting patient/family services and recommends solutions or procedural changes, participating in resolution through committee involvement as appropriate. Collaborates with palliative care and facility leadership to develop process improvements based on Bereaved Family Survey and other program data. Collects, analyzes, and reports program data, trends, and outcomes to local, VISN, and National SAMS Program leadership. Develops and maintains databases, spreadsheets, and statistics related to programs within incumbent's span of control. Performs organizational analysis, identifying data discrepancies and recommending corrective courses of action to ensure accuracy and timeliness of program reporting. Manages program budget functions, serving as fund control point clerk, purchase card official, and Contracting Officer Representative (COR) for SAMS contracts. Conducts quarterly audits of deceased patient fund accounts and initiates disposition of funds in accordance with VA policy. Recruits, trains, and oversees volunteers in coordination with the VA Center for Development and Civic Engagement, and supports "No Veteran Dies Alone" initiatives. Plans, develops, and implements programs in compliance with VA, VHA, and VISN 22 requirements, developing training materials and presentations to support continuous process improvement. Other duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Not authorized. Telework: This position is not authorized for telework. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD14880LS Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized. PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): No 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 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 may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period 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, 08/28/2026. 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. 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: 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: Assisting patients in understanding their rights and responsibilities; locating, analyzing and interpreting agency policies and procedures to identify available solutions; Demonstrates techniques to calm behavior and resolve concerns, particularly in a potentially emotionally charged situation; identifying trends adversely impacting provision of healthcare and works to address systemic problems with tact and diplomacy, providing education and enhancing organizational awareness. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed one (1) full year of progressively higher level graduate education or earned a superior academic achievement, 3.5 GPA with Bachelors degree. Best Qualified: Experience in executive assistant/secretarial level administration (managing calendars, taking/preparing minutes, coordinating travel, drafting correspondence, tracking actions, etc.) Experience in the healthcare setting Experience within VHA Experience with customer/patient relations (customer service) Strong computer skills including the use of Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Experience managing funds and utilizing a purchase card. Experience in timekeeping systems and procedures. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to Detail Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: Work is typically performed in an adequately lighted and climate controlled office setting and conference rooms. The office space may be shared with other staff from the area and/or with similar duties. On a regular basis, the incumbent travels within the medical center to attend meetings. Occasionally the incumbent may be required to travel for training opportunities. The work requires some physical activity such as walking, standing, bending and/or carrying of light objects. Operation of a computer and other office machines is necessary. 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