Program Specialist

Summary

The incumbent serves as the Program Specialist - Mental Health Patient Care Management Module Coordinator (MH PCMMC) for the facility. The incumbent works in collaboration with the Chief of Mental Health, Administrative Officer/Health System Specialist, Clinic Managers, Providers, and other clinical staff in assuring the management and accuracy of the provider panel data base.

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Duties

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• Incumbent is the MH Patient Care Management Module Coordinator (MH PCMMC) for Mental Health Programs/Teams within the Health Care System (HCS) service area.
• He/she works in collaboration with the program leaders, Clinical Managers, Providers, Nurses, Clerks and the rest of the clinic staff, CBOC staff and contract providers and is responsible for maintaining the integrity of the PCMM database for all Mental Health throughout the hospital, outpatient clinics and CBOCs service area.
• Incumbent has primary responsibility for establishing and managing PCMM team and position setup for Mental Health; electronically creates or modifies team and position setting, assigns provider user class based on verified credentials, links associated clinic (s), sets maximum panel sizes, program clinical alert notifications within PCMM, and establishes preceptors to associated provider link; monitors and maintains panels; completes correction of transmission errors; ensures data integrity in PCMM; and reviews/rectifies incorrect patient
  assignments.
• The MH PCMMC will assist, or provide training, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all administrative procedures related to PCMM operations, as well as work closely with the clerks in the Mental Health settings serving as a MH PCMM resource person, and will certify MH PCMM application users to ensure competency.
• Ensures maximum efficiency of the Mental Health clinic operations through appropriate utilization of resources: support to and involvement in, optimal management information system data gathering and analysis, validation and presentation.
• Incumbent is a resource to clinical staff in troubleshooting of Vista, CPRS, and Mental Health Patient Care Management Module (PCMM) software applications associated with the Mental Health treatment area, and ensures all duties are completed regarding MH PCMM implementation and utilization.
• Performs work in direct support of an administrative area such as management analysis or operating program analysis for the MH PCMM package.
• Incumbent aids and technical level support from within the Mental Health Service or a comparable setting. Incumbent maintains full responsibility and accountability for MH PCMM in the Mental Health setting.
• Recommendations and suggestions to management are necessary to assist staff with ensuring performance measures are being met and to ensure compliance to facility, VISN and national guidelines, memorandums and directives.
• Incumbent assists in compiling requested statistical reports/data for VHA CO, VISN, Facility Director, Chief Mental Health, and Mental Health leaders.
• Incumbent performs work in support of general management and/or program analysis functions in which knowledge of the purpose, operation, methodology and techniques characteristic of specific management/program analysis functions is required: specifically for the MH PCMM, which includes interdisciplinary panels and maintenance of those panels.
• Performs other duties assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 4:30pm

Telework: Adhoc

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist / PD247560

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
• 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 or trial 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, 10/07/2026.

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-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: You 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Extensive knowledge of the programs and function of the hospital, the types of patients treated in each ward or clinic, basic eligibility criteria and regulations governing admissions, discharges, transfers, deaths, and authorized and unauthorized absence. Knowledge of and skilled in the operation of a personal computer utilizing a wide variety of software to include Mental Health Patient Care Management Module (MH PCMM) software, Computerized Patient Records System (CPRS), VISTA, Excel, etc. OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Master's or equivalent graduate degree, OR two (2) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, OR LL.B. or J.D., if related.. OR,
• Combination: Combination of successfully completed 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.

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: The work is basically sedentary in a clinic environment with some walking to all parts of the medical center is required since the incumbent will be working with a variety of clinical and administrative services, some bending, standing, and carrying of supplies (up to 20 lbs.) within the medical center complex. The work also requires long periods of concentration at a computer terminal. No special physical demands are required to perform the work.

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

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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

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.

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.