Clarification from the agency

This job vacancy announcement is open to the public and to all U.S. Citizens. ALL US CITIZENS DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.205) for this occupation.

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The Program Support Assistant Duties include:

• Maintains knowledge of rules, regulations, and policies determining eligibility of Veterans for VA health care.
• Advises applicants of the health care benefits they are legally entitled to.
• Initiates administrative processes for establishing care.
• Responds to technical questions regarding patients' administrative rights and situational eligibility for healthcare.
• Provides patients with administrative advice and guidance.
• Provides Veterans both verbal and written information regarding non-medical benefits.
• Communicates results to patients, families, agency employees, and Veterans' organizations.
• Handles questions and/or concerns ensuring that quality service is rendered in a timely, complete, and empathetic manner.
• Receives, reviews, and processes new and recurring paper, in-person, and electronic applications.
• Verifies eligibility for care utilizing primary sources.
• Performs data entry proficiently and accurately.
• Adheres to consistency reviews and national and local policies and procedures governing data integrity.
• Processes patient data reviews to update/synchronize patient demographic information.
• Protects data from unauthorized release or from loss, alteration, or unauthorized deletion.
• Follows applicable regulations and instructions regarding access to computerized files and release of access codes.
• Communicated with Medical Center staff, next of kin, and other related parties vie phone, e-mail, in person, and mail.
• Processes clerical and administrative duties.

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 8:00am - 4:30pm The position requires occasional attendance outside of the Medical Center for outreach activities in addition to regularly scheduled tour.
Compressed/Flexible: N/A
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Program Support Asst (OA)/PD09271-A, PD09270A, and PD09271A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/01/2021.

Time-In-Grade Requirement GS-05: 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-05 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-04. 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-05) You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: performing administrative duties in support of a medical or business office, answering and directing phone calls and visitors knowledge of administrative concepts and practices to evaluate existing procedures and the skill in the development of administrative systems, knowledge of budget processes, preparation of reports and record keeping, and local procurement procedures.

OR,

Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed four years of education above high school in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. Post-high school level education must have been obtained in a business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university that has been accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial, or technical school. To receive the maximum allowable credit you must include all transcripts (front and back) for each degree earned to include any additional courses currently in progress.

OR,

Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond . For GS-05 positions, only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience.

Time-In-Grade Requirement GS-06: 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-06 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. Specialized Experience (GS-06):

• 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: must have knowledge and understanding of the principles, concepts, policies, laws, regulations, and objectives applicable to a wide variety of interconnected VA and benefit programs including but not limited to eligibility determination, health benefit counseling, financial assessment processes, co-payment responsibilities.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Analysis and Problem Solving
• Communication
• Computer Skills
• Technical Competence

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 involves mostly administrative processing which requires standing, walking, sitting, stooping, bending, lifting light objects, answering telephones and entering data into VISTA.

Work Environment: The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts, which require normal safety precautious typical of such places as offices, meeting and training rooms, or libraries.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview.Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.