Clarification from the agency

The Area Of Consideration is currently open to permanent employees of the Bay Pines VA Medical Center, Department of Veterans Affairs, and Federal employees within the expected service. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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The Prosthetic Representative - Assistant Chief, shares full responsibility with the Chief for supervising all phases of prosthetic operations. This position serves as Chief of the service in the Chief's absence. They serves as an expert advisor analyzing, evaluating, planning, developing, and administering work concerned with prosthetic and sensory aids services to patients throughout the VHA.

The Prosthetic Representative - Assistant Chief's duties include, but are not limited to the following:

• Serves as a Prosthetic Representative (Assistant Chief) completing a variety of supervisory and non-supervisory prosthetic and sensory aids assignments, projects, activities independently to meet PSASs long-and-short term program goals. Plans, develops, and directs a Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Program at the national, VISN, or local level.
• Advises the VA Central Office for the development of PSAS policies and manages and provides national-level oversight to a VISN or facility PSAS program to achieve VHA's overall mission goals.
• Leads projects and project teams on activities related to prosthetic and sensory aid activities. Completes a variety of non-supervisory ad hoc projects and assignments personally as needed. Manages a health care program that provides home medical equipment, rehabilitation services, home oxygen, visual or hearing impairment devices, assistive technology, orthotics, or prosthetics.
• Serves as an Assistant Chief located at larger facilities that provide specialty services to smaller facilities and report to a PSAS Service Chief. Shares with the Chief full responsibility for managing and supervising all phases of prosthetic operations. Serves as Chief of the service in the Chief's absence.
• Completes human resources assignments independently, including drafting and developing functional statements, performance standards, and competencies. Makes PSAS's staff selections; assigns personnel; and provides direction to subordinate staff. Manages the training and evaluation of staff. Assesses competencies; evaluates performance; and recommends awards, advancements, and disciplinary actions.
• Serves as liaison between Prosthetic Service and other departments; where typically, there are no subordinate supervisory prosthetic representatives at the facility level. Participates in the department in public relations activities, i.e. lectures, town halls, and in-services.
• Serves as an advisor to clinicians regarding the selection, prescription, and acquisition of prosthetic devices involving furnishing information concerning such matters as, new developments in the field of prosthetics and sources of supply for such devices.
• Interprets prescriptions of clinicians to make certain that proper prosthetic devices are selected for, or by, the patients. Authorizes the purchase, fabrication, or repair of prosthetic devices.
• Maintains continuous liaison with manufacturers and dealers of prosthetic supplies, inspecting their facilities and services and participating in the award of prosthetic appliance contracts.
• Develops and maintains a system of internal reviews that ensure service programs operate in compliance with regulatory and accrediting organizations. Gives technical and administrative advice and assistance on prosthetic problems to other facilities.
• Identifies and selects national CMS/ Health Care Procedural Coding System (HCPCS) codes are entered for every item purchased through and/or billed to ensure proper reporting. Conducts data analysis using the program's statistical data to prepare various VHA and PSAS reports regarding prosthetics and sensory aids.
• Collaborates with clinical staff and Supply Chain Management to ensure surgical implants are Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approved; Collaborates with clinical staff when devices and equipment require repair or replacement and takes necessary actions to resolve issues.
• Contributes to the effective utilization of resources, budgetary allocation, and fiscal management. Manages, interprets, and presents fiscal data (i.e. fund controls, contracts, and equipment expenditures), forecasts resource, and equipment needs; administers an allocated budget.
• Maintains awareness of VA's, VHA's, and PSAS's requirements regarding the Joint Commission standards of care implementation. Keeps abreast of current issues in the health care industry and technological advancements and provides subject-matter expertise to VHA and PSAS's senior officials as needed.
• Oversees the staff completion of contracting requirements, procurement, and inventory management assignments independently to prepare and authorize purchase orders for a wide variety of prosthetic and orthotic devices.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 08:00 am - 4:30 pm
Compressed/Flexible:Not Available
Telework: Ad-Hoc
Virtual: Not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #:21936F
Financial Disclosure Report: Required
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

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.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 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 trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

English Language Proficiency. Candidates will not be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. chapters 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who are not proficient in written and spoken English.

Experience and Education. Individual must meet at least one of the requirements below.

• Experience. One year of creditable experience that demonstrates: Knowledge of basic anatomy and medical terminology; knowledge of accounting methods; ability to research, analyze, comprehend, and apply decisions; basic knowledge of inventory management procedures; ability to use computer software packages for word processing, spreadsheet development, and database management; and ability to work independently and as a member of a team;

OR,

• Education. A bachelor's degree from an accredited educational institution AND at least 24 semester hours in course work related to health care, public administration, or business. The 24 semester hours could include but is not limited to any combination from the following fields: contracting, prosthetics, orthotics, respiratory therapy, assistive technology, business law, leadership, healthcare, public administration, or business management. This course work may have been completed within the degree or in addition to the degree;

OR,

• Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying.

Creditable Experience. To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with Prosthetic Representative responsibilities. The experience is only creditable if documented in the application and verifiable through employment references and/or other means. Examples of qualifying experience include experience in a health care setting, and familiarity with home medical equipment, rehabilitation, home oxygen, visual or hearing impairment, assistive technology, orthotics, or prosthetics.

Grandfathering Provision. All persons employed in VHA as a Prosthetic Representative on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:

(1) Employees grandfathered into the GS-0672 occupational series as prosthetic representatives may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journeyman) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
(2) Prosthetic Representatives who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
(3) Employees who are retained as a Prosthetic Representative under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry as a prosthetic representative.

Grade Determinations: GS-12 Prosthetic Representative (Assistant Chief)

Experience. At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate ALL of the following KSAs:

1. Ability to perform the full range of supervisory duties, including responsibility for assignment of work to be performed; assessment of competencies; evaluation of performance; selection of staff; and recommendation of awards, advancements, and disciplinary actions.
2. Ability to analyze data and make recommendations to optimize quality, efficiency, performance, and productivity within the service.
3. Ability to manage a health care program that provides home medical equipment, rehabilitation services, home oxygen, visual or hearing impairment devices, assistive technology, orthotics, or prosthetics.
4. Knowledge of compliance and regulatory accrediting organizations.
5. Ability to manage, interpret, and present fiscal data (i.e. fund controls, contracts and equipment expenditures), forecast resource and equipment needs, and administer an allocated budget.

Preferred Experience: Includes the ability to run Excel, Data Extractions, Power Point, Word, and Pivot Tables.
Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.
Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service

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 MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

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.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.