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***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION***

The Purchasing Agent Purchasing Agent - Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service performs routine and complex purchasing of specific medical equipment, supplies, and service, including rentals to meet outpatient medical needs, outpatient durable medical equipment and supplies, rehabilitation equipment, mobility and daily living aids, and neuro-sensory, home oxygen, and inpatient surgical implants and supplies.

These positions involve a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed below represent the full performance level of GS-06. At the GS-05 grade level, you will perform assignments of a more limited scope and with less independence. You will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-06. Promotion is at the discretion of the supervisor and is contingent upon satisfactory performance, availability of higher level work, and availability of funds.

The major duties include but are not limited to:

• Monitors, receives, tracks, interprets, and analyzes prosthetic consults, and prescriptions for items, services, and home medical equipment;
• Uses Federal and VA Acquisition Regulations, along with other applicable directives, handbooks, and policies to obtain patient specific medical equipment, supplies, and services;
• Performs research to find alternate vendor resources to meet the needs of specific purchase situations;
• Performs purchases of specialized/customized equipment or services;
• Reviews medical records in performing purchases;
• Resolves conflicts in administering purchase orders, such as protests, claims, duplicate billing, and terminations for convenience or default;
• Works directly with vendors to troubleshoot and resolve duplicate billing errors;
• Resolves disputes or claims related to billing or vendor selection directly with third party vendors;
• Obtains competitive bids for custom fabricated orthotics, prosthetics, or patient-specific medical equipment purchases;
• Submits acquisition and procurement packages for stock and patient-specific needs, and uploads quotes, bids, invoices, consults, and other important documents to the electronic contract management system;
• Verifies accountability of all prosthetic expenditure and associates all obligations to the individual patient record; and,
• Performs all other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

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 (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.
• 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 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 at the GS-5 level, you must meet one of the following:

Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-4) in the Federal Service that has given you the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Purchasing Agent - Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. Qualifying specialized experience includes performing administrative duties in a healthcare setting or in support of purchasing and procurement; reviewing and working with patients' medical records; completing training or assisting in routine and complex specialized purchases for clinics including medical equipment, prosthetic, and orthotic appliances; utilizing computer software programs; and communicating with internal and external customers via various methods. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates, AND hours worked per week. ~OR~
Education: Successfully completed four (4) years of education above the high school level in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. 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. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~OR~
Combination: Equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education (beyond the second year) and specialized experience, as described above, which meet the total experience requirements for this grade level. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college, or university. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

To qualify for this position at the GS-6 level, you must meet the following:

Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-5) in the Federal Service that has given you the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Purchasing Agent - Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. Qualifying specialized experience includes interpreting prescriptions and requests for medical equipment and services; maintaining regular contact with vendors, contractors, medical professionals and staff; utilizing a variety of databases and computer systems; purchasing equipment, supplies, and services using an organization purchase card; and reconciling charges and preparing and submitting reports. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates, AND hours worked per week.

You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:

• INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
• ATTENTION TO DETAIL
• COMPUTER SKILLS

IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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.

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; religious; 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.

Physical Requirements: The work of the position is primarily sedentary when conducing purchasing functions for PSAS; however, while conducting inventory management functions, the person in the position may work comfortably in a warehouse environment, sitting, standing, walking, bending, lifting, carrying, retrieving and managing inventory. Prolonged periods of working at a computer terminal is required. Ability to retrieve equipment from a storage room is required. Climbing associated with stocking of equipment and other items in storage areas is necessary. May carry/lift items weighing up to twenty-five (25) pounds. Normal safety precautions are adequate. The work involves moderate discomfort when visiting sites away from the office. At times, may be required to wear protective clothing when visiting the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Fabrication Laboratory. Often, walking between the main medical center and other parts of Prosthetics to conduct professional duties.

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. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

Your responses to the assessment questionnaire will be reviewed along with the information provided in your resume and supporting documentation to determine if you are qualified for the position. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered and/or you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

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.

Candidates who apply under All U.S. Citizens announcements will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. Qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The categories are defined as follows:

• Best qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position;
• Highly qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the requirements of the job;
• Well qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the job; and
• Qualified - applicants possessing experience and/or education that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors.

Application of Veterans' Preference: Category rating and selection procedures place those with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligible applicants that meet the eligibility and qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category (except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher).

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.