Clarification from the agency

This vacancy is opened to Current and Permanent Lexington VA Health Care System employees, and CBOCs that are stationed at Lexington VHA #596 Only.

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The primary duties will include, but are not limited to:

• Prepares reports, summaries, or recommendations and presents to their supervisor for proofing and editing.
• Understands and interprets written material, including technical material, rules, regulations, instructions, reports, charts, graphs, or tables; makes recommendation to their supervisor.
• Makes oral presentations to a variety of audiences of varying size, conveying main ideas and makes oral presentations to a variety of audiences of varying size, conveying main ideas and supporting points clearly and concisely. supporting points clearly and concisely.
• Recognizes the different functions and motivations of various employees and groups in the healthcare system and is able to communicate effectively.
• Connects daily with one's supervisor and will discuss how communication with representatives from throughout the healthcare organization and within the community are to be handled.
• Participates in community or other outreach activities that are consistent with the VA's mission.
• Anticipates customers' needs or questions in advance.
• Develops relationships with diverse customers (e.g., external offices/departments, other administrations, etc.).
• Works within the boundaries set forth by their supervisor to create opportunities and strategies to enhance interdepartmental collaboration to meet customers' complex needs.
• Consistently balances the needs of the VA with the best interests of Veterans or customers.
• Acts ethically and in line with VA values in performing duties, regardless of internal and external pressures.
• Keeps supervisor and stakeholders informed of changes in schedules and deliverables.
• Contributes to maintaining the integrity of the organization; displays high standards of ethical conduct and understands the impact of violating these standards on an organization, self, and others; is trustworthy.
• Works within developed networks and builds alliances; collaborates across boundaries to build strategic relationships and achieve common goals.
• Interacts with others to influence, motivate, and challenge them.
• Works and communicates with clients and customers to satisfy their expectations.
• Brings issues forth to their leadership that may arise with the property lessor, the COR, and various services throughout the organization.
• Sets well-defined and realistic personal goals; displays a high level of initiative, effort, and commitment towards completing assignments in a timely manner; works with minimal supervision; is motivated to achieve; demonstrates responsible behavior.
• Adapts quickly to changes.
• Maintains the highest ethical standards, even when actions may negatively impact self or stakeholders.
• Other duties as assigned.

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, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Medical Administration Specialist/PD78850 and PD303860
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): 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
• 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 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, 02/12/2026.

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-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. 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:

GS-09 Supervisory Medical Administration Specialist:

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• Ability to perform supervisory duties of administrative and clerical staff.
• Skilled in identifying issues and barriers to make recommendations to current guidance and program operations and processes for improvement.
• Knowledge of the interrelationships between the medical records management program and other medical services used to evaluate and make suggestion for change or adopt new procedures to meet changing regulatory requirements and changing health care practices.
• Skill in effective communication and writing with the ability to articulate complex regulatory information in understandable terms and present information to diverse audiences.
• Knowledge of and ability to apply principles, theories and processes of management with a degree of resourcefulness.
• Ability to provide administrative oversight and direction to administrative personnel and clerical support staff to include the recommendation of work assignments, special project, hiring, performance, and discipline, promotion, and rewards of employees.

OR

Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Masters or equivalent graduate degree, or have two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a related degree.

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 the first year of graduate education.

GS-11 Supervisory Medical Administration Specialist:

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization that must reflect progressively responsible analytical, administrative, clinical management, or supervisory experience in the health care field. This experience must equip the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. The knowledge, skills and abilities of this position includes but is not limited to:

• Ability to perform the full gamut of supervisory duties including leave approval, writing performance standards, creating position descriptions, completing performance review, discipline/reward employees.
• Skilled in identifying issues and barriers and implement changes to current guidance and program operations and processes for improvement.
• Knowledge of the interrelationships between the medical records management program and other medical services used to evaluate and make changes or adopt new procedures to meet changing regulatory requirements and changing health care practices.
• Skilled in effective communication and writing with the ability to articulate complex regulatory information in understandable terms and present information to diverse audiences.
• Knowledge of and ability to apply principles, theories and processes of management with a degree of resourcefulness.
• Ability to provide administrative oversight and direction to administrative personnel and clerical support staff to include work assignments, special project, hiring, performance, and discipline, promotion, and rewards of employees.

OR

Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.M. in a field related to this position.

OR

Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond graduate level education (in excess of the first two years or 36 semester hours) and specialized experience to meet total experience requirements.

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

• Communications
• Customer Service
• Organizational Stewardship

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 majority of work is performed in an office setting with adequate light, heat, and ventilation. Work is mostly sedentary; but requires some bending. walking, standing, lifting, and carrying of light items, such as reports to various areas of the Medical Center. Working at the computer for long periods of time and accessing information from the various computer systems is necessary. Typical office setting is subject to noise caused by multiple visits by staff, equipment and telephone interruptions when performing various functions on a daily basis. The work requires no special physical demands.

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.

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.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the 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.