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Administrative Support Assistant OA

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
South Texas Veterans Health Care System

Summary

The Administrative Support Assistant (OA) works closely with the Associate Director of Patient Care Services/Nurse Executive, the Deputy Associate Director for Patient Care Services/Deputy Nurse Executive, Administrative Officer or Health System Specialist, Associate Chief Nurses, and Nurse Managers and is responsible for the administrative aspects of Nursing Service.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
02/09/2026 to 02/13/2026
Salary
$41,334 to - $53,735 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 5
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
San Antonio, TX
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—ADHOC, as determined by Agency.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
CAZM-12880280-26-CT
Control number
856914400

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This job announcement is open to current, permanent facility employees of the South Texas VA Health Care System, and CTAP eligible candidates only.

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Duties

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Duties include but are not limited to:
  • Draft memos, reports and other documents for Nursing Service.
  • Maintain files, respond to routine correspondence, and reports, to include preparing documents required for FMLA, VLTP, Extended Leave, SF 183, and LWOP packets.
  • Take minutes of meetings, arrange for travel and assist staff with the submission of travel requests and approvals.
  • Verifies that position description and functional statements are appropriate with respect to title and grade and verifies codes and symbols are correct.
  • Maintains record of organizational and workflow charts, function statement and staff levels.
  • Ensures functional statements are accurate and updated.
  • Assures timeliness and accuracy of Request for Personnel Actions (SF-52s) for recruitments, promotions, transfers, resignations, terminations, and name changes in WebHR for all nursing staff, clinical and administrative.
  • Acts as the alternate records liaison for Nursing Service.
  • Maintain patient confidentiality, without exception whether oral, written or electronic in nature in accordance with HIPPA standards and regulations.
  • Serves as back-up for the Secretary to the Associate Director for Patient Care Services/Nurse Executive during his/her absence and appropriate backup to other program support assistants to complement coverage in the Office of the Director when required.
  • Prepares and tracks annual proficiencies, process them to HR and NPSB weekly and updates nurse licensures in Vista.
  • Maintains up-to-date working knowledge of personal computer application software and uses application software such as Microsoft Access, Excel, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Power Point, etc., to produce tabular and graphic· reports.
  • Coordinates meetings by scheduling meeting invitations using Outlook Calendar scheduling for committee members.
  • Acts as recorder for various meetings and provides draft of minutes/agendas for edit/concurrence. Electronically submits minutes for committee approval.
  • Transcribes and accurately documents committee meeting minutes within established Service timeframe.
  • Prioritizes and adjusts to short-term deadlines associated with assigned committees (i.e., changes to date and time of meetings, committee membership, and/or agenda changes).
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm
Telework: ADHOC, as determined by Agency.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Administrative Support Assistant OA/PD03552A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
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
  • To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
  • Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
  • 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, 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, 02/13/2026.

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-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: 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: operating a Personal Computer using software such as various Microsoft Office software, to include PowerPoint, Outlook, and Excel, with a proficiency in grammar, spelling, punctuation, composition, with the English language; designing, organizing and maintaining a filing system; AND compiling information for various reports, briefings, conferences to compose non-technical correspondence and directives. OR,
  • Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 4 years above high school. 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 4 years above high school.

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

  • Clerical
  • Administration and Management
  • Manages Resources
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Computer Skills
Typing Skill-40 words per minute (WPM) required

Physical Demands
The work is mostly sedentary, typically, the employee may sit comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light items like papers or books, or on occasion using a cart to push large amounts of mailed/shipped packages from the Warehouse to the Nursing Service office area.

Work Environment
The work environment is pleasant. The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated, with work performed in offices, training rooms, and meeting rooms within Nursing Service.

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/.

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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

NOTE: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application

Additional information

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.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit

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.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position:

  • Accountability
  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork


Your 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. 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. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

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.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

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