Clarification from the agency

Open to current employees of the Orlando VA Healthcare System (Station 675)

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The incumbent is assigned as the Supervisory Medical Administrative Specialist for the Mental Health Service (MHS). The selectee will interact with patients, visitors, staff, students, and volunteers and provides information and assistance in order to facilitate effective and efficient operation of the Mental Health Service under their supervision. He/she is also responsible for the development and implementation of the ongoing MHS programs for the different disciplines, new MHS initiatives, mandatory training and informational training material in their section. The success of these programs is critical for the VA in providing accessibility and quality of mental and medical health care to our veterans. Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Performs work in support of general management and/or program analysis functions in which knowledge of the purpose, operation and mythology of the Mental Health Programs are required.
• Will have the direct supervision over Mental Health Program Support Assistants (PSA) in the Service and Advanced Medical Support Assistants (AMSA) in the Domiciliary.
• Is a key player in decision making processes and matters that involve financial resources, personnel matters, equipment management, office and medical supply management, administrative functions, and other unique elements in the operation of such a diverse Service.
• Requires knowledge, skills, and abilities in dealing with organization, processes, funds, staff members, supplies and property, office automation, and other resources.
• Responsible for the day-to-day personnel issues and provision of direct supervisory oversight of the Mental Health Service Program Support Assistants (PSA) and Domiciliary Advanced Medical Support Assistants (AMSA).
• Supervises and delegates responsibility and authority to plan, schedule, assign, prioritize, explain, review, and evaluate work performed by PSAs and AMSAs.
• Develops performance standards, writes position descriptions, evaluates work performance, counsels employees whose performance is marginal or unsatisfactory, and initiates disciplinary action when necessary.
• Advises management officials, supervisors and employees on the interpretation and application of a variety of human resources policies, policies, practices, and procedures, including staffing, classification, employee relations, benefits and related area.
• Oversees assignment of staff to all areas in the MHS, orients and integrates new staff members into the functions of the Service, manages the need to adjust staffing accordingly to cover receptionist area in the Service main suite likewise within the different programs in the Service.
• Oversees assignment of staff to all areas in the MHS, orients and integrates new staff members into the functions of the Service, manages the need to adjust staffing accordingly to cover receptionist area in the Service main suite likewise within the different programs in the Service.
• Creates agenda and leads meetings held weekly, monthly, and bi-monthly for the administrative staff.
• Develops performance standards and conducts annual performance appraisals.
• Works with member of the MH care team, Point of Service Contacts (POC), Patient Advocate, Veteran Experience Team, and Veterans and their families to ensure that services are easily obtained and meet customer requirements and short-term problems are quickly resolved.
• Other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: The primary tour of duty will be M-F 8am to 4:30pm
Telework: This position is not authorized for telework.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Medical Administrative Specialist/PD05143A
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, 02/27/2026.

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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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 as described below:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: detecting incipient problems and solving them expeditiously, improves operations with the goal of maximizing the quality of processing veterans for treatment, coordinates request for services and resources needed by the MHS, conducts annual equipment inventory of property, collects utilization data, assuring that all data collected is appropriately validated, coordinates a performance measurement system and quality improvement efforts within the parameters of MHC, recommends changes in existing programs, using productivity, cost effectiveness and clinical outcome criteria, preparing all recurring and non-recurring reports, compiles and analyzes data and gathers information for such reports, and investigates reviews and prepares replies to inquiries received from veterans and/or their representatives to resolve misunderstanding or conflicts.
• OR LL.B. or J.D., if related to position..

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

• Administration and Management
• Conflict Management
• Decision Making
• Human Capital Management
• Leadership
• Oral Communication
• Writing

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.

Preferred Experience: Those applicant who have experience in the following, are highly preferred.

• Administrative and technical oversight
• HR administration
• Office/Supply management
• Coaching, counseling training for administrative
• Develops action plans, collects, compiles, analyzes data

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 physical demands of this position are consistent with specialty administrative tasks. The Supervisory Medical Administrative Specialist primarily performs sedentary work at a desk with a telephone and a computer. However, there may be some walking; standing; bending; carrying of light items such as papers, books, files and pushing of carts may be involved. No special physical demands are required to perform the work.

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.