Clarification from the agency

This announcement is a DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.201) for this occupation.

- Carries out all day-to-day operations of the Customer Service/Patient Transport program, to include a wide range of requests from
patients, visitors, and staff.
- Incumbent assists patients, visitors, and staff throughout the facility while continuously implementing regulatory guidelines at the
direction of the supervisor.
- Assists all Veterans, patients, visitors and internal customers in outpatient clinics, inpatient wards, and administrative offices with
forward greeting; wayfinding; wheelchair, gurney, transports; shuttling patients and visitors between facility
buildings and parking lots in people mover/golf cart; identifying emergent situation and responding appropriately and dispatching
requests from internal and external customers.
- Greets all Veterans, visitors and staff with a smile and respect.
- Promotes a culture of caring and positive first impression, determine Veterans and/or visitors' needs and respond to those needs in a
timely manner.
- Responds to questions and concerns by providing clear answers and/or escorting individuals to the information desk, Service Level
Advocates, Veterans Service Officer, or appropriate department for a warm hand-off, as appropriate. Incumbent will carry out duties in
assigned areas to include entrances, hallways, waiting areas, and reception areas, as assigned.
- Facilitates the dispatching of requests from clinics, wards, administrative offices and patients or visitors via telephone, radio, and other electronic communication systems.
- Assists with programs outside of the Customer Service/Patient Transport Program.

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, 7:30 am - 4:00 pm
Compressed/Flexible: Not Eligible
Telework: This position is not eligible for telework.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Patient Relations Assistant/PD50503-A and PD50504-A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

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

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc. is required
• 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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

For GS-04 grade level:

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-4 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-3. 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.

• Generalized Experience: You must have one year of experience in progressively responsible clerical, office, or other work that indicates ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position to be filled.

OR,

• Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-04 level. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): Education must be 2 years 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 for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. 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

OR,

• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. Do you possess a combination of successfully completed post-high school education and experience to meet the total experience requirements. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. (i.e. 6 months of general experience and 1 year of education above the high school level).

For GS-05 grade level:

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-5 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-4. 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.

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-4 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to assisting all Veterans, patients, visitors, and internal customers in outpatient clinics, inpatient wards, and administrative offices with forward greeting; wayfinding; wheelchair, gurney, specimen, and morgue transports; shuttling patients and visitors between facility buildings and parking lots in people mover/ golf cart; identifying emergent situation and responding appropriately; dispatching requests from internal and external customers and Extensive knowledge and skill in Patient Centered Care; Safe Patient Handling; Patient Safety; Customer Service; Communication; Problem Solving; Conflict Resolution; Prevention & Management of Disruptive Behavior; and extensive knowledge of VA and CDCE Services, policies, and procedures.

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. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED)

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 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience.

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

• Clerical
• Communications
• Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)
• Decision Making
• Interpersonal Skills
• Oral Communication

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 regular and recurring work of the position involves prolonged standing, extensive walking, bending, lifting, patient transfers, carrying items such as walkers and equipment, pushing wheelchairs and gurneys, and driving people mover shuttle cart. Occasional working parties involving loading and unloading of donations, supplies & equipment for on-site and community events. Occasional use of motor vehicles may be required.

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. Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received.

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.