Clarification from the agency

Only open to current, permanent employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order: 1. Current permanent VA employees of the facility. 2. All other VA employees.

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Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Responsible for overall management of CPRS, Vista, and other Service Core packages.
• Serves as point of contact for the Service on all matters related to the Core packages.
• Works with the Service Chief and/or Administrative Director to formulate and direct the development of major policies for computer utilization related to the core patient care activities and administrative needs for the Service.
• Resolves Core software operating problems.
• Conducts usage studies, determines equipment needs and locations.
• Recommends purchases of additional hardware and software.
• Serves as the Services ADP Security Officer making sure that all Service employees are trained in strict computer security.
• Incumbent is responsible for utilizing computer software programs and developing procedures for validation of data input, analyzing data, identifying discrepancies, making corrections, and recommending a course of action to assure accuracy and timeliness of future data input.
• Formulates, plans, and oversees data validation activities within the Service.
• Participates as a member of the Data Validation and ADPAC Coordinator Committee and performs studies/projects requested by the committee and approved by the Service.
• Advises management of new ideas generated by self, National Forum Mail System, or other users that require program changes that may enhance the core system utilized at the present time.
• Recommend software changes to Regional Special Interest Users Groups (SIUG) and works with that group to resolve software problems.
• Works with programmers/developers at the appropriate Information System Center to resolve problems.
• Conducts and coordinates training required to educate staff and other users related to this data input and the Service related use of the computer and Core programs.
• Incumbent identifies training needs and develops training and reference material and protocols, ensuring that all employees in the Service receive training to use the Core packages.
• Coordinates with other services where their packages involve input by the Service's employees, and develops training and implementation plans.
• Incumbent continues to update the Service's users on new developments frequently occurring in the computer field.
• Develops File manager (FILEMAN) templates to access data and provide a variety of reports in preparation for outside and internal organizational review groups, as well as, veteran service organizations as directed by the Service.
• Develops FILEMAN templates to produce data studies for a variety of QA/UR monitors and external reporting requirements.
• Incumbent develops procedures and software applications for continuing, automated, systematic internal review; provides special data collection and formatted reports for audits and team visits by JCAHO, IG, SOARS, and other oversight organizations, as needed.
• Incumbent designs and prepares the Service's system utilization reports to measure cost effectiveness of the system.
• Formulates recommendations for deviations from formal operating use.
• Designs and prepares the Service's data management reports that are, or will be, used by management teams for budget preparations, quality assurance and utilization review for programs that involve patient care.
• Prepares recurring and nonrecurring statistical reports for presentation to the Service management and/or Medical Center top management, as well as, Network tracking.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 07:30a.m. to 4:00p.m. (MST)
Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/PD015340
Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required.

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 Time-In-Grade and Specialized Experience requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement,, 03/16/2026.

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 within 30 days of 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.

To qualify for this position at the GS-9 level, you must meet one of the following:

• Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience, equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-7) in Federal Service, that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of a Health System Specialist, and includes performing duties associated with healthcare credentialing and privileging. Your experience must show progressively responsible analytical or administrative, or clinical management or supervisory experience in the health care field. This work may have been performed in an operating health care facility or a higher organizational echelon with advisory or directional authority over such facilities. Work must have involved a close working relationship with facility managers and analysis and/or coordination of administrative, clinical, or other service activities, and provided knowledge of the following:

1. Missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of health care delivery systems;
2. Regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups; and
3. Government-wide, agency, and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget, personnel, and procurement.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but is not limited to: Developing administrative policies, troubleshooting and reporting, drafting contingency plans, and equipment usage; Conducting workload studies collecting data on patient demand, and workload trends; Oversee data validation and reporting activities within HAS preparing recurring and non-recurring statistical reports; Skill in using software applications such as word processing database and internet database applications for data entry, file maintenance and data retrieval and analysis; Research and analyze unstable or uncommon administrative issues - budget analysis/projection, forecasting, data management, patient processing time and patient scheduling studies, studies related to the Medical Center's application of the current resource allocation process, and estimates and computes workload projections through established formulas and guidelines.
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: Successful completion of a master's or equivalent graduate degree, successfully completed two (2) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, LL.B or J.D. if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position (i.e., hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration). NOTE: Copies of transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.
~OR~
Combination: Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the first year) and specialized experience, as described above, to meet the total requirements. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do to the work of this position (i.e. hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as course work in health care administration). NOTE: Copies of transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

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.

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.

Resume Reminder - Your resume must include the following information for each job listed:

• Job title
• Duties (be as detailed as possible)
• Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008)
• Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week)
• Salary/Rank etc.
• Series and Grade, if applicable, for all Federal positions you have held
• References, current or recent supervisor

Do not include the following types of information in your resume:

• Classified or Government sensitive information
• Social Security Number (SSN)
• Photos of yourself
• Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc.

Please be aware that your answers will be verified against information provided on your resume. Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all of the questions by addressing your work experience in detail. The experience stated in your resume must support your assessment responses.

Recommended: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to fully evaluate your qualifications. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy. We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications.

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.