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Program Support Assistant - Credentialing Specialist

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Veterans Health Administration, VA Palo Alto Health Care System

Summary

The Program Support Assistant is assigned to the Credentialing and Privileging Office, which is under the Chief of Staff at a VA Medical Center (VAMC) and is responsible for providing administrative and technical direction and support to the credentialing operations. The Program Support Assistant is aligned to and supervised by the Credentialing and Privileging (C&P) Manager.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
05/04/2026 to 05/11/2026
Salary
$56,767 - $82,007 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 6 - 7
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Palo Alto, CA
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
7
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
Yes
Announcement number
CBSW-12951325-26-DG
Control number
867673100

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

ALL US CITIZENS DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.205) for this occupation.

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Duties

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The Program Support Assistant -Credentialing Specialist is assigned to the Credentialing and Privileging Office, which is under the Chief of Staff at a VA Medical Center (VAMC) and is responsible for providing administrative and technical direction and support to the credentialing operations. The Program Support Assistant -Credentialing Specialist is aligned to and supervised by the Credentialing and Privileging (C&P) Manager. The incumbent is responsible for collecting relevant data and the decision-making process to ensure that qualified health care professionals are providing appropriate care in appropriate settings. The incumbent is responsible for the audit of all required credentials for authenticity and veracity in accordance with TJC standards and VHA policies and procedures.

Major duties include, but are not limited to:

· Monitoring, for compliance and timely update, of expiration of time-limited credentials.

· Serving as subject matter expert (SME) in the field of credentialing.

· Receiving and reviews VetPro reports detecting problem areas requiring further investigation.

· Managing provider applications (initial) for Non-LIPs credentialing within the VAMC.

· Assuring application packages and other documents meet technical requirements per specialty of provider and assures application folder and database account (VetPro or other internal databases and spreadsheets) meet technical requirements.

· Determining processes for coordination of incoming data and documents from a variety of sources.

· Analyzing and managing issues related to documents that do not meet expected requirements, regulations or guidelines such as adverse actions against licensures, certifications, and NPDB) CQ reports.

· Conducting final appointment into the VetPro database, after thoroughly researching, analyzing and validating all data, information, documents and signature authorities.

· Developing and providing routine and special reports as requested by the C&P manager/Analyst.

· Possessing a credit card and is responsible for maintaining records, reconciling monthly charge statements and verifying legitimacy of requests for NPDB Single and CQ enrollments/ renewals, licensure verification (if applicable), National Student Clearing House, Work Number and certifications (if applicable).

· Reconciling transactions and resolving discrepancies with Fiscal Service.

· Performing other credentialing 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: Full-time, Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant - Credentialing Specialist/PD99619S and PD99868S
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Position is currently under consistency review and may result in a downgrade/change to lower grade once determination is made.

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) - See "Required Documents" below for details.
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.
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, 05/11/2026.

You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

In order to qualify for this position at the GS-6 level, you must possess the following: Specialized Experience: One (1) full year of specialized experience that equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties the Program Support Assistant at the full performance level (GS-6), and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-5) in the Federal service. Specialized experience includes: experience where you were responsible for providing administrative support; collecting, compiling and tracking data and information; processing documents and reports; establishing, updating and maintaining office files and records; performing automation duties using such software applications such as word processing, spreadsheet, electronic mail, desktop publishing, calendar, database and/or graphics; answering telephones, referring visitors, and providing information. 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.

In order to qualify for this position at the GS-7 level, you must possess the following: Specialized Experience: One (1) full year of specialized experience that equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties the Program Support Assistant at the full performance level (GS-7), and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-6) in the Federal service. Specialized experience includes: Verifying of information in health care provider files; Maintaining confidentiality of information in accordance with the Privacy Act; Provides quality control checks on data; managing multiple projects and priorities and meets deadlines; using software applications such as word processing and data bases and internet database applications for data entry, file maintenance and data retrieval; and researching reference materials, regulations, and standards to identify appropriate action necessary to correct problems or issues. 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.

Physical Requirements: The work is mostly sedentary. Occasionally, light physical effort may be required, such as that involved with walking, stair climbing, and carrying of light office items. The work is performed in an office setting which require normal safety precautions typical for offices and meeting rooms. The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated.

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

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

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/.

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.

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.



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/.

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
  • Clerical
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork
  • Technical Competence


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.

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.

Veterans Health Administration

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate whole health care to Veterans?

The VA Palo Alto Healthcare System (VAPAHCS) is part of VA Sierra Pacific Network (VISN 21), which includes facilities in California, Nevada and Hawaii. VAPAHCS is a teaching hospital, providing a full range of patient care services, with state-of-the-art technology as well as education and research, Comprehensive health care is provided through primary, tertiary and long-term care in areas of medicine, surgery, psychiatry, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology, oncology, dentistry, geriatrics and extended care. The Research and Development Service excels as a leader in the Department of Veterans Affairs. The non-profit corporation, the Palo Alto Veterans Institute for Research (PAVIR), has contributed to making VAPAHCS a leader in research.

To learn more visit: http://www.paloalto.va.gov/about/

DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.205) for this occupation.

Agency contact information

Danielle Garrison
Phone
650-694-6000 X15166
Email
danielle.garrison@va.gov
Address
Palo Alto VA Medical Center
3801 Miranda Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94304
US

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