Clarification from the agency

First area of consideration is Current, Permanent West Los Angeles VAMC employees. Second area of consideration is Current, Permanent VHA employees.

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Duties include but are not limited to:

• Examine and develop the productiveness of Nursing Home program operations in meeting established goals and objectives of the Geriatrics and Extended Care Service.
• Reviews, analyzes, evaluates, and consults with the ACOS with proposed changes in the services mission, capacity or effectiveness of program details, operating procedures and existing and future delegations of authority affecting nursing home program operations.
• Serves as a subject matter expert and program manager for all purchased care processes for the State Veteran Home Per Diem programs.
• Monitors program authorization and obligation utilization, assists with financial oversight by working closely with SHPD national program office, financial management staff, will reconcile obligations monthly within the Integrated Funds Control, Accounting and Procurement (IFCAP) and Financial Management Systems (FMS).
• This position will be responsible for developing reporting procedures, and quality measurements for the transaction process to ensure the GEC service is able to meet its commitments to veterans, to identify problem areas or inherent weaknesses in work processes, procedures, establish information systems needed to conduct transactions and securely store sensitive content for the State Veteran Home Per Diem program management and content.
• Performs research on projects and provides advisory services on technical program compliance, patient and state transfer of data integrity, workflow & achievement progress for Geriatrics and Extended Care performance measures and ability to provide service for the State Veteran Home programs that allow veterans to access the care their entitled to.
• Review and draft policies, memoranda, and Delegations of Authority which express the operation policies of the GEC service line.
• Manages program inquiries, document validation, and development of revised or corrected actions regarding eligibility for program benefits.
• Furnishes information and performs in-depth researching services to beneficiaries concerning their rights and benefits with regard to the Veteran Affairs' programs under laws administered by the VA.
• Manages the data, information, establishes system for record tracking for auditing and joint commission purposes.
• Certifies invoices specific to the State Veteran Home programs being administered using the Department of Veterans Affairs Financial Service Center portal.
• Develops procedures and systems for establishing, operating, and assessing the effectiveness of administrative control operating programs and the accomplishment, evaluation, and monitoring of audits and inspections.
• Responsible for regular monitoring and auditing of the program for regulatory compliance, financial cost estimations for funding, monitoring obligations, authorizations, and expenditures, working with the fiscal team to manage cost estimation and authorization processes.
• The program specialist is expected to work with the ability to manage and understand complexities with the Domiciliary program (DOM). This includes "residential care" within the DOM which is defined as encounters between Veterans and providers within the VA health care system that require an overnight stay in residential bed areas, Per VHA Handbook 1006.02.
• Responsible for examining and evaluating relevant documentation related to applications submitted for determination under the SHPD program and analyze and apply judgment and discretion to the extent required in the performance of their duties.
• Provides technical and professional expertise in interpreting and applying administrative and clinical eligibility and enrollment laws, regulations and procedures related to health care eligibility.
• Experience managing SHPD program operations, including detailed review and validation of application packets (10-10SH, 10-10EZ, H&P, DD214) and ensuring full compliance with VHA policies, or equivalent duties.

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, 8am - 4:30pm
Compressed/Flexible: At Management's Discretion
Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD14135O
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 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, 05/15/2026.

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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05.
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 and/or education as described below: GS-07 Level

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: providing program/administrative support; reviewing material for grammar, neatness, technical accuracy, adherence to established format.
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have one full year of graduate level education; superior academic achievement. OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education as listed above.

GS-09 Level

• 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: providing program/administrative support to leadership; reviewing material for grammar, neatness, technical accuracy, adherence to established format; and being responsible for the day to day operations of an office. OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's or equivalent degree, or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree. 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 the first full year of graduate education.

Preferred Experience
1. Experience managing SHPD program operations, including detailed review and validation of application
packets 10-10SH, 10-10EZ, H&P, DD214 and ensuring full compliance with VHA policies or equivalent duties.

2. Experience with SHPD financial processes, including fund control point management,
authorizations/obligations, monthly reconciliation, invoice validation, 10-5588 processing, census-based cost
projections, and FSC portal submissions or equivalent duties.

3. Experience conducting financial and workload audits for multiple sites, identifying discrepancies, correcting
misclassified residential programs, and preparing audit-ready documentation for Joint Commission and GEC
requirements or equivalent duties.

4. Experience developing and maintaining program tracking systems, performing data quality checks,
preparing financial/workload reports, and maintaining secure, compliant records equivalent duties.

5. Experience interpreting and applying VHA directives and SHPD program guidelines, identifying policy
impacts, recommending changes to leadership, and coordinating with State Veterans Homes, VISN offices,
and internal service lines or equivalent duties.


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

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

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: Work of the position is mainly sedentary although some slight physical effort may be required using computers. Work outside normal business hours and occasional travel to other VA and non-VA locations in the community 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.

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.