Clarification from the agency

This position is open to current VISN 2 VHA employees.

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• The Incumbent develops both long and short range plans and policies for the organization by coordinating the Business Office needs of the Network and medical centers.
• Incumbent participates and provides active and well informed managerial planning for the delivery of health care and in doing so, takes the initiative to identify needs and potential issues/concerns and devises flexibility in operations and cost-effective approaches to resolve problems when representing the Business Office in the decision-making processes.
• The incumbent performs work involving development of life cycle or other cost analyses of projects, and/or performance of cost benefit or economic evaluations of programs.
• The incumbent develops procedures and systems for establishing, operating, and assessing the effectiveness of administrative control systems and line or operating programs; as well as, the accomplishment, evaluation, and/or monitoring of audits, inspections, management or internal control reviews.
• The Incumbent oversees the implementation of new policies and programs approved by headquarters for any area within the revenue aspects of the Business Office and keeps current on the latest policies and procedures in the non-government area of healthcare billing and collections, and other issues reflecting the latest industry standards.
• Incumbent will be assigned to the following programs: Beneficiary Travel, Veterans Transportation Program, Eligibility and Enrollment, Decedent Affairs, Insurance Capture and Community Care.
• Incumbent will work with community care providers and third party vendors in identifying a systematic approach to community care with consistent oversight of all 9 facility locations.
• Responsible for the development and implementation of appropriate Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the completion of all administrative processing of authorizations, scheduling, payments, appeals, reconciliation of authorizations, projecting funding needs, maintaining accurate and timely tracking and reporting procedures and customer service.
• Performs VISN-level program cost analysis projects and/or performance, cost benefit, economic evaluations of programs.
• Proposes improvements to community care managers regarding national training curriculum for on boarding and sustainment activities.
• Maintains knowledge of Community Care, Integrated Care and Clinic Practice Management training materials and supports fulfillment of action plans to meet all training requirements.
• The incumbent communicates and educates veterans, veteran organizations and their representatives, and community organizations regarding the functions of the Business Office and the impact of all applicable regulatory and legislative changes, the intent of the Business Office and the importance of cooperation in the legitimate recovery of identified funds.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8:00am - 4:30pm
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD25022O

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)
• Must have valid drivers license in a state

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, 05/18/2026.

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 GS13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS12. 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 GS12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Expert knowledge of analytical and evaluative methods for the assessment and improvement of program effectiveness and improvement of complex management processes and systems is required along with comprehensive knowledge of the mission and functions, organizational structure of the VA, and interrelationships with other agencies in order to support and provide advice on the Business Office's operations ability to integrate, coordinate and monitor a wide variety of projects/programs. Must have the ability to coordinate, evaluate and integrate the work of others into a cohesive final product which accurately reflects the Network's position on Business Office matters and mission related issues.

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

• Administration and Management
• Communication
• Data Management
• Problem Solving

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 work is primarily sedentary with some walking, standing, bending and carrying of light items. No significant physical agility or exertion required. Occasional travel is 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.