Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to current, permanent employees of the Department of Veteran Affairs. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Videos

The incumbent is responsible for the receiving, assessing for appropriateness, and processing of all authorized Care in the Community prescriptions for approval by the Care in the Community clinical pharmacist. The pharmacy technician assists the Care in the Community clinical pharmacist in all daily tasks concerning Care in the Community prescriptions.

Care in the Community Prescription Support

• Receive and document prescriptions from community providers (fax, mail, electronic, or delivered) into CPRS and the CITC workflow.
• Verify VA authorization for community-care prescriptions using TriWest/Optum and CPRS.
• Communicate with patients about prescriptions from unauthorized visits and route them appropriately.
• Review prescriptions for accuracy, clinical appropriateness, and formulary compliance.
• Review PDMP when needed to confirm due dates, prevent duplication, and ensure safe controlled-substance prescribing.
• Maintain current knowledge of controlled-substance laws, policies, and regulations.
• Communicate with community providers for clarifications and formulary-related medication changes; forward updates to the pharmacist.
• Initiate, document, and follow up on non-formulary and prior authorization requests.
• Enter consults in CPRS once all required documentation is received.
• Scan non-formulary and authorization documents for recordkeeping.
• Enter or prepare authorized prescriptions in VistA for pharmacist verification.
• Reconcile hard-copy prescriptions from CBOCs with electronic copies.
• Provide prescription status updates to patients and document all communication.
• Assist in tracking and shipping controlled and non-controlled medications dispensed through VA pharmacies or CMOP.
• Answer the CITC pharmacy phone line and resolve inquiries not requiring a pharmacist.
• Use pharmacy systems to answer patient/provider questions regarding prescription status, processing, and shipping.
• Communicate with procurement when specialty or critical medications require ordering.

Pharmaceutical Care

• Accurately interpret, fill, and prepare outpatient, inpatient, and clinic prescriptions for pharmacist verification.
• Dispense medications to patients and healthcare staff after final pharmacist verification.
• Answer drug-distribution related questions from pharmacy and non-pharmacy personnel.
• Provide basic patient education such as explaining the refill process, and escalate clinical questions to a pharmacist.
• Ensure proper storage of all medications, including high-risk, look-alike/sound-alike, and refrigerated items in accordance with USP and VA guidelines.
• Monitor inventory levels, remove outdated medications, and coordinate with procurement for replenishment.
• Monitor refrigerator and freezer temperatures to maintain medication integrity.
• Reconstitute oral medications with accurate calculations and complete documentation for pharmacist review.
• Operate, stock, and maintain automated dispensing systems (Omnicell, ScriptPro, Parata), ensuring packaging accuracy.
• Troubleshoot minor automated system issues and report or escalate major technical problems to supervisors, vendors, or IT support.

Prescription Fulfillment

• Assemble prescriptions accurately with correct drug, strength, quantity, and labels for pickup or mail after pharmacist verification.
• Use barcode scanning to ensure correct medication selection and complete manual fills when automation is not used.
• Ensure timely processing of all prescriptions.
• Verify patient identity and ensure all medications-refrigerated, controlled, bulk, and supplies-are correctly provided.
• Prepare and ship prescriptions using USPS, FedEx, or UPS, packaging items securely (ice packs, insulation, bubble wrap).
• Update patient information, generate shipping reports, and coordinate delivery of refrigerated items with patients.
• Use VA systems to troubleshoot delivery issues, including cases without a physical address.
• Maintain an organized work environment, complete administrative tasks in VistA/EHR, and accurately process new and renewal prescription requests.
• Train and support new staff, participate in performance and quality improvement initiatives, and complete all required VA and VISN trainings.
• Communicate effectively with providers, nursing, pharmacy staff, and VISN programs across multiple platforms to resolve issues and support veteran care.
• Document all patient interactions and actions taken in VISN and EHR systems while adhering to all VA policies and procedures.

VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday between the hours of 8:00am and 5:00pm (8-hour work schedule). Tour may be further adjusted or extended (including holiday/weekend) to meet patient care needs.
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 51741-F
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• 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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 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 trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:
To qualify for appointment to this position, all applicants must possess the following:

1. Citizenship - You must be a citizen of the United States

2. English Language Proficiency - You must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).

3. Education or Experience:

1. None required.

2. For all grade levels and positions that accept both education and experience to qualify, equivalent combinations of qualifying education and experience that total at least 100% are qualifying. The combined percentage is determined by adding total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level to the education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level.

4. Certification (GS-07 and above): For positions above the full performance level, the employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either:

1. Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT).

2. National Healthcareer Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT).

Grandfather Provision. A Pharmacy Technician employed in VHA on the effective date of the qualification standard (11/7/2023) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:

1. Employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level or changed to lower grade within the occupation but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.

2. Employees in an occupation that requires a licensure/certification/ registration only at higher grade levels must meet the licensure/ certification/registration requirement before they can be promoted to those higher grade levels.
3. Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
4. Employees who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation.
5. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.

Grade Determinations: Pharmacy Technician, GS-08

1. In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-08 you must possess at least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-07).

2. Certification: For positions above the full performance level, the employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either:

• Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT).
• National Healthcareer Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT).

3. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following technical KSAs:

• Comprehensive knowledge of concepts, principles, methodology and policies in a specialized area or section of pharmacy (such as sterile compounding, controlled substances, automation, clinical pharmacy, contact center, etc.)
• Skill in training and orienting new and existing pharmacy facility employees and students on proper policies and procedures.
• Ability to evaluate, analyze and coordinate workflow and work activities within a specialized area or section of the pharmacy.

Preferred Experience:

• 2 years of Outpatient Pharmacy Technician Experience
• 2 years of experience with Care in the Community prescriptions in accordance with the VA Mission Act
• Knowledge and experience with pharmacy information/operating systems such as VISTA, CPRS, TriWest and Optum

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-08.

Physical Requirements: Moderate Lifting (15 - 44 lbs); Moderate Carrying (15 - 44 lbs); Straight Pulling (up to 1 hour); Pushing (up to 2 hours); Reaching above shoulder; Use of fingers; Both hands required; Walking (up to 6 hours); Standing (up to 6 hours); Repeated bending (up to 2 hour); Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; Ability to distinguish basic colors; ability to distinguish shades of colors; Hearing (aid permitted).

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 MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

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.

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.

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.