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Health System Specialist

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Readjustment Counseling Service

Summary

Readjustment Counseling Service (RCS) consists of direct counseling services, outreach (face to face connection), and referral (Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and non-VA available services) for Veterans, Service members, and their families through Vet Centers, Mobile Vet Centers, 24/7 Vet Center Call Center, various Outstations and Community Access Points, and the RCS Contract for Fee program.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$106,437 - $138,370 per year

Pay listed is based on "Rest of US" GS pay table. Salary will be determined by the duty station of the selectee within RCS Southeast District.

Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Promotion potential
None
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Other
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
CBZY-13068489-26-KLC
Control number
888480800

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Open to current, permanent Readjustment Counseling Service employees (first area of consideration), and current, permanent VHA employees. Selected employee must be located within 50 miles of a VA facility within the District 2 catchment area and have space available for assignment. (Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands)

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Duties

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The position works toward the resolution of complex and sensitive issues which impact the effectiveness of RCS services and VHA organizations in general. Such assignments require a high degree of sensitivity and confidentiality by the position. The position provides guidance to staff regarding programmatic and administrative issues, hears and resolves staff complaints, settles minor complaints, and provides status brief and unresolved concerns to the attention of the District Director. The position works with District Leadership preparing both short- and long-range strategic plans for the District to align with the goals of RCS, VHA, and VA. Other duties include but are not limited to:

  • Collects, interprets, and analyzes quantitative and qualitative data relevant to programs being evaluated.
  • Resolves audit and inspection activities, ensuring accuracy and timely completion.
  • Prepares and presents reports, analysis, findings and recommendations.
  • Ensures appropriate allocation and distribution of available awards, providing guidance to meet the required timelines.
  • Performs organizational analysis for agency-wide organizations or programs or a major national mission or function.
  • Analyzes and evaluates the effectiveness of programs or operations in meeting established goals and objectives.
  • Participates in substantive reviews of executive correspondence to ensure accurate and timely responses to sensitive inquiries.
  • Acts as liaison to various organizational elements and to external groups to include veterans and their family members, members of Congress and their staffers, both local and national veteran service organization representatives, and any other stakeholder.
  • Develops and oversees agency-wide productivity programs, plans, procedures, and methods.
  • Ensures appropriate allocation and distribution of available awards, providing guidance to meet the required timelines.
  • Other duties assigned per the position description

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm; some evenings and weekends may be required.
Compressed/Flexible: Not Available
Telework: Ad-hoc may be available at supervisor discretion. Per agency guidelines, remote work is NOT available.
Virtual: This is a NOT virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/PD49767A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

NOTE: Selected employee must be located within 50 miles of a VA facility within the District 2 catchment area and have space available for assignment. (Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands)

Requirements

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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.
  • 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 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).
  • 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

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/21/2026.

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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks as a GS-12. 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.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR): The 0671 Occupational series has an IOR that must be met:

Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study - hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration.

-OR-

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:

  • Missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of health care delivery systems;
  • Regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups; and
  • Government-wide, agency, and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget, personnel, and procurement.
Special Provision for Inservice Placement: Successful completion of an agency-sponsored on-the-job training program may be substituted for qualifying experience, provided it included a formal individualized training plan. Such a training program must have been conducted in an operating health care system and included:
  • Assignments providing a knowledge of basic health system administration philosophies, practices, and procedures, and basic government administrative policies and requirements;
  • Practical assignments providing an opportunity to apply health system administration skills and principles (as the individual progresses, work assignments must be characteristic of the grade level to which he or she is assigned); and
  • Oversight by an experienced health system administrator with periodic evaluation of the individual's progress and appropriate adjustment of the training program.
In addition to the IOR, candidates must also meet the following specialized experience for the grade level.

GS-13 Specialized Experience: You must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

(1) Performs program analysis, including the development of life cycle, cost analysis, performance cost benefit, or economic evaluations of programs; or
(2) Develops procedures and systems for establishing, operating, and assessing the effectiveness of administrative control systems or operating programs;
or
(3) Develops tools and templates, identifies resources and memorializes administrative activities and controls;
or
(4) Develops and utilizes spreadsheets and tracking tools to monitor assignments;
or
(5) Prepares and presents reports, analysis, findings and recommendations.

Resume must reflect at least 3 of 5 items.

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, although some slight physical effort 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/.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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

Receiving Service Credit or 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.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/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/.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

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:

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


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.

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 position serves as the District Health System Specialist for RCS, reporting directly to each District Director performing analytic and evaluative work associated with line and/or program activities within RCS. The position serves as a primary link between RCS Program Offices and the District Office. This includes liaising with other executive staff within RCS, VHA and VA staff offices, other Federal agencies and a wide variety of external groups and organizations.

Agency contact information

VHA National Recruitment Center
Phone
(844)456-5208
Email
VHANationalRecruitmentCenter@va.gov
Address
Readjustment Counseling Service
120 SE 6th Avenue, Ste. 102
Topeka, KS 66603
US

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http://www.va.gov/jobs

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