Summary The Health Eligibility Center-Income Verification Department (HEC/IVD) in Atlanta, GA manages the nation-wide VA medical benefits program, including Veteran's health care eligibility-income verification and enrollment programs. This department provides support and guidance to Veterans, Veterans family members and/or representatives, the public and VA employees. Responsibilities Duties include, but may not be limited to the following: Receives and refers visitors and telephone calls. Serve as a first-tier contact person for telephone inquiries from veterans, representatives of veteran service organizations, VA medical center staff, and other outside sources. Answer questions by providing general program information or by locating appropriate regulations or existing case development activities. Prepares and @types letters, reports, tabulated data, memoranda, etc. Responsible for file maintenance, scanning and packaging of documents. Conducts indexing and quality control of scanned documents. Research to identify a new address for returned and undeliverable mail and update the computer systems as needed. Assist the Mail Center staff with opening, sorting, and scanning of HEC incoming mail. Responsible for uploading documents including spreadsheets into the Workload Management System. Utilize clerical software programs to complete administrative duties (i.e. Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, SharePoint, Skype). Apply knowledge of the Privacy Act and Freedom of Information Act. Processes Requests to update Veterans' demographic, military, financial, eligibility, and enrollment information by entering the information into the databases. Perform a variety of duties in support of data entry and collection of data. Maintain basic knowledge of various VA directives, HEC polices, and publications pertinent to eligibility. Observes and adheres to existing regulations to carefully review the circumstances that could enhance, restore, or substantiate the Veteran's benefit status for basic eligibility updates. Other duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, Full-Time, 9:00 am - 5:30 pm. Telework: This position is not available for telework. Remote: This is not a remote position. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant/PD01406A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements 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) 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, 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, 11/12/2025. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Advancement to positions up to GS-5. Candidates may be advanced without time restriction to positions up to GS-5 if the position to be filled is no more than two grades above the lowest grade the employee held within the preceding 52 weeks under his or her latest non-temporary competitive appointment. GS-05 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Ability to research and apply knowledge on regulations, policies, and/or procedures. Prepare oral/written responses to internal and external customers. Perform data entry in various computer systems. Provide customer service to customers/patients. The ability to provide instructions to customers/patients. OR GS-05: Substitution of Education for Experience (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Four (4) years of education above a high school level in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or a least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial or technical school. OR GS-05: Combination of Education and Experience (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond high school to meet the total experience requirements. (i.e. 6 months of specialized experience and 3 years of education above the high school level). For GS-5 level positions only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the combination with specialized experience requirement. One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience. Physical Requirements: There is a combination of potentially extended periods of sitting, standing, carrying of items weighing up to 20 pounds (i.e. files, manuals, and books) required. In general, work does not require special physical demands. 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 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 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. 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/.
