Summary The incumbent serves as the Program Support Assistant to the Office of Associate Director for Nursing and Patient Services, in support of the Caregiver Support Program (CSP). The PSA aids the program staff in getting things accomplished through a knowledge and understanding of the organization, regulations, methods, and the other tools or resources of management. Responsibilities The Program Support Assistant (PSA) assists in the establishment and enrollment of veterans and caregiver into the Caregiver Support Program (CSP) and acts as the liaison and provides coordination and collaboration of services with the eligibility, travel, budget, non-VA care services and other departments throughout El Paso VA Health Care System. The PSA accepts CSP telephone calls from patients, family members, caregivers, CSP staff in the field, and other VA staff and or community agency staff, regarding program inquiries, patient care concerns, etc. The PSA obtains as much information as possible, provides information and resolves problems independently when possible and prioritizes and makes decisions regarding caller referral based on specific caller needs. The incumbent ensures timely clinical response to patients and callers that potentially have an emergent or urgent care need through prompt identification of the problem and appropriate clinical referral while exercising mature judgment and diplomacy. The PSA has backup responsibility for establishment, monitoring and maintenance of clinic profiles in CSP. They advise medical and administrative staff relative to creating new clinic profiles or making changes to establish clinics. Proper configuration of clinic profiles and the Medical Center computer system has direct bearing on scheduling, flow and processes within individual clinic, how workload is captured, and how efficient reimbursement of CSP special funding. The incumbent works that the Administrative Officer and clinical services to ensure the clinic stop code information corresponds with the DSS stop code identifiers within each clinic profile, the incumbent is responsible for programming detailed encounter form and action profile settings, setting appointment length and overbook capacity and managing the assignments of cases to the caregiver program clinics. Other duties include: Utilizes an electronic time and attendance computer program to perform timekeeping duties for all employees. Handles conflict and problems in dealing with customers, constructively and appropriately. Utilizes a range of software applications (i.e., Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.) to prepare correspondence. Receives and reviews all incoming correspondence. Coordinates meetings and prepares meeting minutes. Maintains office supplies and equipment. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. Telework: Ad-hoc Available Virtual: This is not a virtual/remote position. Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant - Caregiver Support Program / PDHA756-00455-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Preferred experience; 2 or more years of customer service experience Strong verbal and written communication skills 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. 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 Valid driver's license preferred 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 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 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, 02/17/2026. GS-6 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Knowledge of various medical directives, Medical Center memorandums, procedures and publications pertinent to home patient care; Knowledge of medical records program, patient privacy regulations and release of information procedures; medical terminology and uses (in general, medicine, surgical, geriatrics, hospital terms, medical abstracts, abbreviations, nursing, social work, pharmacology, aging, and home health), spelling, grammar, and composition, and ability to determine and follow required formats for memos and reports; Knowledge of mathematics and use of a calculator and software computer programs to efficiently, effectively, and accurately maintain budget preparations and statistics required for weekly, monthly, and quarterly reports; Knowledge of Microsoft Office to include Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel, and Access is required to retrieve statistics, prepare reports, and analyze data; and, Knowledge of the principles of financial management, personnel management, organizational structuring and strategic planning. 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. 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. Receiving Service Credit for 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. 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/.
