Summary The Assistant Chief, Health Administration Service (incumbent) serves as a full assistant to the Chief, Health Administration. He/she is delegated full authority to act on operational and procedural matters pertaining to the Health Administration Service, including management of patient entitlements and benefit programs, health information management, personnel management, budgeting and financial management and property management. Responsibilities Duties include, but may not be limited to the following: Organizing, planning, directing, and controlling work related to processing applications for medical benefits, reception, determining eligibility, admitting, outpatient clinic scheduling and processing commitments, transfer of patients, beneficiary travel, and public relations related to these programs. Delegated staff responsibility for formulating plans, evaluating, and coordinating the day-to-day administrative management of the Health Administration Program. Assists in the formulation and development of major administrative policies for HAS; evaluates areas where policies and operations procedures are needed, or revisions are indicated through a continuous study of operations with a view toward providing the best possible health care services to eligible Veterans. Provides technical advice and expertise to the front line, Service Lines, and executive leaders as needed. Serves as a point-of-contact for supervisors and staff at the outpatient clinics to assist in answering inquiries related to patient processing activities, and also shares information pertaining to recent VHA directives, handbooks, or policies having a direct impact on patient processing activities. Prepares replies to Congressional inquiries, and correspondence relating to inquiries from Veterans, family members of Veterans, service organizations, other VA hospitals, and private providers of medical and dental care where the inquiries relate to Health Administration functions. Conduct processing time studies, internal audits, studies to meet accreditation/JCAHO requirements, special purpose functional reviews, and studies to identify ways to control or reduce costs. Resolves technical work problems and studies continuing problem areas; takes corrective action to effect resolution and reports progress. Analyzes data generated from a variety of sources (e.g. ProClarity, Pyramid, data warehouse, VISTA, Austin data files), to identify and report by section, clinic or other location, the implementation of significant process changes, adhering to system re-design principles. Serves as the rater or senior rater of subordinate staff; making decisions on technical and personnel problems presented by subordinate supervisors; reviewing evaluations of nonsupervisory employees rated by subordinate supervisors; assuring reasonable equity of individual employee performance objectives, standards and ratings among subordinate organizations; recommending performance awards and salary/bonus distribution for subordinate employees; evaluating subordinate supervisors and managers; making or approving selections for subordinate nonsupervisory positions; recommending selections for subordinate supervisory positions; taking disciplinary measures of all @types; providing for and/or arranging training. Apply Equal Opportunity principles and requirements to personnel management actions and decisions, and ensure all personnel are treated in a manner free of discrimination. Develops written operating procedures and schedules to guide employees in their work, provides training, assigns, and coordinates the work. Responsible for management of fund control points for all programs administered by Health Administration. Developing short- and long-range projections for monthly, quarterly, and annual budget requirements for four (6) control points for the beneficiary travel program. Determining budgetary, staffing, space, and other resource needs and allocation to support Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC). Prepare specifications for non-emergency transportation services and requests for regular equipment repairs. Reviews, documents, and reports on equipment maintenance, needs or inventories. Communicates space and/or workstation needs for HAS areas and provides recommendations to the Office of the Chief, HAS, on possible solutions. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00AM - 4:30PM Telework: This position may be eligible for ADHOC telework, at managers discretion. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Position Description/PD#: Supervisory, Medical Administrative Specialist/PD098330 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements 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) 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, 02/23/2026. 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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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 and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Detailed knowledge of all aspects of HAS programs including, but not limited to: Enrollment, Eligibility, Means Testing, Health Benefits Package, Co-payments, Choice Program/MISSION Act, Beneficiary Travel, Decedent Affairs, Admissions, Extended Care Services, CHAMPVA, Health Information Management, Sharing Agreements, Special Programs (Agent Orange, POW, Gulf War, Military Sexual Trauma), Compensation and Pension Program, Health Care Cost Recovery, Women's Health, etc; must have thorough knowledge of applicable laws, rules, and regulations regarding Veteran health care benefits. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and Management Attention to Detail Budget Administration Oral Communication 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: Position will require moderate amounts of walking, standing, bending, or stooping. Work is normally performed in an office setting; visits are made to various clinics throughout the Healthcare System. 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 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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. 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.
