Summary The Primary Purpose of the Position is: To provide a variety of administrative, clerical, and technical support to the Chief, Audiology and Speech Pathology Service, Audiologists, Speech Pathologists, and Audiology Health Technicians. The Organizational Location of the Position is: Audiology and Speech Pathology Service (ASPS), VA North Texas Healthcare System. Responsibilities Program Support: The employee plans, coordinates, organizes, and controls the various clerical, clinical, and administrative phases of the Audiology and Speech Pathology Program, an independent service that provides comprehensive treatment of speech, hearing and swallowing disorders. The employee supports the clinical and administrative section of the ASPS and acts as a liaison between the ASPS and other referral sources to the clinic. The employee serves as the primary liaison to Medical Administration Services(MAS) and relays pertinent information to service staff regarding changes in policies, procedures and ensures compliance with new directives. Patient Care Liaison: Incumbent acts as a liaison between the ASPS staff and patients from clinics and referral sources both within and outside the medical center including Community Based Outpatient Clinics. The incumbent is responsible for coordinating clinical and administrative activities among the four campuses of the ASPS VANTHCS located at Dallas, Fort Worth, Bonham, and Tyler to enhance patient care. Correspondence Preparation/Filing/Recordkeeping: Accurately compiles and formats all correspondence and reports using official formats. Such correspondence includes documents for use internally and externally including correspondence for signature of the Medical Center Director. Prepares, composes, or reviews correspondence for accuracy and correct format. Must transcribe correspondence and reports from drafts into proper format, with correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, and medical terminology commonly used in the ASPS. Some documents may require skill in performing editing functions to incorporate substantive change made by the originator. Correspondence may include replies to inquiries from members of Congress or special boards of investigation. Receives and responds to requests from VA Medical Center, VA Central Office and requests from other governmental agencies. The incumbent completes special projects that may require assembling and summarizing data and other materials from computer databases or other special program sources. Typing/Word Processing/Office Automation: The incumbent must have knowledge and skill in operating a personal computer and be a qualified typist. The incumbent must be familiar with word processing software and printing devices to create documents, reports and spreadsheets. The incumbent must be able to integrate several @types of software to generate specific documents and forms such as spreadsheets, databases, graphics, and other similar products. The incumbent must select the appropriate format, application, and system. The incumbent must have knowledge of computer programs relating to patient care activities and scheduling including, but not limited to, VISTA, CPRS, and ROES. Administrative Duties: The incumbent supports the basic administrative needs of the Audiology Clinic and Speech Pathology Clinic by managing telephone and personal contact in a way that results in efficient and high quality patient care. The incumbent monitors all incoming consults to the Audiology and Speech Pathology Clinic and assigns appropriate staff to schedule appointments according to availability of space and urgency. Incumbent screens and distributes incoming mail and refers technical correspondence to appropriate staff. Time and Attendance Records: The incumbent serves as a primary timekeeper for ASPS staff and assigns timekeeping assignments to alternates as needed. Maintains Time and Attendance (T&A) records for commonly used @types of leave and verifies the allowability of various hours charged on reports. After remaining T&A reports and errors or discrepancies are noted, returns them to the originator for correction. Ensures T&A records include proper documentation such as medical certificates for sick leave. Prepares a variety of staffing and manpower usage reports; makes recommendations to appropriate supervisors regarding staffing needs. Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm and 8:00am-4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Lead Program Support Assistant/PD091980 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): 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, 03/02/2026. 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-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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 below: Specialized Experience: I possess one year of specialized experience, equivalent to at least the GS-05 level in the federal service, that equipped me with the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position and that is typically in and/or related to the position being filled. Specialized experience includes but not limited to: collaborates with the vendors and patients to resolve scheduling issues or conflicts; reviews and distributes workload and provides instruction and training to employees; maintain files in accordance with established guidelines; advises and provides counsel to employees regarding policies, procedures, and directives of management; utilize various reports and data to ensure referrals are monitored for timeliness and accuracy. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Accountability Administration and Management Clerical Customer Service Written 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:The work is generally sedentary although there may be some standing, walking, bending, or carrying some light items such as files, books, or papers. The incumbent typically sits comfortably to work and may be required to spend much time using a personal computer. A strong voice and clear enunciation are required in order to communicate effectively with hearing and speech impaired patients referred to ASPS for services. .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/.
