Summary This position is primarily located within Nursing Service at the VA Maryland Healthcare System - VAMHCS in Baltimore, MD. The incumbent is responsible for providing administrative assistance to Nursing Service by electronically recording the time and leave of employees on the Time and Attendance Cards, which are submitted biweekly to the Finance and Accounting Service. The Program Support Clerk operates under the direct supervision of the Administrative Officer. Responsibilities Major Duties include but are not limited to: Timekeeper 80% Completes electronic timecards and obtains proper signatures Completes comp-time/overtime request and obtains proper signatures: computes overtime expenses Prints leave reports Completes corrected timecards as necessary; follows up to ensure that timecards are signed properly and expeditiously; follows up with payroll to ensure corrections are processed. Gathers information, composes and @type memos for advance leave and leave without pay request. Operates computer terminal keyboard to store and retrieve information. Receptionist Duties 10% Acts as the receptionist for the Nursing Service, and the VAMHCS Executive Suite by answering telephones and receiving visitors in a professional and courteous manner Responds to inquiries, including questions of a substantive nature based on general understanding of the functions of the office, Refers the patient and/or employee to the appropriate staff person Responds to calls for assistance on behalf of patients and/or staff, and prioritizes those situations, which require prompt action by the VAMHCS Executive Suite Staff or VAMHCS Nursing service. Receive messages by telephone Opens and sort incoming mail, or e-mail for a variety of Nursing Service functions which require attention or action. Clerical Responsibilities 10% Maintains files and manuals to assist in the day-to-day operation of VAMHCS Nursing Service. Uses initiative in carrying out the recurring work of the office independently, referring problems unfamiliar situations not covered by instructions to the supervisor for help Enters data into the education tracking package for educational classes, maintains and updates mail groups and schedules classrooms. Familiar with basic data entry with inputting spreadsheets, and with Microsoft word office package. Completes committee meeting minutes when assigned, entry of training information into computer database -tempo and coordinate scheduling of committee and staff meetings Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30am - 4:00pm Telework: AD-HOC telework. Employees are required to live within a 50 mile radius of where the position is located. At minimum, a teleworking employee must work from the VA facility at least two days per pay period. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Support Clerk (OA)/PD26473-A 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 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. However, there is walking, standing, bending, walking upstairs, carrying of light items such as papers, files, and manuals. 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, 03/09/2026. 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-05 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-04. 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-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: Knowledge of the substantive programs of Nursing Service as they relate to the clerical and administrative, personnel functions of the service, knowledge of the functions of VAMHCS Nursing Service, the VAMHCS Executive Front Suite and how they relate to other offices to perform such duties as referring calls and visitors, and provide general, information. Specialized experience also includes being skilled in the operation of word processing equipment and various specialized software packages. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. Applicants who have the 1 year of appropriate specialized experience, are not required by this standard to have general experience, education above the high school level, or any additional specialized experience to meet the minimum qualification requirements. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have at least 4 years above high school. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond 4 years of high school. 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. 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/. Whole Health is an approach to health care that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their life to the fullest. The VA is committed to Whole Health and values Veteran and Employee health and wellbeing. As a VA employee, you will practice Whole Health in an environment that supports personalized and proactive care.
