Summary This position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6), Asheville VA Medical Center (VAMC), Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service (P&LMS), in Asheville, NC. The primary purpose of the position is to provide program support as administrative support staff to the Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service. Responsibilities Duties include, but are not limited too: Operates effectively fax machine, copier, and document scanner. Maintains and troubleshoots the equipment when required. Communicates professionally and effectively with providers, nurses, medical technologists, and with patients. Responds to routine technical and non-technical phone requests for information (ie: status of reports, duty status of pathologists, etc). Receives, prepares and routes all mail and phone calls to the appropriate personnel and/or section of the service based on knowledge of service programs. Answers telephones courteously, directs calls to the appropriate personnel and takes accurate and complete messages as needed. Prepares and routes mail within the Medical Center. Navigates VistA and CPRS to ascertain lab orders to determine ordered laboratory tests, accession tests, and print labels for collected specimens. Serves as unit timekeeper, ensuring that various work schedules and leave uses are posted properly and timely. Resolves discrepancies and errors. Informs employees of timekeeping procedures and regulations regarding tours, leave, travel requests, etc. Enters data into VISTA with correct coding information, including ICD-10, SNOMED, CPT, Tumor Board and Quality Control. Scans records into electronic patient charts and databases for outside review. Prepares the autopsy report required in VHA Directive 2011- 019. Utilizes CPRS in order to review deceased patient records for assembling the supplemental information that assesses the adherence and compliance by providers as VHA mandates. Performs work involving the collection, compilation, and/or tracking of data, reports and statistical information in support of P&LMS operations. Work Schedule: 7:30am-4:00pm Monday-Friday Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Administrative Support Assistant/PD042780 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 is primarily sedentary. There is some walking, bending, and moving of supplies required. Answering of multiple line telephones is required. Constant work with computers, calculators and reading/interpretation of instructions are essential. . 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, 03/30/2026. 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-5 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-4. 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-4 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 and proficiency of complex medical terminology specifically related to anatomic pathology and clinical diagnoses. Knowledge and skill in the use of computer equipment with a wide variety of software such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, VHA, and VA databases to extract and organize data, produce reports, and to prepare a variety of specific working documents and forms. Ability to perform complex medical transcription that involves specialized terminology dictated by several individuals and/or skill in transcribing material involving non-specialized terminology such as live conferences, teleconferences, or similar proceedings when an accurate recording is required. Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed four years of education above the high school level obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts). OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond the first 60 semester hours (beyond the second year). To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned. Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours. Preferred Experience: 3 years of Administrative experience in a position that requires patient facing, timekeeping, administrative support, and supply ordering. 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/.
