Summary The Health Administrative Specialist on Duty (HOD) is a facility-wide position, located in the Health Administration Service (HAS), the position has both the authority and responsibility to represent both the Medical Center Director and the Chief, HAS on all administrative matters occurring when assigned. The HOD is delegated full authority and responsibility to exercise the Medical Center Director's prerogative in medical administrative matters and issues that may arise. Responsibilities Duties may include, but are not limited to: Delegated full authority of the Chief, HAS for administrative activities occurring during irregular tours. Interprets VA rules and regulations relating to determining legal entitlement to benefits relating to hospital admission; nursing home, dental, domiciliary, Community Care (outside VA), and outpatient care; dental treatment; prosthetic appliances; patient transfer; and beneficiary travel. Authorized as certifying officer for documents pertaining to the administration of laws concerning VA. Coordinates the resolution of medical legal problems concerning the medical center. Ensures that appropriate legal, regulatory, and policy requirements are met. Processes administrative issues surrounding beneficiary death, seriously ill cases, elopements, suicides, assaults, deaths on arrival (DOAs), homicides, code blue, cost recovery matters, and facility or community disasters, etc. Determines the appropriateness of notifying the medical examiner of unusual deaths. When unusual circumstances occur determines actions to cancel clinics and appointments. Seeks clinical input and initiates process to contact affected parties and reschedule where appropriate. Provides administrative authority, guidance, and decision making to Medical Officer of the Day (MOD), Nursing Officer of the Day (NOD), and other similarly named Nurse and Medical positions in charge after hours, and all other clinical staff concerning administrative matters necessary for operation of the medical center during other than normal tours. Provides orientation and situational technical advice to physicians regarding VA policies and procedures. Assists medical center staff with medically related problems, including involuntary commitments, orders of protective custody, and management of unruly or severely disturbed patients. Assists in responding to emergencies, determines priorities and nature of action to be taken; authorizes services, supplies, and personnel; notifies authorities as situation dictates. Coordinates non-routine contacts received at the medical center after regular operating hours. Receives and responds to non-routine patient condition inquiries and other administrative inquiries from concerned veterans, families, visitors, law enforcement officials, representatives from private hospitals, veterans service organization representatives, VA Central Office, Congressional offices, military personnel, private physicians, media, and the general public. Coordinates with VA Crisis Line and VISN or regional Nurse Advice Line in assisting Veterans in emergent or crises situations. Conducts analytical studies on operational processes, issue topics, or related special projects as assigned. These may include access, consultations, travel, enrollment management, Medical Center Memoranda or Policies or other topics related to the flow of patient care related to health administration processes. Perform other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Shift Work - Monday - Sunday, Including Holidays - Variable Shifts within a 24 hour period not to exceed 12 hours. Position Description/PD#: Medical Administration Specialist/PD99385S 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 requires much walking through the medical center with occasionally the requirement to lift objects such as suitcases, clothing, or medical charts. 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, 04/06/2026. 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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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 for GS-09: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Comprehensive working knowledge of applicable public laws, VA Policy, station directives and legal decisions; Familiarity with hospital inpatient and outpatient policy, community care resources, and patient fund, valuable, and death procedures; Knowledge of medical center organization, functions, specialties, and programs; Knowledge of medical and administrative records systems, Privacy Act, and Freedom of Information Act; Knowledge of hospital safety regulation; ability to deal with a variety of individuals with tact, diplomacy and empathy; Knowledge of analytical tools; Ability to identify and analyze complex problems with a range of variables; Ability to complete assigned projects; Experience making sound decisions using good judgment. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Master's or equivalent graduate degree OR 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree OR L.B. or J.D., if related OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the grade levels specified in the table, and may be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for the position at grade GS-9. (When crediting education that requires specific course work, prorate the number of hours of related courses required as a proportion of the total education to be used.) Note: Education transcripts must be submitted with your application materials if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Determining the length of General or Specialized Experience, or Education is dependent on the application materials that you provide. Failure to provide all the information to determine qualifications, and basic eligibility requirements may result in a finding of ineligible. It is your responsibility to submit your application materials, and appropriate documentation prior to the closing date. Your application materials must clearly reflect relevant work experience and education (if applicable), as it relates to this job opportunity announcement. 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/.
