Summary This position serves as the Assistant Government Information Specialist for the Privacy, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Records Management Programs at Wilkes-Barre VAMC. The specialist serves under the direction of WBV AMC's Privacy Officer. Responsibilities Privacy Program Operation and Administration: Assist in the implementation, management, and maintenance of the Privacy program for all WBV AMC facilities by preparing and responding to correspondence, distributing information. Reviewing facility processes and products for compliance with program requirements, and assessing the facility privacy posture through periodic evaluation of the facility's collection, use, storage and maintenance of sensitive personal information. Maintain mandated Privacy files; prepare required and requested reports and information for submission. Assists the Privacy Officer, advises management and staff on Title 38 United States· Code (U.S.C.) Sections 5701 , 5705 and 7332, Privacy Act, and, where appropriate, HIP AA requirements, policies, and procedures. Assist in the development and monitoring of facility-specific privacy training materials, provide training support to facility programs and staff as required. Assist in the processing of privacy complaints and in the investigation of allegations of illegal or improper activities related to the handling or release of protected information. Prepare draft correspondence to include, but not limited to, Congressional Offices, VA Privacy Office, VA Office of General Counsel, State and local government agencies, and other VA facilities for Privacy Officer or Director's signature. Assist in the monitoring of compliance with program requirements, internal compliance reviews, assessments and audits within the facility. Routinely review the processes for the appropriate accounting of all disclosures of privacy protected information made by the facility, coordinating with Release of lnformation (ROI) to assist in the capture of all required release data. Assist with auditing· ROI for compliance with disclosures. FOIA Program Operation and Administration: Assist in the implementation, management, and maintenance of the FOIA program for all WBVAMC facilities by preparing and responding to correspondence, distributing information, reviewing facility processes and products for compliance with program requirements. Assist the FOIA Officer with entering all FOIA requests into the FOIA Xpress program, initiating the facility response, scans all documents into appropriate files and uploads necessary documents to FOIA Xpress. Advises management and staff on FOIA policies, and procedures. Assist in the development and monitoring of facility specific FOIA training materials. Records Management Operation and Administration: assist in the implementation, management, and maintenance of the Records Management program for all WBV AMC facilities by preparing and responding to correspondence, distributing information, reviewing facility processes and products for compliance with program requirements. The specialist will cover in absence of the Records Officer to carry out policies, procedures and processes of the Records Management program. This will include but is not limited to assisting services with file plans, assisting with records going into storage, assisting with the quality monitoring of the program, assisting with quarterly reporting to VHA, and assisting with records disposition. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Government Information Specialist/PD009920 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not authorized 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, 04/13/2026. 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. 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-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: Assisting in leadership and strategic direction decisions and assists employees in adherence to regulatory mandates with respect to privacy and records management. Reinforce efforts to ensure the facility's full compliance with VA, NARA and HHS regulatory requirements and to demonstrate that VA adheres to its own policies. Monitor the proper use, hand ling, protection and release of privacy protected information within the facility. 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 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of successfully completed graduate education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the Government Information Specialist position, may be substituted to meet the experience requirements for GS-09 position. For example, an applicant with 6 months of appropriate specialized experience equivalent to GS-07 (50 percent of the experience requirement for GS-09) and 1 year of successfully completed graduate education (18 semester hours), as is describe above, (50 percent of the education requirement for the GS-09) would qualify for a GS-09 position. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Clerical Compliance Education and Training Organizational Awareness Quality Management 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 performed in an office setting. There are no unusual physical demands. 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 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.
