Summary The Health Administrative Specialist on Duty (HOD) is a facility-wide position, located in the Office of the Chief, Health Administration Service (HAS), or Business Office (BO), or Medical Administration Service (MAS), or similarly named and organized service; with established guidelines, 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 to other than a normal tour of duty. Responsibilities Major Duties (Full Performance): Maintains continuity of functions and provides full medical administrative support during other than normal tours of duty to clinical and administrative medical center staff. Responsible for achieving management objectives and supporting the decision of management in carrying out duties. 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. 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. 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. Assists in responding to emergencies, determines priorities and nature of action to be taken; authorizes services, supplies, and personnel; notifies authorities as situation dictates. Acts as an advisory resource to all personnel assigned to other than normal tours of duty, such as medical clerks, telephone operators, file room personnel, admitting and clinic clerks and Contact Representatives. Prepares daily Gains and Losses Sheet and other related statistical reports. After regular hours responsible for initiating prearranged call tree, or for calling in all necessary employees on an overtime basis for emergent needs such as attending to patient care needs or emergency repairs. Coordinates with VA Police, Compliance, Service Chief and/or Medical Center Director to investigate unusual incidents involving welfare checks, injury, abuse of patients, loss of personal property or other areas as deemed appropriate. Receives phone calls and provides patient advocate support to Veterans and their family members after hours. Assist in any scanning backlogs by scanning medical documentation into the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) to ensure patient safety and patient quality of care. Ensures Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems are operational. Notifies appropriate Office of Information Technology (OIT) staff of any incidents. Conducts analytical studies on operational processes, issue topics, or related special projects as assigned. Other duties as assigned. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Flex 6 am-2 pm M-F; Covering Nights, Weekends, Holidays Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Medical Administration Specialist/PD99385S 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 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/15/2026. 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 7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS 5. For a GS 9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS 7. 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: GS 7 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS 5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: General knowledge of basic principles and practices applicable to VA policy and regulations, station directives, legal decisions, and state laws dealing with care and treatment of veterans and beneficiaries, admissions, discharges, scheduling, inpatient and outpatient policy, community care resources, procedures and coordination activities, domiciliary care, sharing agreements, legal detention, beneficiary travel, patient funds and valuables, death details procedures and burial benefits, compensation and Pension activities, medical and dental benefits, procedures, eligibility, and other administrative functions. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have one (1) full year of successfully completed graduate level education that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Education at the graduate level must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an equivalent combination of successfully completed education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the position as outlined above that meets the requirements of the position. Only education beyond a bachelor's degree may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-07 level. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. GS 9 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS 7 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 a wide range of administrative concepts, principals, and practices such as Bed Management, BMS, Beneficiary Travel Service Portal for claims management, ECAMs for ambulance and special mode claims, VES for Eligibility Enrollment and registration, Open Encounters management, Emergency management and incident command, and Public Affairs media management. Knowledge of overall Facility and Health Care System's objectives, goals, decisions, and policies. Knowledge of general principles of management and of the practices, techniques, and objectives of supervision. General knowledge of Federal and department personnel management policies and practices. Knowledge of applicable public laws, VA policy and regulations, station directives, legal decisions, and state laws dealing with care and treatment of veterans and beneficiaries, admissions, discharges, scheduling, inpatient and outpatient policy, community care resources, procedures and coordination activities, domiciliary care, sharing agreements, legal detention, beneficiary travel, patient funds and valuables, death details procedures and burial benefits, compensation and Pension activities, medical and dental benefits, procedures, eligibility, and related matters. Knowledge of VA requirements for computer access and security to assist staff. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have two (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education or masters or equivalent graduate degree or LL.B. or J.D., in a related field of the position to be filled. Education at the graduate level must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an equivalent combination of successfully completed education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the position as outlined above that meets the requirements of the position. Only education beyond a bachelor's degree may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-09 level. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: 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. 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 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 (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information.
