Summary This Program Support Assistant position is located in the Office of VA Community Care (VACC) under the Office of the Chief of Staff at the VA Medical Center in Fayetteville, NC. The Program Support Assistant (PSA) has a primary responsibility to support the planning and operational management for the local VA Community Care Office, to initiate, maintain and re-establish relationships between the VACC Office and the Vendor/Community Provider/Stakeholder. Responsibilities The Program Support Assistant (Customer Specialist) is responsible for carrying out the full range of responsibilities of this position for the Program Oversight support for the Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network located at the Fayetteville VA Medical Center. The individual will be the main focal point for coordinating correspondence, communication, problem resolution and regulation interpretation for all customers served by the VA Community Care (VACC). These customers are both organizational (veterans, service organizations, congressional offices, VISN and medical centers served) and private (non-VA healthcare providers and facilities) customers. Duties include but are not limited to: Prepares and submits service specific reports and studies for briefing and performance such as daily quad reports, site action plans, compliance and integrity concerns and trends, Claims Adjudication and Reimbursement reports as applicable, Provider Agreement reports, External Medical Office wait-times. Conducts extensive research and compilation of data from diverse resources. Conducts phone calls, face to face meetings and email correspondence as generally directed by the supervisor. Attends meetings to obtain information, and provide feedback, to ensure continuity and smooth operation of the program or services. Follows up via email with potential and previous vendors to render current instructions and certification requirements. Maintains a working relationship with veteran's service organizations, community groups, and others whose interest is in helping and protecting veterans, their families, and their representatives as it relates to Community Care. Processes documents for veterans, determining vendor eligibility, and responding to inquiries regarding services and other administrative matters, and resolving patient or family, and vendor complaints, and coordinating with the VACC Program Manager, for awareness purposes. Serves as a liaison with congressional offices responding directly to their staff assistants, when appropriate, on matters involving patient and/or vendor issues related to the VA Community Care. Logs and forwards correspondences to the appropriate section for response after initial review of Congressional correspondence and complaint correspondence. Checks eligibility provisions such as licensing, certification, education and general requirements of the VACC program. Coordinates appointments with interested and contracted vendors confirming schedule by personally contacting providers and arranging their participation during the enrollment phase(s) and encounters. Assists medical centers in resolving issues between VACC, the vendor and the medical center. Reviews files or records related to patient care authorizations delivered by both VA and non-VA healthcare provider in resolving payment disputes as warranted. Assists non-VA healthcare providers in recognizing and understanding regulations that apply to health care provided to veterans. Works directly with vendors and contact any member of the Medical Center's staff concerning any matter for problems relating to non-VA patient care which has not been resolved by other services. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 800am-4:30pm Telework: Ad-hoc telework at the Supervisor's discretion. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant (Community Care)-Customer Specialist/PD08300A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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 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. 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, 05/18/2026. 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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. 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 described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Providing administrative and customer support within a healthcare facility; performing automation duties using such software applications such as word processing, spreadsheet, electronic mail, desktop publishing, calendar, database, and/or graphics; collecting, compiling, and tracking data and information; and researching reference materials, regulations, and standards to identify appropriate action necessary to correct problems or issues. 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 There is no educational substitution at this grade level. 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 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/.
