Summary The position of Program Specialist ( Veteran Outreach and Experience Program Manager ) is in the Business Office. In this capacity, the employee participates actively in the operations of Veteran Outreach Services The employee must have a high degree of analytical ability and knowledge of quality management, risk management, legal and peer review processes. Responsibilities Established outreach services provision with military installations Reserves, and National Guard facilities within the Memphis VA Health Care Catchment area. The incumbent provides transitional briefings to military, Reserve and National Guard personnel transitioning from combat service/active duty as well as unenrolled Veterans within the Memphis VA Health Care catchment area. Develops and distributes outreach material to include brochures, fact sheets, web content, and other targeted information which highlights Memphis VA healthcare systems facilities. Works with local and regional media including television, radio and print media to alert veterans of the services that are available in ways in which they can enroll. Provide training and information to VA staff, other federal agencies and community agencies regarding services available and information specific to Memphis via healthcare system. Develop and maintain working relationships with internal and external stakeholders. Maintain a master list of all outreach activities at Memphis VA healthcare system. Both organize and participate in a small myriad of community activities and events that have high probability of veterans presence such as service recognition events, veteran service organization meetings and events, picnic and parades, voluntary service events and welcome home ceremonies. Incumbent will develop and maintain health system communication plan by working with internal and external stakeholders to identify gaps in current areas of communication and developing strategies to mitigate those gaps. Once the communication plan has been developed the incumbent will maintain the plan and update when police, procedure and directive & impact. The incumbent serves as the liaison between the Health Care System, Veterans, Staff, and the Community regarding the patient experience, patient rights and advocacy. The incumbent overseas the community regarding the patient experience, patient rights and advocacy. The incumbent overseas the management of the Veteran Experience & Outreach activities through coordination with the internal and external outreach department including but not limited to, mental health services, social work and homeless programs, Women's Health, voluntary services, mental education, visual information specialist, public affairs, Veterans Benefit Services, National Cemetery and Veteran Center. The incumbent will be responsible for developing and guidance proactive training initiatives including patient centered care training, new employee orientation on veteran experience and new veteran orientation. The incumbent oversees the management of proactive veterans experience programs timely resolution of patient and family complaints, identification and collection of systems issues, education of staff regarding patient centered strategies and analysis of data including identifying trends and patterns that create difficulty for patients or families. Serves as a liaison to the veteran advocacy group (VAC) and utilize this recommendations from the council to direct projects and processes changes. The incumbent will maintain clear communication between the veteran population, staff and facility leadership. The incumbent will be responsible for developing and guiding proactive training initiatives including patient centered training comma new employee orientation on veteran experience comma and new veteran Serves as the liaison between the Memphis VA healthcare system and the VAC by setting agendas, taking meetings, managing sound affords or equivalent and presenting suggestions to the VAC. Sending recommendations to customer service or equivalent board and ensuring lines of communicating between the VAC strong and deliberate. Incumbent leads initiatives to assist veterans in understanding their rights and their responsibilities Maintains relationships with the Veteran's service organizations, community groups, and other entities whose interest is in helping and protecting veterans, their families, and representatives Interprets the health care systems mission, policies, procedures, and available resources/ services to the veteran aunt presents the veteran's problems, opinions and needs to appropriate staff and management. Incumbent ensures entitlements are explained to Veterans and their families. Assist facility leadership & staff membership recognizing the need to remove institutional barriers to ensure optimum healthcare is delivered to our veterans. Identifies existing and potential program areas suggest solutions or alternatives to existing procedures which contribute to these problems. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Not authorized Telework: Not authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist (Veteran Outreach)/PD50487-0 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 identification 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, 06/22/2026. 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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to maintaining current knowledge of changes/projected changes in VISN Directives, TJC, CARF and other accrediting body standards, especially in association with risk management and peer review issues, Effectively communicates with various groups/services/teams to gather information, discuss recommendations and coordinate improvement activities, Encourages participation of staff in problem solving activities by providing a conducive environment for innovation and creativity, and demonstrates ability to develop interdisciplinary team members with complimentary skills for maximum team effort/success. 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 LL.B. or J.D., if related. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) 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. 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/.
