Summary Located within the Community Care Service at the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System. Serves as an administrative and program support for the Registered Nurses and provides education and guidance to Community Care providers and their staff regarding administrative processes and referral requirements. The primary purpose is to support clinical and non-clinical workflows related to community care referrals, documentation management, audits, compliance reviews, and administrative operations. Responsibilities Duties: Program Specialist performs developmental assignments involving administrative, technical, and program support duties associated with Community Care referral coordination, consult management activities, documentation management, workflow coordination, data tracking and reporting activities, and related administrative operations. Execution of established administrative procedures, workflow processes, referral coordination requirements, documentation management activities, workload reporting functions, and customer support duties related to Community Care operations. Coordinates and manages administrative workflow activities associated with consult processing, provider documentation, and Request for Service (RFS) actions to support efficient Community Care operations and timely service delivery to Veterans. Preparing, organizing, and coordinating various forms of written communication including provider correspondence, Veteran notification letters, reports, faxes, and emails related to Community Care operations. Communicates appointment confirmations, requests for additional information, referral updates, follow-up actions, and administrative notifications Compliant with privacy and information security requirements involving protected health information (PHI) and personally identifiable information (PII). Utilize VA systems such as Health Share Referral Manager (HSRM), Consult Toolbox (CTB), and ECFax, Reviews consult documentation for completeness, accuracy, timeliness, and adherence to established procedures to help maintain the integrity and consistency of Community Care administrative processes. Participates in Quality Assurance (QA) activities by assisting with the review of workflow processes and consult management activities to support ongoing process improvement initiatives. Provides education and guidance to Community Care providers, Veterans, and staff regarding administrative workflows, referral requirements, documentation standards, and Community Care procedures by conducting training sessions, providing instructional guidance, and assisting stakeholders in understanding Community Care administrative requirements and processes. 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: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Ad-Hoc Only Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD148240 and PD148250 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) Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee -Official Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) noting your current position or most recently held position, tenure, @type of position occupied (i.e., Excepted or Competitive), grade level and duty location. For current Federal employees, the SF-50 must be effective the first pay period of the current year or later. 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, 06/29/2026. 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-05. 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: GS-07: Specialized Experience GS-07: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 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 and experience in Community Care administrative operations, consult management procedures, referral coordination processes, records management requirements, reporting activities, workload tracking procedures, and applicable VA/VHA/VISN policies and procedures Knowledge of administrative workflow processes, documentation management procedures, and non-clinical coordination activities associated with Community Care referral and authorization processes, including workflow analysis, process improvement, and compliance with the VHA Office of Integrated Veteran Care (IVC) guidelines and established Community Care guidance and procedures Knowledge of quality assurance principles, compliance review processes, and HIMS quality standards to support workflow monitoring, identify deficiencies, and contribute to process improvement efforts Ability to use administrative analytical techniques to collect, track and analyze workload and operational data, identify trends and prepare reports or dashboard summaries to support management decisions. 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 or superior academic achievement. if related that demonstrates 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. Superior Academic Achievement (SAA): SAA at the baccalaureate level in the coursework detailed above is fully qualifying. 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 a bachelor's degree may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-07 level. GS-9: Specialized Experience GS-09: 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 include; Understanding of federal privacy and information security regulations, including HIPPA, for handling sensitive Veteran information and PHI/PII. Proficiency with VA systems such as HSRM, CTB, ECFax, Microsoft office, provider directories, Adobe and other documentation tools supporting Community Care operations. Knowledge of records management practices including electronic file naming, organization, storage, retrieval, and maintenance of administrative and referral records Strong communication skills for coordinating with Veterans, Community Care staff, providers and other VA personnel to explain procedures, resolve administrative issues, and facilitate information exchange Skill in identifying workflow issues and contributing to process improvement recommendations, training needs, and operational guidance to enhance efficiency and compliance. 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. 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 in excess of the first year (18 semester hours) may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-09 level. 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. 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/.
