Summary This position serves as a Lead Patient Services Assistant for the Health Administration Service of the Salt Lake City VA Healthcare System. Responsibilities Duties include, but are not limited to: Lead in the Patient Benefits Service (PBS) which is a department within Health Administration Service (HAS). This position is the Lead over Program Support Assistants (Enrollment Clerks) within Patient Benefits Service (PBS). Provide on-the-job training to new enrollment and eligibility employees in accordance with established procedures and practices. Instruct PBS employees on changes in work procedures; provide written instructions/documentation of changes. Maintain current informational knowledge base and answer questions of other PBS employees on procedures, policies, directives, etc. and obtain need information or decisions from supervisor on problems that arise. Handle enrollment complaints and questions from Veterans, Caregivers, Staff and refers to supervisor more complex issues. Assist the Enrollment Supervisor with the hiring process following HR guidelines to include reviewing applications/resume, interviewing, reference checks, etc. Assist the Enrollment Supervisor as an Administrative Advisor to staff. Interpret VA Regulations, Directives and the CFR as it relates to the clinical and registration/admission unit staff in addition to creative problem solving. Ensure accurate collection of statistics from the unit for workload reports. Assist in enrollment congressional inquiries, investigate the impact of new directives, guidelines and Medical Center Memorandums and suggest processes that need to be implemented or changed to assure compliance with policy changes. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Lead Patient Services Assistant/PD11645A 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) 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, 07/06/2026. 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. You may qualify based on your experience as 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: Extensive knowledge with matters pertaining to the administrative aspects of patient care and Veteran medical benefits; working knowledge of the processes of Patient Services Assistants, Program Support Assistants and Data Clerks of the enrollment department; ability to assess workload at any given time and assist all staff and/or redistribute workload; extensive knowledge of Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Veteran Health Administration (VHA) directives and laws governing VA medical benefits and the overall programs related to the health care delivery system; knowledge of the Privacy Act and Freedom of Information Act; ability to refer inquiries of situations pertaining to any element within his/her jurisdiction to a manual or other VA reference to produce an acceptable resolution; knowledge and ability to locate, extract, and present information in a clear and effective language so decisions may be made to best achieve facility goals; knowledge of the various facts of demographics, eligibility, and means test data that are necessary to capture all off-station Veteran functions, and how the information impacts workload, Uniques and the medical center's congressional budgetary allocations; ability to provide accurate information to management, employees and patients regarding Veteran benefits such as: applications and/or admissions to inpatient and/or outpatient status, nursing home care, and beneficiary travel benefits; comprehensive knowledge of the total VA health care operational structure and of the resources that are available to this facility; understanding of the functions and responsibilities of other sections of the Health Administration Service is essential; competent in determining eligibility pertaining to inpatient and outpatient care, death benefits, non-VA treatment, beneficiary travel benefits, etc.; knowledge to assess documentation for accuracy, ability to review data with supervisor, and skill in determining corrective actions; competent in developing monitors and skilled in oral and written communication with a variety of people from different background and different levels of understanding; knowledge of Department of Veterans Affairs, Oklahoma VA Health Care System and Business Office goals and strategic and performance improvement plan in order to ensure goals are compatible; practical knowledge to recognize potential workload problem resulting from shortages of personnel and be prepared to develop and suggest corrective measures to the Supervisor; ability to perform in stressful situations, be astute in making judgment and maintain high productivity standards under situations of emotional pressure and extreme workload demand. 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. 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/.
