Summary The primary purpose of this position is to provide administrative information and assistance to the supervisor and staff, on the practical and technical aspects of office administration, to include budgeting and other administrative support services, and to perform staff support work. Facilitates coordination of master staffing schedules ensuring twenty-four-hour availability of clinical personnel. Assists the Chief of Medicine (Service Chief) and Administrative Officer (AO) in daily operation. Responsibilities 30 Day Hiring Model The Department of Veterans Affairs is implementing a streamlined 30-Day Hiring Model designed to accelerate hiring while maintaining the highest standards of merit-based selection. This improved process reduces traditional hiring timelines by integrating early coordination, faster assessments, and efficient pre-employment actions. Applicants can expect a more transparent, predictable, and efficient hiring journey from announcement to entry on duty. What Applicants Can Expect Expedited Candidate Review Once the announcement closes, Human Resources will quickly review applications, issue certificates of eligible candidates the day after the announcement closes and refer applicants for hiring manager consideration. Quick Interviews & References HR may arrange interviews and will request references within 3-5 days after being referred to the hiring manager. Streamlined Pre-Employment Requirements: Following a tentative offer, applicants should be prepared to complete required steps, such as fingerprinting and background check, credentialing, and medical examination within 3 days of the offer. Clear and Timely Communication: Applicants will receive clear communication at key milestones, including referral, tentative offer, and onboarding instructions. After meeting pre-employment requirements, candidates will receive a final job offer and start date. Onboarding tasks may continue after starting, with HR ensuring timely completion for a smooth transition into VA service. If selected, applicants should be prepared to come onboard within 30 days of the announcement closing. Major Duties include but are not limited to the following: Advisory Services: Provided on the basis of persona; knowledge or on the basis of personal research in the guidelines or contacts with the offices and individuals within the service. Budget and Financial Management: Collects data for the unit's operating budget, consolidates material into an annual service budget; sets up controls to monitor expenses during the year; and recommends budget adjustments including restructuring budget allocations or work plans to deal with changing situations such as varying costs for equipment parts, or services, and changes in the availability of funds. Alerts the Administrative Officer or other authority of significant issues/problems, such as overspending in assigned accounts. Serves as technical resource to unit personnel on travel policies and regulations, and provides information on travel allowances and requirements. Prepares travel authorizations and vouchers using automated systems and software for travel and voucher preparation. Researches accounting problems such as erroneous payments, object class errors, unobligated commitments, and late payments, and ensures corrections and/or adjustments documents are entered into the accounting systems. Office Program Work: Collect data, review, analyze and develop plan (if necessary), monitors signed/unsigned clinical notes, to improve access and in support of completing outpatient encounters. Provides data and proposals to the Chief of Medicine (Service Chief) and Administrative Officer (AO) for this same function. Assists with identification of staffing shortages and deficiencies assuring efficient allocation of clinical personnel needed to maintain safe unit staffing levels as needed. Ensures data validation from (Gains and Loss [G&L], inpatient rosters and Cost Data Reports [CDR]). Compiles data, produces trends and makes recommendations based on the data and requirements, to assist the Sub-Specialty Chief with VA, national and local regulatory compliance. Participates in the development and review of clinical staffing and scheduling policies /procedures. Office Services: Assists Administrative Officer (AO) with Credentialing and Privileging of Physicians, Mid-Level Providers, and Dependent Providers. Conducts extensive research and compilation of data from diverse sources. Extracts and assembles information, conducts analysis and develops reports. Demonstrates proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and program management software. Responsible for data collection, analysis, and reporting for the assigned Sub-Specialty Section. Pulls data from systems such as VHA Support Service Center (VSSC), Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning (SAIL), and Specialty Productivity Access Report and Quadrant Tool (SPARQ), including those reports built using Pyramid Analytics, and VISTA for Budget reports. Serves as Sub-Specialty section expert on Managerial Cost Accounting (MCA) reports. Reviews and updates labor mapping for section staff, works with MCA staff to address concerns with cost outliers. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant (Medicine Sub-Specialty)/PD11873A 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. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. 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, 08/24/2026. 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-6. 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 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: Progressively responsible clerical, office, or other work that indicates ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position to be filled. 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. 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/.
