Summary The purpose of the position is to serve as a Lead Contact Representative, to the Health Administration Service (HAS), under the direct supervision of the Health Benefits Supervisor. The incumbent continuously embraces and support the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center mission, vision, and core values. The incumbent is expected to present to work in a professional manner and timely in accordance with established tour of duty. Responsibilities Duties include but not limited to: Maintains extensive knowledge of the Medical Center and policies to respond to inquiries from veterans, Medical Center staff and other agencies regarding applying for care, eligibility etc. The Lead will oversee 7 Health Benefits Contact Representatives at the full performance of GS-07. Estimate and report on expected time of completion of work and maintain records of work accomplishments and time expended and prepare reports on patient processing activities as requested by the supervisor and/or HAS leadership. Provide status updates and progress of work to the HBU Supervisor and/or HAS leadership and obtain needed information or decisions from the supervisor on developing issues. Distributes and balances workload among employees in accordance with established workflow or job specialization. Ensures the timely accomplishment of assigned workload and make day to day adjustments in accordance with established priorities, obtaining assistance from the supervisor on problems that may arise such as but not limited to backlogs. Instruct employees in specific tasks and job techniques, providing extensive training to new and existing staff, developing educational materials for distribution with the inclusion of Standard Operating Procedures. Monitor and report on the status and progress of work, checking on work in progress and reviewing completed work to see that the supervisor's instructions on work priorities, methods, deadlines, and quality have been met. Be responsible for amending or rejecting work that does not meet established standards and refer to the supervisor with problems in meeting performance standards. The incumbent will report to the supervisor on performance, progress, and training needs of employees, and on behavior issues. He/She will provide information to the supervisor as requested concerning promotions, reassignment, recognition of outstanding performance and personal needs. Coach the team on selection and application of appropriate problem-solving methods and techniques, provide advice on work methods, practices, and procedures, and assist the team and or individual members in identifying the parameter of viable solutions. Inform employees of available services and employee activities and assist in resolving simple informal complaints of employees and refer others to the supervisor. The Lead Contact Representative will communicate with staff of new updates, changes and/or adjustments to policies and procedures. Communicates daily with the HBU Supervisor on regards to daily operations, consistent care coordination. Communicates and consults with HBU Supervisor and colleagues to develop knowledge, and to apply agency policies and practices to new matters. Serve as a key contact for various medical center staff, Veterans and family members pertaining to healthcare benefits. Monitors special programs such as Agent Orange, OEF/OIF/OND, Military Sexual Trauma (MST), Camp Lejeune, Southwest Asia, PACT Act and others to assure veterans are receiving the appropriate appointments and benefits. Collects and communicates data relating to special programs such as Mental Health, Ineligible Veterans, Champ VA etc. to the Supervisor and/or HAS Leadership. The incumbent will monitor working conditions such as seating, safety etc.; and may approve leave for a few hours for emergencies when the supervisor is not readily available.As a Health Benefits Contact Representative, the incumbent serves as the subject-matter expert and is responsible for applying an extensive body of rules and regulations relative to Veterans Eligibility for VA healthcare benefits, interpretation of relevant laws, VHA guidelines and regulations, and other federal agency policies is required to ensure that timely and appropriate measures are taken throughout data collection and data entry processes. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: Not Authorized for telework. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Contact Representative/PD92855-0 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 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, 09/23/2026. 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 GS08 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS07. 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-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Knowledgeable in the procedures related to enrolling Veterans in and accessing the MyHealtheVet web-based program, comprehensive knowledge of pertinent laws, federal regulations, polices guidelines, VHA directive and procedures that require extensive training, Proficient in several HEC software applications to retrieve Veterans' information; such as, Defense Personnel Records System (DPRIS), Veterans Information Solution (VIS), SHARE, Hospital Inquiry (HINQ), Veterans Benefit Management System (VBMS), Veterans Enrollment System (VES), Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA), Electronic Health Record Management to conduct thorough research, analysis and fact-finding to adjudicate Veteran's claims for health care, and make appropriate eligibility determinations, perform a variety of data entry functions, execute data transmissions, monitor workloads, and productivity. Working knowledge of varied functions of computer spreadsheets, database computer applications, etc. to produce and maintain a wide variety of documents. Have sound fundamental knowledge or organizational theory and practice and have a high degree of skill in oral and written communications. Applicants must be eligible under the VA Interchange Agreement, having served continuously for at least one year in the other merit system under this interchange agreement. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: This is primarily a sedentary position, but the work requires some walking, bending, stooping, and carrying of light objects such as manuals, documents, etc. Concentration and sustained performance under prolonged stress is required because of the time factors involved in completion of work assignments within deadlines. Work Environment: The incumbent works in an office/clinical setting. Work areas are generally adequate and shared. Occasional travel is required. He/she frequently walks to and interacts with other services throughout the facility and Community Based Outpatient Clinics. The incumbent observes established safety standards and practices as defined in the facility's policies and guidelines. Incumbent may also occasionally work outside the VA to participate in community events such as Health Fairs, Homeless Veterans Stand Downs and Post Deployment Health Re-assessment (PDHRA). 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 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/.
