Summary This position is organizationally aligned under the Department Head office in the Health Administration Service (HAS), Resources Directorate located at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago, Illinois - a complexity level 1c VHA facility. The FHCC is larger than just a single facility, rather it is a system of facilities throughout northeastern Illinois and southeastern Wisconsin. Responsibilities Duties Include but not limited to: Serves as the assistant Chief of Health Administration Service and is direct supervisor of all HAS Section Chiefs. Provide advice and guidance on health administration programs in relation to such issues as eligibility, revenue, intake, insurance, coding, billing, accounts receivable and utilization review. Provides services, technical counsel, and planning necessary to meet clinical, procedural, legal, and administrative program requirements relating to the care and treatment of inpatients and outpatients Provides a wide range of expertise on information systems and technology to higher level leadership within the facility and VISN. Implements VA Headquarters policies and regulations governing HAS, health information management practices, patient access, and patient transfer issues. Serves as a member of the Administrative Executive Council (AEC) which provides leadership for strategic planning, resource management, budget process, performance improvement, and for coordinating medical center-wide activities. Serves on key facility committees and task groups including Access, Performance Improvement, and Compliance. Develops and administers a formal, systematic performance improvement plan for reviewing, appraising, and improving each program within HAS. Responsible for assuring the services provided by this medical center meet the standards set by accrediting agencies, which govern the quality of care for the medical center. Represents the facility in public relations functions in the local community as well as in the jurisdictional area served by the medical center. Responsible for proper liaison between the medical center and its designated legal service and for informing management and staff on matters affecting patient administration.-Ensures professional and clerical staff are familiar with legal requirements relating to their actions and decisions which have actual, or potential legal implications. Responsible for the management and control of funds, including obligation and authorization of payment for services provided.-Develops the annual budget estimate for operations within HAS. Cooperates with other managers in the formulation of the medical center budget, including allocation of funds and recommendations to top management regarding staffing requirements, cost effective technological advances, equipment, projects, and supplies. Determines best approach for resolving budget shortfalls. Works with HR in the recruitment of employees for a wide-variety of technical and administrative disciplines. Develops and implements a viable, cost-effective organization, which manages positions within assigned FTEE, budget, and salary levels. Directs and appropriate system of rewards and discipline to achieve maximum employee productivity and enhance job satisfaction. Responsible for effective labor/employee relations, including disciplinary actions, by coordinating with HR Works toward meeting established affirmative action goals and applies EEO program objectives. Acts in partnership with union representatives in addressing employee issues.-Ensures effective training programs are in place to support the HAS program. Communicates effectively both orally and in writing. Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 7:30AM-4:00PM Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Medical Administration Officer/PD21265O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved 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, 11/05/2026. 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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. 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-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Skill in organizing, planning and administrative control in a medium to large integrated medical facility; skill in conducting technical counseling on procedural, legal and administrative requirements relating to patient care; skill in budget preparation and able to provide assistance to various medical services; demonstrated knowledge of Privacy Act and Freedom of Information Act laws to be able to respond to inquiries governing health care delivery systems; an ability to use statistical data for evaluation proposes and report findings such as problems within the patient administrative areas relating to scheduling patients for admission, admission policies, bed occupancy, bed allocation, etc. 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. 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/. Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.
