Summary This position is assigned to the Mental Health Outpatient Clinics Program. The incumbent acts as Program Support Assistant under the supervision of the Mental Health Operations Manager, providing administrative, programmatic, and management support and leadership. As the Mental Health Outpatient Clinics program is rapidly expanding, the incumbent will provide administrative and management support to outpatient clinic team members as well Responsibilities The Program Support Assistant is responsible for administrative and program assistance in the areas of day to day operations and program planning/evaluation for the Mental Health Outpatient Clinics Program. Must have general knowledge of the mission and functions of the program and understand how it relates to the overall medical center's mission. This includes creating reports and/or spreadsheets related to mental health metrics, including but not limited to utilization of measurement-based care and SAIL metrics. Maintains administrative files pertaining to the program. This individual must possess clinical and administrative expertise, as they will act as a liaison between Mental Health Outpatient and Mental Health Service. As such, this individual will assist with ensuring policies and other program-related documents (e.g., memoranda of understanding, standard operating procedures, service agreements) are maintained and updated on a routine basis. The PSA will run daily reports identifying outstanding alerts and actions required needing resolution. Responsible for assisting with coordination of training, requiring collaboration with all other VA facilities in VISN 16. Through database management, s/he ensures all staff maintain the certifications needed on an annual basis to practice in the outpatient environment. The PSA assists with this task through the creation of spreadsheets and other tools to facilitate seamless training and competency maintenance. The PSA provides advisory and technical assistance in screening, processing, and coordinating services to Veterans, beneficiaries, family members, and outside interested parties presenting themselves at the reception area of Mental Health Outpatient Clinic Program. Coordinates patient scheduling activities to ensure a smooth flow of the daily services. This includes ensuring providers' schedules maintain open access availability throughout the day, coupled with scheduled appointments, as well as resolving problems that arise from late appointments, emergencies, or walk-ins that could delay scheduled patients being seen in a timely manner. Also, the incumbent is responsible for gathering information from the Veteran and coordinating with outpatient providers to integrate the information gathered into the medical record. The PSA receives incoming telephone calls, determines identity of caller, nature of call and appropriate distribution of the call; answers inquiries from other employees/or the general public seeking information relative to medical and administrative matters and screens representatives from various companies. 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 through Friday; 8:00AM-4:30PM, Subject to change by supervisor to meet facility needs. Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant - Mental Health Outpatient Clinics/PD076050 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): 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 is mostly sedentary but also demands some driving, standing, walking, bending and lifting of approximately 35 pounds. During emergency situations may undertake tasks requiring higher levels of physical exertion. 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, 11/20/2026. 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-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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 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: Must be familiar with the mission, organization and programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Medical Center, Mental Health Service, the Mental Health Outpatient Clinic program, and related community agencies. Must be able to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with all employees. Must have experience in working with those with Mental Health concerns. Must have data gathering skills to in order to enter this information into a database. Must have knowledge of medical terminology, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and required formats to prepare correspondence and reports. Knowledge of the medical records, evaluation forms, filing, and distribution systems. Skill and knowledge in computer operations including word processing, database programs and other software (i.e. Word, Vista). Must be able to compile and summarize information and data, identify inaccuracies or anomalies in the information, and make written recommendations to resolve discrepancies based on interpretation of applicable regulations and procedures. Must be able to gather, interpret and analyze information in order to arrive at a logical conclusion. Must be able to plan, organize and implement assigned tasks under strict deadlines and multiple changing priorities. Must have the ability to interpret and apply written instructions, guidelines, policy memorandums, etc. This includes the ability to gather, organize and compile factual material. Must have knowledge of medical administration procedures for securing patient records, admission policy, collecting information in support of Social Security and VA claims, 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/. WORK ENVIRONMENT: The position will encounter individuals who have a range of mental health concerns. May encounter individuals with medically emergent conditions including those with contagious diseases. Normal features of this environment include being surrounded by patients, physicians, psychologist(s), social workers, nurses, students, and other administrative staff members. At the same time, he/ she must maintain composure while carrying out the duties and responsibilities assigned. Will have frequent contact with Veterans in various stages of a wide variety of mental illnesses and will be required to exhibit an extraordinary level of compassion in the handling and care of these patients. 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/.
