Lead Patient Relations Assistant

Summary

Incumbent assists the Customer Service Ambassador/Patient Transport Supervisor in the day-to-day Customer Service/Patient Transport Program operations, managing workload of employees, volunteers and work studies assigned to the program, ensuring all patients and visitors have the best and safest possible experience while at VACCHCS. The incumbent has the knowledge; experience and skills that demonstrates the ability to coordinate a high volume of requests throughout the medical center.

Duties

Major duties and responsibilities include, but not limited to: Day to day operations; on-site events; and community events, contacts are with Veterans, family members, visitors, dignitaries, public officials, community members and leaders, front line staff from clinical and non-clinical services, Service Level Advocates, first-line supervisors and Police service. Responsible for assisting supervisor in planning and organizing the assignment and oversight of subordinate staff to accomplish agreed upon objectives. Dealing with complex and overlapping issues for all VA beneficiaries including VA employee at all levels, Volunteers, Work Studies, Veterans, visitors, dignitaries, community partners all within a complex, academically-affiliated Health Care System. Adhere to more specific guidelines, policies and procedures as directed by Supervisor, Assistant Chief and Chief. Applying evaluative methods and techniques to issues concerning the efficiency and effectiveness of program operations and making recommendations for programmatic improvements, changes, and updates. Assist and help provide support for other CDCE programs outside of the Customer Service/Patient Transport Program, to include but not limited to the recruitment and processing of volunteers and work studies, onsite & community events. Responsible for assisting supervisor in planning and organizing of all activities and staff in the Customer Service/Patient Transport Program for all clinical and non-clinical services, Veterans, patients, and visitors. Assist in oversight of the Customer Service/Patient Transport staff who provide a channel through which Veterans can seek solutions to problems, concerns, unresolved needs. and receive safe and timely transport via shuttle, wheelchair. or gurney throughout the medical center. Help ensure the patient's needs, and those of their family members, are anticipated and met from the time of arrival at the healthcare facility to their departure, to include coordinating parking lot shuttle cart rides, wheelchair transport throughout the facility. Work Schedule: Full time, Monday-Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm Telework Eligible: Not a telework position. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Lead Patient Relations Assistant/PD02601A Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this 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. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. 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. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-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. *Note: Experience gained within the CDCE/Veteran Service * Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/17/2026. 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 GS-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: organizational and service goals; Analyze and interpret correct and proposed policy and guidelines, and assess business processes reengineering impacts on quality assurance. Assess and analyze safety and quality assurance program implementation. Prepare written reports, memoranda, and correspondence detailing results of audits or other assignments. Experience with the operation of 2-way radio and cell phone use for the purpose of dispatching, communicating and tracking. Experience with researching, retrieving, analyzing, storing, creating reports and other documents, and sending/retrieving emails using computerized systems. Possess comprehensive knowledge of a wide range of medical transportation management policies, principles, and practices. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Accountability Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Leadership Learning Managing Human Resources Planning and Evaluating Problem Solving Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork 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: Work is sedentary; however, it also involves walking, standing, bending and carrying of items including books, supplies and parts and driving motor vehicles. Work is performed in an office setting and frequently in a maintenance shop setting. There is frequent exposure to dirt, grease, noise and machinery. 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. How You Will Be Evaluated

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment. The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position. Other Information

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. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members. For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document. If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.