Program Support Assistant (Office Automation)

Summary

The incumbent provides support to the Administrative Officer (AO), Chief Medical Officer (CMO), and Nurse Manager for one of the following Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System outpatient clinics. The PSA serves as an expert resource for matters related to the administrative functions of the Outpatient Clinics. The incumbent will input data into tracking systems, preparation of correspondence to internal and external customers, coordinating meetings, composing and distributing minutes.

Duties

Duties may include but are not limited to: 1. (5%) Outreach and Teaching - The incumbent is responsible for scheduling, preparing materials and assisting with employee engagement, and Veteran appreciation activities organized by the outpatient clinics. This includes serving as the point of contact for multiple community stakeholders to include Veteran support organizations, workforce solutions, and other local agencies supporting these events. The incumbent will be responsible for coordinating presentations from the Clinic leadership to new employees. Incumbent must demonstrate tactfulness, diplomacy, and politeness to all individuals seeking assistance or information. 2. (30%) Clinic Correspondence - The incumbent will be responsible for incoming and outgoing materials such as correspondence, reports, memoranda, suspense, congressional requests, guidelines, report of contacts, request for supplies, performance appraisals, performance standards and other forms of written communications. 3. (30%) Program Data Management- The incumbent is responsible for assisting the Clinic Leadership in fulfilling national and local requirements to include tracking patient and stakeholder data, data gathering needed for recurring and non-recurring statistical reports, and program audits. The incumbent is also responsible for properly recording and tracking performance measure data for the clinic utilization to include accessing and compiling data from VSSC and other data cubes as appropriate. 4. (5%) Dispatcher- The incumbent will monitor of all required equipment will be kept and tracked on an inventory as appropriate. Receives all incoming mail for the clinic. Screens, reviews and dispatches mail to clinical staff, and determine priorities and proper routing within the service, ensuring the AO, CMO, and NM are advised of all matters requiring their attention. Serves as Liaison with Facility Management and employees for all maintenance problems such as heating, air conditioning, faulty plumbing and lighting located within the clinic. Enters work orders for maintenance issues as items are identified. 5. (5%) Clinic Computer Formats - The incumbent in collaboration with HAS staff is responsible for the development and implementation of new clinic computer formats as needed by staff trainees and coordinates such clinics. The incumbent is responsible for initiating EPAS requests for all new staff arriving at perspective clinic, and work in collaboration with services to ensure proper menu's and keys are issued based on occupations. 6. (10%) Record Keeping - The incumbent maintains accurate and current records as needed per VHA/VCB requirements. The incumbent is responsible for ensuring that all electronic database and all other records are maintained in a suitable and complete fashion. The incumbent will follow all procedures consistent with meeting JCAHO, OIG and/or other applicable standards in force at the time. Establishes, maintains, and dispositions administrative files. Maintains the filing system, which includes correspondence, reports, personnel and training records, project files, publications, and directive material. 7. (10%) The incumbent attends and takes minutes for various meetings chaired or organized by the CMO, AO, and NM. The incumbent also assists with maintenance of the Outpatient Clinic SharePoint sites, service line folders, and program materials needed for Veteran distribution and all activities. 8. (5%) The incumbent maintains all materials, administrative and publication files to include the most current copies of VATVCBHCS, and VHA Policies and Procedures; the incumbent assists staff members when they in need of locating specific policies. Work Schedule: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm, (Monday through Friday) Telework: This position may be authorized for Ad-Hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. This is an onsite position. Ad-hoc Telework may be offered when deemed necessary by the department. (Employees who telework on an occasional, episodic, or short-term basis, must complete required telework training and a telework agreement.) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant (Office Automation)/PD00383A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements

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, 08/27/2026. 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. Proficiency Requirements: In addition to meeting experience or education requirements, applicants for these positions must show possession of the following skills, as appropriate. Applicants may meet these requirements by passing the appropriate performance test, presenting a certificate of proficiency from a school or other organization authorized to issue such certificates by the Office of Personnel Management local office, or by self-certifying their proficiency. Performance test results and certificates of proficiency are acceptable for 3 years. Agencies may verify proficiency skills of self-certified applicants by administering the appropriate performance test. 40 words per minute typing speed. 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: Knowledge of medical terminology and usages, spelling, grammar, and composition. Ability to perform, plan and organize work. Skill in use of Microsoft Work, Outlook, and Excel programs, Scheduling; Statistical and analytical processes and deductive reasoning to conduct problem and trend identification and resolution. Skill in applying basic data gathering methods, such as standard interviewing or surveying techniques, to collect various types of factual information. OR, Education: Graduate education may be credited in those few instances where the graduate education is directly related to the work of the position. OR, Combination: Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for this grade level and position for which both education and experience are acceptable. Equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total experience requirements at this grade level GS- 06. PREFERRED EXPERIENCE: Demonstrated experience providing administrative or secretarial support in a healthcare or outpatient clinic setting. Proficiency using Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) for scheduling, correspondence, and document creation. Experience working with Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems (such as CPRS, Vista, Epic, or similar). Knowledge of medical terminology relevant to outpatient/clinic environments. Strong customer service skills, including experience interacting with patients, visitors, and multidisciplinary medical staff. Proven ability to maintain confidentiality of protected health information (PHI) in accordance with HIPAA and VA regulations. Experience managing multiple phone lines, scheduling appointments, and maintaining patient records with attention to detail. Familiarity with VA systems or previous VA experience is highly desirable. Ability to prioritize workload, meet deadlines, and manage frequent interruptions in a fast-paced clinic environment. Excellent oral and written communication skills. Physical Requirement: The work is sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds. 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. How You Will Be Evaluated

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position: Accountability Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. 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. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. 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. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. Other 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.