Government Information Specialist

Summary

This position is located at the William 5. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, a Level 1b Complexity VHA Facility, and is organizationally aligned under the Office of the Director. Government Information Specialists formulate policy, advise agency and facility management, and ensure compliance with all Federal and State laws governing the collection, maintenance and disclosure of information as well as the safeguarding of Government information while supporting accountability and transparency.

Duties

Duties include, but may not be limited to the following: Implements, manages and monitors the Privacy and FOIA programs in the facility by distributing information; preparing facility-specific policy guidance; reviewing facility processes and workflow to ensure information is appropriately safeguarded, used and disclosed; reviewing all contracts and other facility agreements for privacy and other appropriate language; and assessing the facility privacy posture through evaluation of the facility's collection, use, storage and maintenance of sensitive personal information. Advises management and staff on Title 38 U.5.C. Sections 5701, 5705 and 7332, PA, FOIA and, where appropriate, HIPAA requirements, policies, and procedures and ensures that facility managers and staff understand and fulfill their responsibilities. Coordinates program implementation and management with higher organizational levels and prepares reports and information. Keeps abreast of recent developments in the field of disclosure, including, current legislative resolutions or problems encountered within the FOIA and Privacy program. Researches, analyzes, and responds to all facility FOIA requests for agency information applying FOIA exemptions as required. Reviews and analyzes appeals from denials of access to records requested under FOIA and recommends final agency decision on release/non-release of records. Prepares responses to privacy inquiries from Congressional Offices, Human Resources, News Media, and the Dept of Health and Human Resources Office for Civil rights (HHS OCR). Investigates HHS OCR requests related to HIPAA-privacy complaints in conjunction with the VHA Privacy Office. Provides assistance with the investigation of privacy-related inquiries from the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) by the VHA Privacy Office and VHA Office of the Medical Inspector (OMI), and provides any required information or materials, as necessary. Processes complaints and investigates allegations of inappropriate activities related to facility privacy practices, using or accessing individually-identifiable health information, or disclosing or release of individually-identifiable health information. Investigates data breaches, and suggest appropriate remediation. Enter all privacy complaints, incidents and data breaches into the Privacy and Security Event Tracking System (PSETS). Represents the facility on committees, teams, and work groups and provide guidance on issues related to the use and disclosure of information and privacy related functions. Develops facility privacy and FOIA policies and procedures in compliance with VA/VHA privacy policies and procedures and ensures appropriate implementation within the facility, including all Community Based Offsite Clinics within the Hospital's geographical catchment area and operational reach. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm 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#: Government Information Specialist/PD18158O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved 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. 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, 11/09/2026. 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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: advise management and staff of polices and procedures and ensures that facility managers and staff understand and fulfill their responsibilities; researches, analyzes, and responds to all facility FOIA requests for agency information applying FOIA exemptions as required; prepare response to privacy inquires; provide assistance with investigation of privacy-related inquires from the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) by the VHA Privacy Office and VHA Office of the Medical Inspector (OMI), and provide any required information or material, as necessary; investigates data breaches, and suggest appropriate remediation; enter all privacy complaints, incidents and data breaches into the Privacy and Security Event Tracking System (PSETS); conduct privacy assessments by going on Administrative rounds on a regular basis and visiting the local Business Associate place of business; develop facility-specific privacy and FOIA training materials, as needed and provide training within the facility staff which includes: employees, students, contractors and volunteers; conduct quarterly focused monitoring in the Facility Self-Assessment (FSA) and submits it to PCA at the end of each quarter; review and analyze appeals from denials of access to records requested under FOIA and recommends final agency decision on release/no-release of records; represent the facility on committees, teams, and work groups and provide guidance on issues related to the use and disclosure of information and privacy related functions.. 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: Attention to Detail Customer Service Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Reading Comprehension 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. 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. 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/.