Job Information
Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration Program Support Assistant in Coatesville, Pennsylvania
Summary The Program Support Assistant (PSA) works as a team member of the Social Work Service, within the Coatesville VA Medical Center. The incumbent reports directly to the Chief of Social Work or designee. The PSA provides administrative support to the Social Work Department by relieving the Chief of Social Work and department staff of routine administrative clerical work, by setting priorities and coordinating duties while working independently and as part of a team. Responsibilities Major duties include but are not limited to: The incumbent reminds the Chief or designee of appointments and assembles background information and related materials needed to appropriately attend meetings/conferences. The incumbent schedules and prepares material for educational conferences, staff and Medical Center meetings attended by the Chief and Social Worker Supervisors, and other in- service training sessions provided for the department's staff. The incumbent organizes schedules (daily, monthly, annually) for Social Work providers, incorporating various clinics, patient visits, meeting attendance, educational activities, scheduled leave, etc., and distributes individual schedules on a daily basis or at intervals requested by providers. The incumbent receives telephone calls and greets visitors, referring urgent matters for immediate attention. Screens calls to determine the nature and purpose of the call and refers callers to appropriate staff and/or handles the calls independently. Incumbent independently responds to requests for information such as status of clinic appointments, availability of treatment resources, provider contact information for specialty treatment, and correspondence from other Medical Centers, service representatives and Veterans; forms and data required for response to requests for release of information; eligibility requirements, etc. Incumbent maintains a positive attitude, professionalism, and composure during difficult, busy, and challenging times or when faced with changing demands, priorities, and obstacles. Consistently responds to Veterans and their families, visitors, co- workers, and staff requests for assistance in a courteous and cooperative manner. Work Schedule: 8:00am - 4:30pm, Monday - Friday Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant/PD022460 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/11/2024. 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; Operating standard office and VA computer programs or databases, Utilizes attention to detail to perform data entry functions to support service line operations, Determines and follows required formats for VA memorandums and reports, Sets priorities, coordinate activities and have a high degree of skill in oral and written communication with a variety of people from different backgrounds, Reviews VA format related to correspondence and procedures, records and accounting programs/systems, Maintains timecards and attendance records Initiates electronic work orders and coordinates equipment repairs as well as enters building-specific work orders. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Communication Computer Skills Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Interpersonal Skills 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. Preferred Experience- Experience with Microsoft applications. Experience with administrative work and customer service. Experience with purchasing items for a company. Experience working with veterans Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary but includes walking and lifting/carrying files and other light objects. The work environment involves the normal risks and discomforts typical of administrative work in a medical care delivery setting. 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. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or 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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. 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.