Program Specialist

Program Specialist

Summary

This position is located at the VA medical Center in Iron Mountain, Michigan in the Patient Administration Service department. The Oscar G. Johnson VAMC is a complexity level 3 facility. The position will function as the first line supervisor over the Medical Admin Specialist (ADPAC), Enrollment/Eligibility Office, and the Administrative Officer's of the Day (AOD's). The primary purpose of this position is to plan, carry out, monitor and supervise assignments to improve the activities of PAS.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/14/2024. 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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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 and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: tracking data for trends and recommending areas for improvement, prepare reports, analyze trends, prepare correspondence, developing and tracking performance measures including employees, overseeing the daily operation of areas of responsibility, knowledge of laws, rules, regulations, and policies, able to communicate effectively orally and in writing, and database management. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond one year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Compliance Computer Skills Customer Service Medical Information Problem Solving Security 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: The work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required. The work is typically performed in a n adequately lighted and climate controlled office. 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/.

Duties

'Major Duties: Monitor daily functions of all assigned areas including but not limited to means test performance measures, kiosk maintenance, installation and performance measures, scheduling functions, registration, health benefits, enrollment timeliness and accuracy, NEAR reports, enrollment inconsistencies, insurance capture, decedent affairs, clinic profiles and creation, gains and loss reports, demographic updates, new evaluation requests, catastrophic disability determinations, scheduler master list, message manager, audio car, VHIC card submissions and program administrator, congressional responses, state home invoice approvals, open encounters, action item completion, hardship requests, and AOD office and after hours ROI releases and scanning.
Tracks data for trends and recommends areas for improvement.
Direct supervision over employees and reports to the Chief of Patient Administrative Service (PAS).
Responsible for attending meetings and as necessary be a fill in for when the Chief of PAS is absent.
Overseas daily operation of the unit; ensuring that agency policies are being followed, adequate coverage and reassigning staff when necessary, and plans work for staff.
Develops performance standards, evaluates work performance of staff, resolves complaints, effects minor disciplinary action and recommends action in more serious cases.
Ability to follow rules, regulations, laws, policies, and standard operating procedures set forth by the federal government, agency, medical center, and other governing bodies.
Works with human resources during the hiring process.
Functions as the facility Fugitive Felon Program Coordinator.
Directs the activities associated with the Burial/Detail program.
Coordinates with all clinical services regarding clinic utilization and getting new patients seen within the required timeframes.
Attends various community, outreach, and facility events; and presents and explains information related to enrollment and eligibility.
Responsible for quality assurance and plays a role in developing and coordinating the internal review systems, evaluations or processes for assigned programs to ensure activities are in compliance with agency and regulatory requirements Analyzes data and identifies trends and makes recommendations to ensure conformance with standards and goals.
Implements changes and corrections due to findings of internal and external reviews.
Conducts management studies to collect date on patient demand, workload trends, and bed utilization and compiles statistics for Registration/Eligibility and the AOD office.
Participates in Root Cause Analysis (RCA) reviews as it pertains to PAS.
Incumbent may also function as the Administrative Officer of the Day during the absence of the AOD schedule to work the day shift.
Incumbent will be flexible with work schedule and adjust work schedule to work off tours and holidays when necessary to allow for AOD coverage during times of emergencies.
Investigates, researches, and prepares responses to complaint mail and Congressional Inquiries.
Works closely with County Veteran Service Officers and Service Organization representatives in resolving problems.
Prepares responses for the signature of the Medical Center Director.
Prepares other reports, analysis's, and correspondence.
Other duties as assigned.
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00am - 4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD17271O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required'