Program Support Assistant (OA)

Summary

The Program Support Assistant (OA) functions as a timekeeper and documents SWS staff time and leave as required following STVHCS policy and national regulation. The incumbent tracks, monitors and provides time and leave reports, as requested by SWS Management. The incumbent provides support and timekeeper related guidance to lower-level administrative support staff to ensure accurate time and attendance to meet Payroll audits. The incumbent uses VISTA to access and compile information.

Duties

• Duties may include but are not limited to: Program Resources Services and Support Performs work related to the acquisition and development of program information and resource materials/personnel to support the policy development and technical activities of the organization; Assists with projects in support of the policy development and technical program activities; Assembles and summarizes information and other materials from other sources; Develops resource materials, such as hard copy and computer-based brochures and reports; Monitors all aspects of the operating programs and makes recommendations to improve or modify methods for disseminating information to intended audiences; Serves as an Automated Data Processing Application Coordinator (ADPAC) to support SWS staff in the acquisition of equipment such as telephones, computers, printers, fax machines, laptops, cellular phones, tablets from the Office of Information Technology (OIT); Appropriately orders and maintains an orderly and adequate level of program supplies; Ensures lower level ADPACs are appropriately informed and abreast of changes to ensure accurate and timely submission of equipment requests; Manages day to day workload of lower-level administrative support staff to avoid equipment delays; Functions as an alternate travel arranger utilizing the federal travel program to assist SWS staff with travel orders, including travel vouchers and authorizations; Closely monitors travel requests to ensure approved travel orders are submitted accurately and timely and received prior to scheduled travel; Serves as the knowledge expert in guiding lower-level administrative support staff troubleshooting assistance to ensure accurate and timely travel authorizations and vouchers. Provides Administrative Assistance for Case Management Provides assistance to Chief, Assistant Chief, and Administrative Officer, clinical professionals and other staff members; Performs proficient clerical and administrative support, ensuring appropriate administrative processes are maintained in SWS; Maintains accurate paper and electronic records of cases in accordance with records control schedule; Compiles recurring and special reports as required by SWS programs; Serves as the records liaison and monitors lower-level administrative support staff record management. Information Receptionist Receives calls and routes callers, patients, and visitors; Provides information about the organization as well as SWS programs; Receives and provides forms and assists patients and visitors with administrative completion of forms or documents; Provides general telephone and visitor referral services; Directs patients, visitors, and callers to appropriate program/staff based on specific request or by ascertaining the nature of the call; Personally provides information of a routine nature. Inquiries vary widely and information given requires explanation of office functions, describing specific requirements, providing basic instructions or a similar degree of detail. Inquiries received require evaluation to determine the most useful and appropriate information, resolve inconsistencies in available information or provide alternatives; Obtains information to prioritize and make decisions regarding caller referral based on specific caller needs; Obtains caller information and resolves problems independently when possible; Ensures timely clinical response to patients/callers with potential emergent or urgent care needs through prompt identification of the problem and appropriate clinical referral; Interacts with customers, family members, visitors and co-workers in a courteous, tactful, helpful manner, exercising mature judgment and diplomacy; Receives, schedules, and refers external customers (to include community agencies, other government agencies, and general public) to appropriate SWS staff/programs; Acts as liaison to other managers and staff within the organization and provides accurate advice on procedures, reports, requirements and other matters necessary to implement SWS program policies, directives and instructions; Performs all necessary functions for the efficient operation of SWS; Maintains calendars, schedules appointments, coordinates meetings, and schedules conferences between various SWS program staff and all staff disciplines throughout the STVHCS; Ensures follow-up appointments and actions are scheduled and complete timely; Assures effective administration of functional operations; Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Available on an Ad-hoc basis. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant (OA)/PD001060 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/09/2026. 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-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-6. 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-6 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 and ability to apply patient privacy regulations and release of information procedures; knowledge of medical terminology and usages; ability to plan effectively, set priorities, coordinate activities, have a high degree of skill in oral and written communications; skill in use of Microsoft Work, Outlook, and Excel programs, scheduling, and other VISTA packages; knowledge to perform accurate and appropriate timekeeping functions; and skill in applying basic data gathering methods, such as standard interviewing or surveying techniques, to collect various types of factual information.. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Analytical Reasoning Communication Managing Human Resources Managing Resources 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. 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/.

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 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. Physical Examination: May be required, depending on the needs of the organization. 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 or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

How to apply

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/09/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13051726. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed. Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started. Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume: Prioritize most relevant and recent experience Use concise, results focused language Align language from the job announcement Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies Remove outdated or unrelated experience Use the USAJOBS resume builder Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at: https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/merit-hiring-plan-resources/applicant-guidance-on-the-two-page-resume-limit/ 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. The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/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/. 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.