Program Support Assistant (OA)

Summary

West Palm Beach VA Medical Center is looking for Program Support Assistant (OA). The Program Support Assistant serves for the Caregiver Support Program (CSP) at the West Palm Beach VA Healthcare System. The position is located under the guidance of the Social Work, Caregiver Support Program, and reports to the Caregiver Support Program Manager in the Social Work Service.

Duties

• The Program Support Assistant position requires excellent relational and communication skills; advanced knowledge of and experience with computers; oral and written communication skills and the ability to work with others; particularly military populations and caregivers that provide assistance to these populations. Knowledge of and experience in working with a military veteran population within a medical/psychiatric environment is required. Time management skills and a high level of judgment are necessary. This position also requires independence of action, general latitude for decision making and knowledge of information sources concerning complex questions, policies, and procedures within the Caregiver Support Program. CSP is a clinical program that focuses on the needs of both the eligible Veteran/Servicemember and the eligible Primary and Secondary Family Caregivers. Additional Duties Include But Not Limited To: Aids the Program Manager in getting things accomplished through an extensive knowledge and understanding of the organization, regulations, methods, and the other tools or recourses of management. In the absence of the CSP Manager, the PSA will serve as the point of contact for the CSP and provide vital, sensitive, administrative program information to the Caregiver and/or Veteran, VA approved providers and VA staff. Assists in the establishment and enrollment of Veterans and Caregiver into the CSP and acts as the liaison and provides coordination and collaboration of services with VA eligibility, travel, budget, non-VA care services and other departments throughout VA Health Care System. Accepts CSP telephone calls from patients, family members, caregivers, CSP staff in the field, other VA staff, Congressional Officers, and/or community agency staff, regarding program inquiries, patient care concerns, etc. Obtains as much information as possible, provides information and resolves problems independently, when possible, prioritizes, and makes decisions regarding caller referral based on specific caller needs. Ensures timely clinical response to patients/callers that potentially have an emergent or urgent care need through prompt identification of the problem and appropriate clinical referral while exercising mature judgement and diplomacy. Maintains and tracks program national database and local census. Monitoring and maintaining profiles, oversight and correction of errors and changes. Prepares reports using database, to collect, compile, analyze and present data regarding the integrity of the program. Works independently on ongoing projects and continually updates and analyzes records for providing accurate and timely information upon request. Must possess the ability to apply basic analytical methods to interpret data and recognize errors and deviations. Assists in the preparation of all program reports; prepares data analysis, assists with performance improvement assessments to monitor cases and improve the continuity of services provided; assists in tracking internal reviews, action items and suspense's, quality measures, and the efficiency of the CSP. Maintains available resources and makes recommendations regarding needs and distribution of resources; scheduling resource training and prepares all logistical support for annual caregiver conferences and other events. Processes all incoming correspondence, faxes and action documents; obtains hard copy patient records from VA Health Information Management Section or from the private sector; and prepares and coordinates correspondence for the CSP and all local congressional inquiries, and other national suspense's, inquiries and actions. Research and assemble background information about incoming correspondence prior to expediting referrals. Utilizes multiple software programs to develop and prepare marketing materials; and prepares and disseminates monthly program newsletter to Caregivers and Veterans. Composes reports and meeting minutes as directed by CSP Program Manager. Assists in the daily operation of the program. Prepares the budget and completes monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting to meet National program requirements, monitors execution of national program funding. Manages fund control points for the CSP and serves as a backup fund control clerk for the service. Maintains running balances and check balances against fund control point obligations and reconciles orders as received. Will be responsible for preparing, modifying and issuing all authorizations of care for approved service, as well as, tracking, reviewing and processing invoices for these services. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant (OA)/PD029100 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, 09/18/2026. 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. Specialized experience would include: Advanced knowledge of and experience with computers; Oral and written communication skills and the ability to work with others; Knowledge of and experience in working with a military veteran population within a medical/psychiatric environment; extensive knowledge and understanding of the organization; establishment and enrollment of Veterans and Caregiver into the CSP; Able to Develops and prepares reports, briefings, special papers, and summaries from data about CSP; managing multiple projects, prioritizing, and meets deadlines. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service: Anticipates and meets the needs of both internal and external customers. Delivers high-quality products and services; is committed to continuous improvement. Database Administration: Knowledge of the principles, methods, and tools for automating, developing, implementing, or administering database systems. Managing Resources: Selects, acquires, stores, and distributes resources such as materials, equipment, or money. Administration and Management: Knowledge of planning, coordination, and execution of business functions, resource allocation, and production. Information Management: Identifies a need for and knows where or how to gather information; organizes and maintains information or information management systems. 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 and is performed by sitting, standing, bending, and stooping. Is required to obtain records from files, and carry files, manuals, and other light objects. Occasional travel is required to provide support at conferences, workgroups, programs, or meetings. 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. 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. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

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 09/18/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13052460. 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/ The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and 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.