This position is in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), at the New Mexico VA Medical Center in the Geriatrics & Extended Care Community Health program. Program Support Assistant provides support in the NMVAHCS non-skilled home health care, Homemaker / Home Health Aide (H/HHA) services, respite care, hospice, and palliative care services to enhance the comprehensive array of resources necessary to address the short-term or long-term care needs of enrolled Veterans.

Duties

The incumbent assists with all non-clinical functions for the Community Health (CH) program. Based on a thorough working knowledge of the organization, the incumbent functions with minimal supervision to resolve problems associated with the administrative and clerical work of the office and establishes priorities in administrative matters requested by the CH and GEC Leadership teams. The incumbent performs data entry on computer databases and forms used by CH. The incumbent maintains CH patient orders from outside agencies and facilitates the provision of care by tracking and processing these orders for physician signature and CH Nurse review PROGRAM MANAGEMENT The incumbent is a point of contact for all consults/referrals to home care; is responsible for ensuring all telephone calls are answered promptly; facilitates appropriate referrals by procurement of all required information and is a conduit between the CH team and other internal and external customers. The incumbent informs the CH team immediately of potential problems and questions regarding patient safety and potential emergency situations. Ensures that all community home care orders are entered into the CH tracking spreadsheets, and tracks orders sent to physicians for signature, assuring timely return to the appropriate agencies. Troubleshoots and resolves problems with CH orders working closely with the CH team and a large variety of community home health agencies. Requests medical records, supplies, educational materials, and publications needed for the program. Work involves utilization of VISTA, CPRS, and Programs specific to CH to perform administrative duties. COMPUTER & TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT The incumbent will possess advanced computer skills (e.g., word processing, CPRS, VISTA, Excel,) and communication tools such as MS Outlook. The incumbent will be responsible for the input of required data into the various CH databases, logs, and rosters in a timely fashion. The incumbent will be required to operate web-based software for CH program. The incumbent will also be responsible for attaining and maintaining basic competencies in operation of the CH processes to assist in troubleshooting problems for Veterans, answering questions for Veterans and staff, and supporting the CH team. The incumbent maintains and updates Veterans' information databases and creates systems to track and trend program outcomes. The incumbent enters all appropriate information related to Veterans' admission and discharge for the programs into facility and VISN databases. The incumbent develops and maintains reports using Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Software Computer Packages to create and compile weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual reports. Incumbent will serve as the primary ADPAC for Community Health staff. Will assist in requesting network access for new staff, IT equipment, software access and troubleshooting programs or equipment malfunctions. OFFICE MANAGEMENT The incumbent will assist the Program Manager in coordinating the operation of general and non-skilled sections within CH by ensuring timely completion of reports, controlling and action documents, composing correspondence on own initiative concerning the administrative and clerical issues of the office. Other responsibilities include but not limited to preparing word documents, correspondence, and meeting minutes; processing incoming and outgoing materials, e.g., reports, memos; generating copies and faxing; assembling document packets; receiving and distributing mail; scheduling meetings, notifying appropriate staff, and ensuring necessary equipment is available. The incumbent will also be responsible for submitting requests for purchase of supplies that are required for daily function of CH and maintaining an inventory of these supplies. Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 8:00AM - 4:30PM Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. 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#: Program Support Assistant (Community Health)/PD140770 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/14/2023. 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-05 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-04. 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-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: performs data entry on computer databases; maintains patient orders from outside agencies; responds to incoming phone calls, requests medical records, supplies, educational materials, and publications; preparing correspondence, meeting minutes, responsible for office supplies OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 4 years above high school 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 4 years above high school. Education: Successfully completed education above the high school level in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite is creditable at grades GS-3 through GS-5 for all positions except Reporting Stenographer, GS-5. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial, or technical school. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Computer SkillsInterpersonal SkillsManages and Organizes InformationTeamworkTechnology Application 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 partly sedentary, but a great deal of walking to all parts of the Medical Center is required since the incumbent will be working with a variety of clinical and administrative services. 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

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Raymond G Murphy Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 1501 San Pedro Drive, Southeast Albuquerque, NM 87108 US
• Name: Evelyn Gaynor
• Email: [email protected]