This position is located within the Transition and Care Management (TCM) of the Charleston VA Medical Center. The person in this position serves as the Patient Representative/Transition Patient Advocate to the Transition and Care Management (TCM) Program Manager. This position will act as a communicator, facilitator, and problem solver for patients entering or receiving care within the VA HCS.

Duties

Duties include, but are not limited to: Advocacy Assist patients, their families and representatives, and facility staff members in recognizing and removing institutional barriers to the provision of optimum health care to Veterans. Participate and assist in planning and executing outreach events as assigned by the TCM Program Manager. Act to resolve problems, expedite services, or implement necessary corrective measures within established facility policies and where appropriate. Acts as an advocate for patients, using seasoned judgment to resolve problems. The incumbent will collaborate with the TCM Program Manager and may cross systems as appropriate in resolution of problems in matters concerning patient care. Administrative Duties Develops rapport and maintains effective relations with medical center personnel at all levels, i.e., management, supervision, professional staff, technicians, administrative and clerical staff. Ability to communicate with individuals of different education, environmental, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds is essential. Serves as an advocate to assist transitioning post 9/11 SMNs and their families. Provides coordination of care, advisory and technical assistance to post 9/11 SM/Vs seeking medical care. Provide advice on eligibility in the VA system and assist with facilitating all aspects of care required and/or requested by the post 9/11 SM/Vs in collaboration with Social Work and Nursing Case Managers. Data Analysis Responsible for organizational analysis and will evaluate, process, or makes recommendations for effective organizational changes. Analyzes data, identifies discrepancies, makes corrections, and recommends a course of action to assure accuracy and timeliness of future data input. Must be able to comprehend, interrelate, evaluate facts, distinguish between causes and effects, understand fundamental problems, and be able to develop solutions logically and systematically. Leads and/or participates in process improvement teams under supervision and works with health care providers and administrative support staff throughout the medical center in preventing and resolving patient complaints. Patient Liaison Assist post 9/11 SM/Vs in understanding their rights and responsibilities. Collaborates with Veterans' service organizations, community groups, and others whose interest is in helping and protecting Veterans, their families, and their representatives. Explains entitlements to patients and their families. Perform other related duties as assigned. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Telework: Not Eligible for Telework Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Patient Representative (TPA)/PD107290 and PD101050 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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, 09/11/2023. 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-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9.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: To qualify for this position at the GS-09 level, you must meet one of the following: Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-7) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties as a Patient Representative/Transition Patient Advocate (TPA). Qualifying specialized experience includes Providing customer service to patients; Assisting patients and staff with resolving problems or complaints; Assisting with identifying problem areas and suggesting solutions or alternatives; Explaining policies and procedures; Keeping accurate records and preparing reports and/or written correspondence; Thorough knowledge of Federal Laws, VA regulations and directives governing Veterans' medical benefits; facility policies, procedures and organizational structure; medical terminology; available services; capability of clinics and must be aware of changes which affect Veterans' benefits; Possess knowledge of the duties, priorities, commitments and program goals of both administrative and clinical services in order to respond to concerns expressed by patients and their families relative to health care services. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. ~OR~ Education: Successfully completed two (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education or masters or equivalent graduate degree or LL.B. or J.D., in a related field of the position to be filled. Education at the graduate level must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~OR~ Combination: Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the first year) and specialized experience as described above, to meet the total experience requirements. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do to the work of this position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. Experience must be clearly indicated in your resume. To qualify for this position at the GS-11 level, you must meet one of the following: Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-9) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties as a Patient Representative/Transition Patient Advocate (TPA). Qualifying specialized experience includes Providing customer service to patients; Assisting patients and staff with resolving problems or complaints; Assisting with identifying problem areas and suggesting solutions or alternatives; Explaining policies and procedures; Keeping accurate records and preparing reports and/or written correspondence; Thorough knowledge of Federal Laws, VA regulations and directives governing Veterans' medical benefits; facility policies, procedures and organizational structure; medical terminology; available services; capability of clinics and must be aware of changes which affect Veterans' benefits; Possess knowledge of the duties, priorities, commitments and program goals of both administrative and clinical services in order to respond to concerns expressed by patients and their families relative to health care services. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. ~OR~ Education: Successfully completed three (3) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree, or Ph.D., or equivalent doctoral degree in the related field of the position to be filled. The education portion must include courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. Education must have been obtained in an accredited college, or university. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~OR~ Combination: Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education beyond the first 2 years and specialized experience as described above to meet total experience requirements. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do to the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. Experience must be clearly indicated in your resume. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Critical ThinkingCustomer ServiceReasoning (Clerical/Technical) 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: A high level of physical energy is required, as the incumbent is expected to meet with many people in many different locations in the course of a workday. 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 Ralph H Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 109 Bee Street Charleston, SC 29401 US
• Name: Detelshia Baker
• Phone: (281) 928-3768
• Email: [email protected]