The incumbent serves as the Program Support Assistant Fisher House program. The Fisher House is a progressive way for the VA to provide lodging to family members of VA patients, thereby increasing the patient's support system and improving rehabilitation potential. The incumbent works closely with the Fisher House Manager to run the day-to-day operations of the independent 21 room Fisher House, 21 room Courtesy Quarters and 30 room lodging facilities.

Duties

Maintain a schedule of bed availability so as to maximize the bed utilization to include cancellations and re-books. Maintaining data for the program to include occupancy, referral sources and the responsible referring clinician for all three components. Responsible for contacting future guests by phone or mail to provide reservation reminders as well as sending notification of missed reservations. Maintains contact with other VA program assistants/clerks and other key personnel throughout the MEDVAMC in order to stay knowledgeable of changes and to resolve delays and communication difficulties for the guests of Fisher House. Resolves day-to-day problems relating to the program and keeps the Fisher House Manager informed of situations that cannot be easily resolved or that may have an impact on safety of the guests or be beyond the immediate scope of the program. Conduct in-service trainings for other Care/Service Lines regarding the purpose, criteria and referral process for the program. Trains other appropriate staff in the duties and functioning of this position. This is to provide back-up for planned and unplanned absences. Responsible for coordinating information/events with the professional staff within the program and with those from referring services on administrative matters. Assist with overseeing projects assigned to Fisher House volunteers as directed by the Fisher House Manager. Coordinates and maintains the off-site lodging billing process. Maintains budget control records and assures that funds are used in accordance with the operating budgetary procedures. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30 am - 4:00 pm, subject to change based on the needs of the Agency. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant (OA)/PD07035A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved 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, 10/06/2023. 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-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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. SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR: Type 40 words per minute. Selective Placement Factors (SPF) are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for the position. Applicants who do not meet the SPF are ineligible for further consideration. 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-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Courteous customer service to all veterans and caregivers; highly responsive to requests for help, information and services. Listens attentively and acts to resolve customer issues. Maintains schedule/worksheet of bed availability to maximize room utilization; maintains data regarding occupancy, referral sources for Fisher House, Hop-Tel & contracted hotel Insures eligibility of lodging requests for lodging & corresponds on request within 24 hours of receipt; communicate effectively and tactfully via verbal face to face, telephone or correspondence; understanding of day-to-day operation of a VA Medical Center and know how to obtain information needed to assist the Veteran, caregiver or other individuals needing help. Note: This experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, beginning and ending date (month/year) of employment AND hours worked per week. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed one half (½) year of graduate education with a major that included courses directly related to the work of this position. Such graduate education must demonstratethe knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of successfully completed graduate education AND specialized experience. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, beginning and ending date (month/year) of employment AND hours worked per week. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and ManagementCommunicationPlanning and Evaluating 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 duties and responsibilities of the position require mobility between various rooms within the Fisher House and between the Fisher House and various other hospital buildings. The incumbent must be composed at all times while providing customer service to veterans and their families during their emotional and/or physical stress. Average physical ability, dexterity, and strength are required to perform the work. This includes preparation for programs, occasional moving/lifting of equipment, (100 cup coffee pot, boxes of donated items, up to 40 pounds etc.), assisting guest with luggage. Although some of the work is sedentary, the employee will be walking, standing, bending, and carrying some light to heavy items, as well as driving an automobile if trips to visit the off-site lodging facility is necessary. 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 Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center 2002 Holcombe Boulevard Houston, TX 77030 US
• Name: Susan Reynon
• Phone: (808) 726-0496
• Email: [email protected]