The primary purpose of the position is to contribute to the fulfillment of the VA mission and vision by assisting the Privacy/FOIA Officer with implementing and maintaining policies and procedures in the execution of an effective Privacy and FOIA program within the medical center and off-site clinics.

Duties

The incumbent acts as a liaison to facility staff by disseminating information to the appropriate areas, facilitating employee adherence to mandates from regulatory agencies and assisting the Privacy/FOIA Officer with various monitors to ensure VA and other federal privacy policies and procedures are observed. The Privacy/FOIA Assistant acts as the alternate Privacy/FOIA Officer in the absence of the designated Privacy/FOIA Officer. The incumbent promotes an awareness of privacy principles consistent with the mission, and values of the VA, and those required by federal law. Assists in the implementation, day-to-day functions, and maintenance of the Privacy and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) programs. Incumbent may occasionally perform higher level related duties (minus supervision of subordinates) in the temporary absence of the Privacy/FOIA Officer to cover time-sensitive/emergent privacy and/or freedom of information issues. Assists in preparing, receiving, reviewing, and verifying Privacy and FOIA request documents. Incumbent provides updated privacy information to staff to ensure that government and industry best practices for health care and executive agency privacy are understood and met. The incumbent maintains mandated privacy files, searches for and locates records requests; compiles data or information from files or from other departments, such as HIMS, to complete audits. Assists the Privacy/FOIA Officer in reviewing processes for proper accounting of disclosures of privacy- protected information made by the facility, coordinating with ROI staff to assist in the capture of required release data. As directed, the incumbent audits ROI activities for compliance with disclosures policy and procedures. Assists in the investigation of data breaches and recommends appropriate resolution and remediation; provides refresher, remedial and new hire training to staff regarding facility-specific privacy and FOIA expectations and processes. Identifies and maintains records of Privacy, FOIA, and RM training completion by facility staff. Assists the Privacy/FOIA Officer in the compilation and submission of the facility's Annual FOIA report. Promotion Potential: None Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Telework: Ad Hoc. 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 ad hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Position Description/PD#: Government Information Specialist (Privacy/FOIA Officer Assistant)/PD14421O 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, 10/20/2023. 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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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. You must meet the Time-in- Grade requirement in ADDITION, to meet one of the requirements below. You may qualify based on education and/or experience as described below: Specialized Experience: To qualify at the GS-9 level, you must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-7) in Federal Service. Specialized experience is defined as experience to successfully perform the duties of a GS-0306-09 Government Information Specialist. Qualifying specialized experience in a healthcare facility includes the ability to: assist with the coordination of programs related to privacy, review improper handling or release of privacy protected information, prepare responses to all inquiries, enter data into secure tracking system, handle confidential, sensitive info with encryption and proficient knowledge of HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability Act). This experience must be clearly documented in your resume to receive credit. OR Education substitution GS-9: Applicants may substitute education for the specialized experience required. To qualify based on education for this grade level, you must have master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. Transcript must be attached. OR Combination: An equivalent combination of creditable experience and education as described above, to meet total qualification requirements for this position. Transcript must be attached . Only graduate education in excess of one year is creditable towards meeting this requirement. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Analytical ReasoningCommunicationsEducation and TrainingInterpersonal EffectivenessProblem Solving 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 basically sedentary. Some walking, standing, bending, and carrying lightweight items such as books, papers and records are also required. 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 Tucson VA Medical Center 3601 South Sixth Avenue Tucson, AZ 85723 US
• Name: David Tweedy
• Phone: 520-312-5779
• Email: [email protected]