This position is located at the Department of Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS), which is a major inpatient and outpatient tertiary referral center with three hospital-based divisions serving the VA Sierra Pacific Network (VISN 21). This position is located within Voluntary Service as a Program Assistant at the Palo Alto Division, Defender Lodge and supports the day to day operation of the independent 52 room, 104 bed program.

Duties

Work Schedule: Tuesday - Friday 3:00 p.m. - 11:30 p.m., Sat: 11:30 am - 8:00 pm; Tour of duty subject to change to meet the needs of the agency Telework: Not Authorized; Position not suitable for telework Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant/PD00022A Financial Disclosure Report: Not required The Program Assistant will have the critical task of being one of VAPAHCS personnel to interact with the Veteran and thus set the tone for the remainder of the stay. The Defenders Lodge is a progressive way for the VA to provide state of the art outpatient procedures and still accommodate the economic and social needs of a population that is frequently pressed for financial resources and thus not able to afford local hostelries The Defenders Lodge thus meets the financial needs of the Veteran and the increasing demand of Utilization Review and resource allocation in today's financially burdened health care system. In this capacity, there are numerous advisory and technical duties that the incumbent must master to keep the Defenders Lodge functioning at its optimal level. Of paramount importance is customer service that will include Veterans, their caregiver, and numerous professionals seeking the service of the Defenders Lodge for their patients. Duties for the position include but are not limited to:

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/24/2022. 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: performing clerical/administrative duties in an office environment; answering and directing phone calls; preparing correspondence; maintaining files/records; using a computer to perform a variety of support tasks; room inspections; scheduling appointments; data collection. At this grade level, applicants should have good verbal and written communication skills and the ability to perform assignments independently with minimal oversight. 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: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed 4 years of education above high school. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. 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. (Must submit copy of official transcript with application package if qualifying for this position via education or a combination of education and experience.). OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and undergraduate education beyond the first 60 semester hours. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Critical Thinking Customer Service Integrity/Honesty Oral Communication Technical Competence 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 some mobility between various reception areas in the Defenders Lodge and between various buildings, but generally the job is sedentary with some standing, stooping, reaching, and lifting up to 20 pounds The incumbent must be composed at all times in trying to assist veterans and their families during their emotional/physical stress. The incumbent may transport a Veteran on a golf shuttle cart to the main building located 200 yards from the Defenders Lodge. 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 Palo Alto VA Medical Center 3801 Miranda Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94304 US
• Name: Desiree Carter
• Phone: 504-314-5492
• Email: [email protected]