Assigned to the Veterans Service Center (VSC), this position performs a broad range of complex administrative activities in support of access to healthcare related benefits across an integrated system of VA healthcare access points. This includes performing detailed administrative functions with tasks related to eligibility determination and enrollment into the VA Healthcare system and providing information to both internal and external customers regarding associated programs.

Duties

As part of a cooperative team, the incumbent will perform one or more of the following roles: Health Benefits Enrollment and Eligibility Advisor This function has a varied range of duties related to the enrollment and eligibility determination of Veterans and other eligible entities including the review and processing of new and updates to applications, electronic, on paper, received in person or via mail. Advises veterans of the healthcare benefit package in person and over the telephone. A successful staff member assumes responsibility for the initiation of administrative processes for establishing care, independently applying and interpreting directives and regulatory authorities to each program. Decedent Affairs Duties: Related tasks concern the responsibility for Decedent Affairs administrative processes, preparation, completion and oversight of official electronic death certificates, VA forms, electronic record annotation, and other related tasks related to the release of remains for burial and/or organ donation and correspondence to finalize hospital business regarding the deaths of inpatients and some outpatients. Established staff must demonstrate acquired knowledge regarding VA death and burial benefits. Beneficiary Travel Advisor: In this role, the incumbent demonstrates a working knowledge and technical proficiency in applying eligibility principals to the payment of travel reimbursement claims using a complex electronic platform. Other related duties include, determining eligibility for transportation benefits and the coordination of transportation needs in consideration of regulatory authorities governing appropriate program administration to eligible Veterans and caretakers. Associated tasks may include reconciling transportation billing and administrative responsibilities in providing temporary contracted hotel services for veterans meeting the program's eligibility requirements. Electronic Bed Management: The staff member in this role is responsible for monitoring and processing the electronic admission, transfer and discharge of inpatients accurately and in a timely manner to ensure patient safety. The employee will have a full understanding of eligibility, regulatory requirements and system functionality as it relates to annotation of the patient's movement within the hospital and verification of documentation in the electronic medical record. HOPTEL: Incumbent has administrative responsibilities in management of Hoptel services. Incumbent ensures guest meet eligibility requirements and are able to independently function in the Hoptel environment according to the CPRS Hoptel note. Admissions: The incumbent is responsible for monitoring and processing admissions and transfer of inpatients from clinics and the Emergency Room accurately and in a timely manner. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm, Outreach activities rarely require off tour hours but will be prescheduled in advance. Position Description Title/PD#: Program Support Assistant (OA)/PD21T53A Physical Requirements: The work involves mostly administrative processing which requires standing, walking, sitting, stooping, bending, lifting light objects, answering the telephone and retrieving and entering data into various computer programs and databases. 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.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation
• May serve a probationary period
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. GS-05 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-04 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: Responsible for providing clerical, technical, or customer support; Receiving and referring phone calls; Communicating and treating customers in a courteous, tactful and respectful manner while providing consistent information according to established policies and procedures; and Using computer programs to prepare correspondence and manage documents. OR Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-05 level. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have four (4) years above high school. OR Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-05 level. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-05. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. GS-06 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: Ability to analyze, evaluate, and provide recommendations on administrative issues; Ability to apply eligibility principles to gather information, determine entitlement, process applications and claims, and coordinate benefit needs; Ability to monitor, track, audit, and implement corrective actions across all managed programs; Skill in operating multiple computer systems and applications to accurately enter or extract information; Ability to manage funds in regard to billing and travel; Administrative support such as preparing responses to correspondence, scheduling appointments and meetings, tracking time and attendance, and generating reports. There is no educational substitution for the GS-06 level. 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.

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.

Contacts

• Address VA Western New York Healthcare System 3495 Bailey Avenue Buffalo, NY 14215 US
• Name: Crystal Collier
• Email: [email protected]