The Program Support Assistant in this position reports to the Administrative Officer in Rehabilitation Care Line (RCL) in the overall daily management of the RCL and provides administrative support to all care line program areas. In this role, the incumbent also serves as the initial point of contact for the RCL, triaging initial customer contact based upon subject matter and needs of the customer to the appropriate RCL resource.

Duties

The major duties of this position: Timekeeping & Record Management: a. The Program Support Assistant serves as the primary timekeeper for the RCL, responsible for initial enrollment, appropriate entry and adjustment in VATAS. The incumbent is expected to understand and meet all process timelines on behalf of the RCL, to disseminate timekeeping information, and educate RCL Management in their roles in VATAS. In this role, the incumbent will ensure that all new staff are oriented and trained in their respective VATAS role. b. Serves as the primary liaison with Fiscal and HR in regard to irregularities occurring in VATAS and to Section Supervisors in regard to compliance concerns, and will coordinate with the Program Specialist regarding the implementation of records for new staff and temporary stipends. c. Networks with the Program Specialist regarding incoming stipend students in preparation for VATAS adjustments. Ensures that intermittent timesheets are completed by Supervisors per VATAS and Fiscal timelines. d. Serves the RCL as the point of contact in regard to all queries regarding VATAS and seeks Supervisor approval of staff inquiries as to leave submitted outside of established protocols. e. Prepares trend reports to RCL Leadership per quarterly review of VATAS data. Public Relations: a. The incumbent works closely with Patient Advocates and the Veteran Experience Officer to resolve patient complaints and enhance public relations activities. This includes investigation, correspondence preparation, and corrective action follow-up. In this role the incumbent networks with the Management Team of the RCL related to the specific area of investigation and consults with the Manager, RCL. Serves as owner of the RCL PATS-R email group and ensures appropriate membership. b. Works with the Patient Safety Coordinator in regard to JPSR investigation and timely closure. Ensures appropriate RCL staff are included in review process. c. Serves as the RCL point of contact in regard to all work orders (MAXIMO) so that requests can be monitored and closed efficiently to meet Engineering and RCL needs. d. Serves as point of contact for the RCL in regard to Environment of Care (EOC) Rounds. Ensures EOC Reports are answered and corrected promptly and meeting regulatory requirements. e. Serves as the point of contact for the RCL in regard to inventory control for chemicals and equipment. In this role, the incumbent networks with Section Supervisors to oversee that inventories are conducted within established timelines. Specialty Clinic Program Management: a. Networks with complex specialty clinics such as Spinal Cord Injury & Disorders (SCI&E) to assist with timely communications for customers requiring high volume needs. In this capacity, the incumbent works closely with medical, nursing, and social work staff to ensure Veteran access and address program needs. Undertakes special projects per direction of the Administrative Officer. b. Reviews and coordinates policy updates for the RCL Sections. In this capacity the incumbent works closely with Coordinators within the Specialty Clinics to meet facility and care line timelines. c. Assists Specialty Clinics in meeting access needs and facility requirements in regard to SAIL. d. Handles incoming/outgoing mail needs for the RCL. Works to address Specialty Clinic/Program needs involving bulk mailings and networks with Mailroom and CBOCs to ensure a smooth process across RCL settings. e. Assists the Administrative Officer and Section Supervisors in maintaining updated supply needs. In this role the incumbent serves as the RCL point of contact to initiate new supply requests through the Supply Chain Request Portal (CPRC) in keeping with FCP established budgets and will attend meetings to disseminate RCL needs. f. Maintains appropriate office supplies for RCL needs. In this role, the incumbent serves as a purchase card holder for the RCL. Networks with the Administrative Officer in regard to specialty program/grant fund requirements. Will adhere to purchase card holder rules and guidelines per VHA Handbook 1761.02, VA Inventory Management System. As a VA purchase card holder , incumbent following all established regulations and timelines for use. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: HR Specialist Total Rewards Work Schedule: 7:00am to 3:30pm, Monday through Friday Telework: Not eligible. Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant/PD914950 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, 01/02/2024. 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-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5 grade level. 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 as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-5, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Serves as the primary timekeeper, responsible for appropriate entry and adjustment, education of staff on roles in the timekeeping system, and liaison with Fiscal and HR in regard to record implementation and adjustment for onboarding/offboarding staff that includes health professional trainees. Assists the Administrative Officer in Record Management to include preparation of personnel folders; competency, credentialing and privileging reviews; pay for performance reviews, TMS assignment & training record reviews; Calendar maintenance; Mail management; Agendas & Minutes preparations for staff and program meetings; and Peer Review selection. Serves as the Service point of contact in regard to critical inventory controls such as equipment, chemical, supplies, key, and pertinent contact information as well as oversight for Environment of Care Rounds and Maximo follow up. Reviews and coordinates policy updates for the Service and serves as the point of contact in the resolution of patient complaints and safety concerns. Provides project support for specialty clinics as assigned by Administrative Officer and serves as the POC for Service for AES to ensure work group assignments and report outs completed. 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: Most of the work is performed while sitting at a desk. The work is primarily sedentary with occasional walking, standing, bending and lifting of arms. The incumbent must be capable of working multiple projects simultaneously and handling occasional high levels of stress and conflicting priorities. The incumbent is required to resolve stressful situations in the various RCL offices, defuse potential crises, and to exercise tact and diplomacy when confronted with difficulty circumstances. 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

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Contacts

• Address Cincinnati VA Medical Center 3200 Vine Street Cincinnati, OH 45220 US
• Name: Amanda Flores
• Email: [email protected]