The incumbent assists the Prosthetic Service Chief and Assistant Service Chief in the overall management of the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Program with internal and external stakeholders. These efforts are aimed at veteran satisfaction. Any real or apparent deficiency in service to which veterans are entitled tends to be greatly magnified and to arouse the interest of individual citizens, media, and others.

Duties

Duties include, but not limited to: Assist the Prosthetic Service Chief and Assistant Service Chief in counseling veterans relative to all phases of the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Program and serves as the Supervisor over a minimum of ten (10) Purchasing Agents. Counsel veterans who have problems with private repair companies and resolves differences between them; determines if payment is to be made or delayed based on facts of each case. Advise outpatient veterans as to available repair sources and procurement sources nearest their homes. Revise schedules or redistributes work to meet changes in workload based on the availability of personnel. Approve annual and sick leave for administrative staff; selects employee to fill vacant administrative positions. Informs employee of service policies and procedures. Give on the job training to employees in accordance with established directives, handbooks, procedures, and practices. Maintain current proficiency to answer questions of other employees on procedures, policies, directives, etc., and obtains needed information or decisions from supervisors on problems that arise. Check on progress of work requiring review; reviews completed work to ensure supervisor's instructions are met. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm Telework: 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 telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Purchasing Agent/PD044780 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not required Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/16/2024. 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-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. 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-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: knowledge of Orthotic & Prosthetic guidelines and regulations. Must have knowledge of PSAS Flow process and procedures. Must be familiar with orthotic and prosthetic coding/billing. Must be able to use the Flow system to order and track patient requests for devices and services. Ability to interpret verbal and written instructions from physicians and therapists. Knowledge of Medical Terminology. Knowledge of applicable VA and Prosthetics forms and ability to determine when to use each form. A thorough knowledge of eligibility and entitlement is required in order to make an accurate assessment of which form to use. . OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B., if related that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.) OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education (in excess of the first year or 18 semester hours) to meet total experience requirements. Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: AccountabilityBudget AdministrationCustomer ServiceInterpersonal SkillsTeaching OthersTechnical 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 work is mostly sedentary but requires some physical effort such as walking, standing, bending, and carrying of books, manuals, vendors' catalogs, and prosthetics items to be issued from various stock rooms. Duties involve extended periods of working at a computer terminal. Some climbing is associated with issuing/mailing stocking items within storage areas. Incumbent may carry or lift items weighing up to 40-50 pounds. There are no special physical demands. Normal safety precautions are adequate. The work involves moderate discomfort when visiting sites away from the office. At times the employee may be required to wear protective clothing when visiting the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids The work can be very stressful in nature and demanding mentally. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Charles George VA Medical Center 1100 Tunnel Road Asheville, NC 28805 US
• Name: Delores Harris
• Phone: 202-745-8000 X54288
• Email: [email protected]