This position is located within the Office of the Associate Director at VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. 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

Duties include, but are not limited to: Advise facility staff on Title 38 United States Code (U.S.C.) Sections 5701, 5702, 5705 and 7332 (series, or as amended), Privacy Act, FOIA and, where appropriate, HIPAA requirements, policies, and procedures. Assist in preparing, receiving, reviewing, and verifying Privacy and FOIA request documents. Provide updated privacy information to staff to ensure that government and industry best practices for health care and executive agency privacy are understood and met. Assist the Privacy/FOIA Officer in assessing the Medical Center environment, and in reviewing the facility's collection, use, storage, and maintenance of sensitive personal information. Search for and locate records requests; compile data or information from files or from other departments, such as HIMS, to complete audits. Document and provide corrective assistance for deficiencies found based on assessment and risk analysis results, as well as incident report reviews. Research, format, and compile comprehensive, concise technical reports for review by the Privacy/FOIA Officer and Associate Director. Respond to FOIA requests and maintain records; coordinate records review and redaction by organizations responsible for the records being requested. Explain the use and release of records to the general public, including callers/visitors to the facility. Process complaints and performs initial investigation into allegations of illegal or improper activities related to the handling or release of protected information. Coordinate with the facility Records Management Officer (RMO) in ensuring that a structure for all Privacy Act Systems of Records held by the facility is established and records are maintained in accordance with Federal law and VA directives. In assisting the Privacy/FOIA Officer, provide guidance as necessary to medical center service lines who are responding to correspondence from Congressional offices to ensure Sensitive Personal Information (SPI) is released in accordance with privacy regulations. Expected to travel to various GLA sites. 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#: Government Information Specialist/PD11834A 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, 01/19/2024. 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 policies, regulations, and procedures related to the Privacy Act and the Freedom of Information Act; assisting in the implementation and maintenance of policies and procedures required for the execution of an effective Privacy and FOIA program; effective oral and written communication skills; and ability to establish good working relationships with internal and external customers. 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- a related LL.B. or J.D. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond the first full year of graduate education. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: CommunicationsCustomer ServiceManages and Organizes InformationSecurity 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System 11301 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90073 US
• Name: Aileen Gonzalez
• Phone: 602-813-8748
• Email: [email protected]