This position is located in the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), Veteran Health (VHA), Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN 20), Anchorage Veteran Affairs, Anchorage, Alaska. The incumbent will serve as the Health Benefits Section Facilitator for Enrollment and Eligibility in the Health Administration Service (HAS) for the VA Anchorage Healthcare System (VHMNCHS). The incumbent provides a high level of administrative support to HAS, upper management and clinical services.

Duties

Major duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following: Provide guidance in the management of the Health Benefits Section Research and interpret policy in order to apply new policies, provide advice on requirements and prepare educational documents for community providers and Veterans Maintain extensive knowledge of Veteran State Home guidelines and practices related to care and payment in order to manage the Veteran State Home program to include analysis, claims and payments and complete all action items related to Veteran State Home matters Assist with other health related benefits such as beneficiary travel and non-VA care Responsible for assuring staff make the appropriate eligibility determinations for VA healthcare which requires an extensive knowledge of VA laws, directives, guidelines, policies and procedures Provides oversight for a wide variety of functions, processes and principles of clinical information management based on a thorough analysis and management of VISTA and CPRS software packages and all other packages which relate to eligibility and enrollment areas and determination of the best method, process or option Responsible for coordinating and supporting mechanisms for successful data capture and ensuring accurate, timely and consistent data is entered into the Medical Center database Coordinates the collection of data concerning patient care activities, makes computations as required and reports monthly, quarterly or annually to management Investigates patient complaints on eligibility issues and prepares written response Prepares draft correspondence in response to inquiries from veterans, Congressmen, Senators, Veteran Services Representatives, and other individuals Acts as the Lead Service Line Advocate Assists in orienting and advising physicians, residents and interns in VA regulations, policies and procedures on patient care medical administration matters Monitors patients' enrollment information to the outpatient clinics ensuring accurate eligibility is reflected and enrollments are active Applies a comprehensive knowledge of eligibility requirements including completion of means test, beneficiary travel, and other entitlement programs Assures medical record processing is done in accordance with established time frames Responsible for organizing and scheduling all mandatory training and education of all staff to include the CBOC and Outpatient Clinic administrative personnel Informs employees of all aspects of personnel programs of the VHMNC, either answering their questions on such matters or obtaining information from specialists when more technical answers are required Provides direct on-the-job training for employees, broaden employee training, and provide back­up skills by cross training Assists and educates staff and Veterans on the Veterans Transportation System and refers them to the appropriate staff to make transportation arrangements Works with the Primary Care Healthcare Group on assuring that the New Enrollee Appointment Request (NEAR) list is processed and all new Veterans have been given an appointment if requested Works with Rural Health Outreach to ensure remote Veterans have access to all the services offered at the Community Based Outreach Centers and the Anchorage VA Clinic. This may include traveling to remote areas of Alaska to perform duties. Other duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday- Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm 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 on an ad hoc basis as determined by the needs of the service. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual or remote position. Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD503440 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days the closing date of this announcement, 02/01/2024. 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 within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. 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-7 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 technical and complex Health Administration services in order to direct various programs in a Healthcare setting. Researching and interpreting policies, develop and implement local policy, define administrative requirements and provide advice to top management. Skill in written and oral communication. Skill in various software types (i.e. spreadsheets, word processing, graphics, database, computerized patient records). Preparing correspondence, technical reports, presentations. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with wide variety of individuals. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree, or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. (Transcripts Required). 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 1 full year of graduate education. Note that only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level can be combined with the appropriate level of experience to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9. For example, if a school's requirement for 1 year of graduate study is 18 semester hours, only graduate education beyond the first 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours can be combined with GS-7 level experience to qualify for a GS-9 level position. Thus, 9 semester hours of graduate education and 6 months of GS-7 level experience cannot be combined to qualify for a GS-9 position. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)FlexibilityOral CommunicationOrganizational AwarenessProblem Solving 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 primarily sedentary. Some standing, bending and light lifting, under 15 pounds, Light carrying under 15 pounds, items such as books, laptop, cell phone, medical records and paper may be required. Due to the nature of the work, the position may encounter veteran patients who are confused, intoxicated or have a contagious disease condition. Overnight travel may be required if multi-day stays are necessary in the remote locations throughout Alaska. Work Environment: Work is typically performed in an adequately lighted and climate-controlled office. Position must be able to work closely with others. Travel is required as it relates to training opportunities, negotiating with and obtaining community vendors for the Provider Agreement and Traditional Community Care programs. The Business Office setting is stressful due to the large volume of daily contacts with people having varying needs, workload volume, tight deadlines and various duties that must be accomplished daily. 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 Anchorage VA Medical Center 1201 North Muldoon Road Anchorage, AK 99504 US
• Name: Jaimie Tappert
• Phone: (503) 220-8262 X31540
• Email: [email protected]