The primary purpose of this position is to provide direct medical supply Purchasing and Inventory Management support to the administrative and clinical services of the VA to initiate the obligation for all related requirements necessary to provide prosthetic and sensory aids services, to include durable medical equipment and supplies directly to Veterans.

Duties

Major Duties: Uses the government purchase card to independently purchase prosthetic devices and/or services for eligible patients. Maintains contact with vendors, Veterans and caregivers to plan and coordinate on behalf of Veterans. Manages consults according to Business Practice Guidelines for Prosthetics Consult Management. Provides patient care and support services to an adult population and serves as the point of contact for external customer service inventory needs and support Examines clinical health records and claims folders to determine eligibility and entitlement for items and services based on adopted criteria and advises Veteran of the same. Reconcile purchase card orders, daily, within established time frames. Complies with all Federal, VA, and local acquisition policies and regulations. Ensures the legal requirements governing eligibility and entitlement to prosthetic devices. Educates self on Medical Center Memorandums (MCMs), and compiles with protocols. Purchases specialized equipment or services that have an unstable price or product characteristic, hard to-locate sources, have critical characteristics, or similar complicating factors and resolves a variety of purchasing problems Responsible for six different fund control points with accountability per individual Veteran for each obligation type. Reconciles all invoices for certification of payment by reviewing Veteran records against invoice presented to ensure that accurate cost is being charged for service/item rendered. Utilizing a calculator, computes correct total cost. Research the use of different solicitation methods, ordering or reporting procedures in both the purchase card menu and the prosthetics program. Create purchase card orders in the prosthetic database using the GUI/APAT purchasing packages on a daily basis. Automated Call Distribution (ACD) utilization of 75% minimum during assigned log in period Uses communication software such as Outlook to communicate with Supervisors and peers. Briefs supervisors and fellow agency employees on status of consults. Interpret oral and written instructions/ consults from physicians and other health care providers Use office automation equipment such as, computer, word processor, facsimile/scanner machines, automatic data processing (ADP) equipment (keyboard and visual display), barcode scanners, label makers, calculator, copiers and telephones to effectively communicate with others, place purchase orders, produce forms and complete correspondence. 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. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm ( subject to changed based on agency needs) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Purchasing Agent/PD99432-A, PD99433-A, and PD99434-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required This position is covered by AFGE bargaining unit. Per the AFGE Master Agreement, the Area of Consideration will be: 1st Area of Consideration - current permanent Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care Systems employees including satellites; and 2nd Area of Consideration - current permanent VA Nationwide employees.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/20/2024. 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-05 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-04. For a GS-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. 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. For the GS 5 Level: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- 04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Assist with direct medical supply Purchasing and Inventory Management support to the administrative and clinical services of the VA. Familiar with acquisition regulations per VHA Directives and Handbooks, VISN policies and station memorandums, the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and Veterans Affairs Acquisition Regulations (VAAR). Review all expenditures and inventory working between two separate programs, the purchase card and the prosthetics program OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed 4 years of education above the high school level in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite (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 one-year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, (Transcripts required). For the GS 6 Level: 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 GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Assist with direct medical supply Purchasing and Inventory Management support to the administrative and clinical services of the VA. Facilitate procurement of all outpatient medical requirements for the Veteran, their family, surgeon or clinical provider. Adhere to acquisition regulations per VHA Directives and Handbooks, VISN policies and station memorandums, the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and Veterans Affairs Acquisition Regulations (VAAR). Account for all expenditures and inventory working between two separate programs, the purchase card and the prosthetics program. Balance expenditures against obligations and document all inventory and purchasing actions in the Veteran's medical record and make medical notes to update all parties. For the GS 7 Level: 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 GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Perform direct medical supply Purchasing and Inventory Management support to the administrative and clinical services of the VA. Independently work with the Veteran, their family, surgeon or clinical provider to initiate procurement of all outpatient medical requirements. Adhere to acquisition regulations per VHA Directives and Handbooks, VISN policies and station memorandums, the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and Veterans Affairs Acquisition Regulations (VAAR). Account for all expenditures and inventory working between two separate programs, the purchase card and the prosthetics program. Balance expenditures against obligations and document all inventory and purchasing actions in the Veteran's medical record and make medical notes to update all parties. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: CommunicationContracting/ProcurementCustomer Service (Clerical/Technical)Technical Documentation 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: Work is primarily sedentary when conducing purchasing functions for PSAS, however while conducting inventory management functions, the incumbent may work comfortably in a warehouse environment, sitting, standing, walking, bending, lifting, carrying, retrieving and managing inventory. Prolonged periods of working at a computer terminal is required. Ability to retrieve equipment from a storage room is required. Climbing associated with stocking of equipment and other items in storage areas is necessary. Incumbent may carry/lift items weighing up to twenty-five (25) pounds. 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 Fabrication Laboratory. Often, walking between the main medical center and other parts of Prosthetics to conduct professional duties. 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 Biloxi VA Medical Center 400 Veterans Avenue Biloxi, MS 39531 US
• Name: Jasmaine Gray
• Phone: 602-796-0981
• Email: [email protected]