This position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), at the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks (VHSO), Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Program Specialist serves as the Veteran Outreach Coordinator reporting to the Chief, Community and Public Relations. This position supports the Medical Center Director in forming, maintaining, and growing strategic partnerships and outreach initiatives between the VA and local service area.

Duties

Serves as a Veteran Outreach Coordinator and resource for the Veteran community in the VHSO catchment area of the medical center through planning, participating, assisting, or advising on community events and programs (Yellow Ribbon events, Veteran Stand Down events, community health events, Veteran focus groups, Military Transition Assistance Program, Armed Forces Day booths, Veterans Organization seminars, Native American Pow-Wows, etc.) that lead to significant enrollment opportunities. Conducts seminars and conferences with Military 2VA (M2VA), Suicide Prevention, Women's Health, LGBTQ+, Homeless Program, and many other information dissemination activities. Acts as a liaison and promotes relationships with DOD, local government and non-government offices, Veteran Service Offices, and other community organizations by developing a network of relationships with state and private Veteran's organizations to broaden the scope of outreach and increase community awareness of the role VA plays as a community resource. Travels to areas in the VHSO catchment area to engage in outreach programs assisting Veterans, their dependents, and their beneficiaries regarding all benefits available through the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as non-VA benefits available through other agencies. Analyzes the activities of the outreach program within the larger VHA environment as well as the rapidly changing health care environment of the local community and the nation. Prepares and analyzes data related to the program, assesses workflow data to maximize programmatic performance, addresses any discrepancies, and makes recommendations for improvement. Gathers outreach and partnership data from a variety of sources (number of Veterans enrolled, the number eligible, completed appointments, VERA reimbursement, etc.) and analyzes the data into a usable format for decision making. Interprets a variety of VA, VHA, and national policies relating to partnerships, outreach, and communication to formulate and draft and disseminate local policies around those areas for facility use. Helps to develop and distributes outreach materials including brochures, fact sheets, web content, and other targeted information highlighting services within the VHSO, including the Medical Center and Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs). Provides training and information to VA staff, other federal agencies, and community agencies regarding the VHSO facilities services and the goal of the outreach programs. Assists in organizing and participating in a myriad of community activities and events that have a high probability of homeless veterans present such as "Stand Down", Veteran Service Organization meetings and events and recognition events. Works closely with the Department of Defense (DoD) ensuring benefits and services are delivered through an integrated client-centric approach. Leverages partnership opportunities with Federal, State, Tribal, Private Sector, Academic Affiliates, Veteran Service Organizations, and Non-Profit Organizations to supplement VA services and fill urgent or emerging gaps in services. Fosters collaboration, information exchange, and ensures appropriate partner relationships with Federal, State, Tribal, Private Sector, Academic Affiliates, Veteran Service Organizations, and Non-Profit Organizations across the spectrum of care, benefits, and services. Works across VHSO and CBOCs to identify needs and works within the 22 counties to identify partnerships to fill gaps. Creates a network of resources, both within and outside the VA, and engage the network though a variety of strategies using a wide variety of face-to-face and digital communication methods. 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 through Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm (subject to change based on the needs of the agency) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD032890 and PD032900 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, 04/12/2024. 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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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: To qualify for this position at the GS-07 level, you must meet one of the following. 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 may include: processing and reviewing legal documents, medical records, administrative records, reports, graphs, charts, or other visual displays for completeness and accuracy. Experience utilizing electronic systems to gather, review, input, update, access, organize, process, and to maintain information. Experience in the execution, oversight, and coordination of a program or service. NOTE: This experience must be supported by your resume to be creditable. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed one full year of graduate level education orhave received a superior academic achievement that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position (Transcript Required). OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond graduate level. To qualify for this position at the GS-09 level, you must meet one of the following: 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 may include: processing and reviewing legal documents, medical records, administrative records, reports, graphs, charts, or other visual displays for completeness and accuracy. Experience utilizing electronic systems to gather, review, input, update, access, organize, process, and to maintain information. Experience in the execution, oversight, and coordination of a program or service. NOTE: This experience must be supported by your resume to be creditable. 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 an LL.B. or J.D. in a field related to this position that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (in excess of the first year or 18 semester hours) and specialized experience to meet total experience requirements. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Analysis and Problem SolvingCommunicationsComputer SkillsCustomer ServiceManages and Organizes Information 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 normally involves mental rather than physical exertion. Work is usually performed sitting at a desk, in briefings, meetings, etc., or riding in an automobile or public transportation. A high level of physical energy is required as the incumbent will be expected to meet with many people in many different locations during a workday. Some bending, walking, standing, lifting, and carrying outreach materials to events are required, however, no special physical demands are involved in performing the work. 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 Fayetteville AR VA Medical Center 1100 North College Avenue Fayetteville, AR 72703 US
• Name: SUSAN WILLIAMS
• Phone: 228-523-4934
• Email: [email protected]