The Program Support Assistant (PSA) is located with Social Work Service (SWS) at South Texas Veterans Health Care System (STVHCS), San Antonio, Texas. This position provides administrative/clerical support to a complex SWS.

Duties

Duties may include but are not limited to: Extensive knowledge of SWS and its programs as they relate to administrative functions. Detailed knowledge of the organizational structure of the VA at local and higher levels, in-depth working knowledge of VA policies and regulations especially those pertaining to SWS and its Programs. Knowledge and ability to apply patient privacy regulations and release of information procedures. Knowledge of medical terminology and usages, (in general, medicine, surgical, geriatrics, hospital terms, medical abstracts, abbreviations, nursing, social work, pharmacology, aging, and home health), spelling, grammar, and composition, and ability to determine and follow required formats for VA memos and reports. Ability to plan effectively, set priorities, coordinate activities, have a high degree of skill in oral and written communications with a variety of people of different backgrounds and comprehension, and present a positive image of the VA to the community. This may include clerical, technical, administrative, and professional people at all levels in the medical center and community agencies. Ability to adapt to changing situations, to modify plans and demonstrate flexibility in changing circumstances, while displaying a high degree of interpersonal skill. Knowledge of the duties, priorities, commitments, policies, and program goals of SWS staff, and ability to support these with a spirit of teamwork in performing non-routine assignments. Knowledge sufficient to recognize which information is or is not relevant to the problem at hand. Ability to perform, plan and organize work in situations where numerous demands are made. Knowledge required to coordinate the work of the office with other stakeholders, and for recognizing the need for such coordination in various circumstances. Thorough knowledge of statistical and analytical processes and deductive reasoning to conduct problem and trend identification and resolution. Skill in use of Microsoft Work, Outlook, and Excel programs, scheduling, and other VISTA packages as indicated by duties of the position. Ability to retrieve information from CPRS to assist field staff with information needs by phone. Skill in operation and routine maintenance of facsimile and copier machines, as well as personal computers and printers. Ability to identify safety issues related to patient/staff safety and acts appropriately to report unsafe conditions. Skill in applying basic data gathering methods, such as standard interviewing or surveying techniques, to collect various types of factual information. Excellent telephone and personal interaction skills to ensure tact and diplomacy in dealing with veterans, families, high level officials, staff and other administrative and clinical departments, representatives from private and community corporations, members of service organizations and other stakeholders. Plans and carries out the successive steps and handles problems and deviations in the work assignment in accordance with instructions, policies, previous training or accepted practices in the occupation. The work includes various duties involving different and unrelated processes and methods. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00a.m. to 4:30p.m. Compressed/Flexible: Not available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant (OA)/PD03287A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Authorized

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/01/2024. 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 by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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. 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: Knowledge of computer systems, including office software packages; Run reports; Knowledge of data and information management; Knowledge of methods and tools for effectively interpreting and presenting data compilations. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: -Customer Service -Reading -writing -Oral Communication -Computer Skills -Reasoning and Logic 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 sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds. Typically, the employee sits comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking, standing, bending, carrying of light items (computing devices, manuals, papers, books, small parts), or driving an automobile. The work requires manual dexterity for computer data entry, office machine operation and filing. However, in general, the work does not require unusual physical demands. The work does require emotional stability to deescalate crisis situations and work in a fast-paced environment. 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

There is no educational substitution at this GS-06 grade level.

Contacts

• Address Audie L Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital 7400 Merton Minter Boulevard San Antonio, TX 78229 US
• Name: VISN 17 SSU USAS Group
• Email: [email protected]