The position of Assistant Chief supports the Service Chief in managing the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service at the Buffalo VAMC. The Assistant Chief works effectively with the Veteran and caregiver, vendors, and the clinical team to help ensure the right devices, equipment, services, and benefits are matched with the patient rehabilitative and medical needs.

Duties

VA Careers - Prosthetics: https://youtube.com/embed/3NUvF5jjErQ The Assistant Chief works closely with the Service Chief to direct and monitor operations to ensure there is adequate staffing, workspace, supplies, and equipment. Ensures the Service provides excellent customer service, complies with procurement regulations, implements adequate management controls, and is positioned to meet patient needs and excel with VISN and national quality and performance standards. The Assistant Chief is responsible for ensuring that all program activities are carried out in accordance with applicable Directives, VHA Handbooks, policies, regulations, and accreditation standards. This includes but is not limited to ensuring devices; equipment, services, and benefits are provided to Veterans in a timely manner and properly administered. Ensures that clinical staff is supported in making changes in devices, equipment, and services provided to patients as care plan and medical or rehabilitative needs change. Provides oversight to ensure there is collaboration with clinical staff as needed when devices or equipment require repair or replacement and when patient care issues arise associated with devices and equipment that have been issued or installed and/or or services provided. Supports the Service Chief with necessary actions when there are product recalls and product quality issues associated with any devices and equipment issued to patients. The Assistant Chief supports the Service Chief in monitoring program operations to ensure there is appropriate collaboration with clinical staff, patients, and caregivers to successfully and timely coordinate procurement, delivery, installation, and repair of durable medical equipment such as but not limited to stair glides, hospital beds including bariatric and specialty non-pressure, vehicle lifts for wheelchair and scooter transport, ceiling lifts, ramps, porch lifts, and approved home access renovations. Helps ensure there is collaboration with the clinical team to ensure that patients receive assessments and medically necessary devices are prescribed by the appropriate VA specialist, patient has been provided training and education in the proper use and care of the devices, and that devices and services are provided to patients in a timely manner. The Assistant Chief is responsible for assisting the Service Chief to ensure there is close collaboration with clinical staff ensuring that appropriate stock and levels are maintained at the medical center and community based outpatient clinics and there is an appropriate level of control and accountability with stock. The Assistant Chief is also, responsible for assisting the Service Chief in managing benefit programs including Home Improvement and Structural Alterations, Auto adaptive Equipment, and Clothing Allowance. Collaboration and education with clinical staff, patients, caregivers, and vendors, determining eligibility, coordinating benefits with the Veterans Benefit Administration, obtaining necessary documentation to support claim, authorizing payment directly or working with Veteran Benefits Administration to facilitate same, and conducting subsequent inspections of home renovations or auto adaptive modification provided patients. The Assistant Chief helps develop contract scope of work, participates in technical review, and provides contract oversight and monitoring as Contract Officer Representative for comprehensive service and equipment contracts such as home oxygen, orthotic and prosthetics, eyeglasses, and durable medical equipment. The contract oversight process requires establishing and monitoring quality metrics, conducting reviews including warehouse and home visits with patients, and reporting results on an ongoing basis with Leadership. The Assistant Chief assists the Service Chief in monitoring a multimillion dollar specific purpose budget throughout the year keeping leadership informed of anticipated deficits or surpluses. Analyzes, reviews, and evaluates results of various monitors and databases. Interprets and complies with applicable directives, handbooks, laws, and regulations. Ensures compliance with accreditation bodies such as Joint Commission and the American Board for Prosthetic, Orthotics, and Pedorthics (ABC). Assists the Service Chief with strategic planning, quality improvement, performance management, contract oversight, and develops necessary local controls and procedures to ensure effective and efficient operations and oversight. Work Schedule: 0800-1630 Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Requirements

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Experience and Education: Individual must meet at least one of the requirements below. Experience: One year of creditable experience that demonstrates: Knowledge of basic anatomy and medical terminology; knowledge of accounting methods; ability to research, analyze, comprehend, and apply decisions; basic knowledge of inventory management procedures; ability to use computer software packages for word processing, spreadsheet development, and database management; and ability to work independently and as a member of a team; OR Education: A bachelor's degree from an accredited educational institution AND at least 24 semester hours in course work related to health care, public administration, or business. The 24 semester hours could include but is not limited to any combination from the following fields: occupational therapy, physical therapy, kinesiotherapy, social work, psychology, prosthetics, orthotics, respiratory therapy, assistive technology, business law, leadership, healthcare, public administration, or business management. This course work may have been completed within the degree or in addition to the degree; OR Experience/Education Combination: Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying. English Language Proficiency: Candidates will not be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. chapters 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who are not proficient in written and spoken English. See Chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Grade Determinations: Experience: At least one year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Ability to perform the full range of supervisory duties, including responsibility for assignment of work to be performed; assessment of competencies; evaluation of performance; selection of staff; and recommendation of awards, advancements, and disciplinary actions. Ability to analyze data and make recommendations to optimize quality, efficiency, performance, and productivity within the service. Ability to manage a health care program that provides home medical equipment, rehabilitation services, home oxygen, visual or hearing impairment devices, assistive technology, orthotics, or prosthetics. Knowledge of compliance and regulatory accrediting organizations. Ability to manage, interpret, and present fiscal data (i.e. fund controls, contracts and equipment expenditures), forecast resource and equipment needs, and administer an allocated budget. Assignments: For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and range of variety, and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Assistant Chief positions are normally located at larger facilities that provide specialty services to smaller facilities and report to a PSAS Service Chief. Assignment as an Assistant Chief is restricted to those serving as a full Assistant to the Chief. Assistant Chiefs share with the Chief full responsibility for managing and supervising all phases of prosthetic operations. This person functions as the Chief of the service in the Chief's absence. They develop and maintain a system of internal reviews that ensure service programs operate in compliance with regulatory and accrediting organizations. They contribute to the effective utilization of resources, budgetary allocation and fiscal management. He/She makes selections; assigns personnel; and provides direction to subordinate staff. They manage the training and evaluation of staff and develop local organizational policies and procedures. Serves as liaison between Prosthetic Service and other departments. Typically, there are no subordinate supervisory prosthetic representatives at the facility level. Preferred Experience: Prosthetic Representative experience. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Work is sedentary but also demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, and carrying light items.

Education

IMPORTANT: 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 VA Western New York Healthcare System 3495 Bailey Avenue Buffalo, NY 14215 US
• Name: Tara Lanigan
• Phone: 612-467-6517
• Email: [email protected]