Program Support Assistant
What you'd do
The incumbent serves as a Program Support Assistant (PSA) in the Polytrauma System of Care (PSC) and provides day-to-day coordination of the Rehabilitation administrative offices. This individual works under the direction of the Administrative Officer (AO), PSC, and ensures priorities and needs are met for each area. Routine work is performed independently in accordance with the overall objectives of PSC and the VA Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS).
Major duties
DUTIES INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO: Incumbent fulfills administrative functions as assigned and serves as backup coverage for other sections in the Polytrauma System of Care and PM&RS as needed. Acts as a point of contact for the service for many requests for information or action from within the medical center, patients, patient families, other medical centers, and other individuals and organizations. Receives/screens telephone calls, visitors, faxes, emails, and incoming mail. Maintains files, policy manuals, and procedure manuals for their assigned section Serves as backup automated data processing access coordinator Schedules outpatient clinic appointments using Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) scheduling options. Coordinates and tracks consults to non-VA providers when required. Responsible for preparation and submission of monthly or quarterly analytical and interpretive reports as assigned for PSC, VAPAHCS, The Joint Commission (TJC) or VA Central Office. Attends meetings as required and takes notes. Prepares letters, reports, forms, and minutes from the notes in final format and is responsible for proper format, grammar, and spelling. Completes mandatory national and local training requirements. Other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: M-F 8:00 am - 4:30 pm or as determined by the supervisor. Compressed/Flexible: This may be authorized at the supervisor's discretion. Telework: This position is not authorized for telework. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant/PD06831O
What you need to qualify
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/14/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade at 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-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 that you possess one year of time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one year of 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-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: Knowledge of taking the appropriate follow-up action and anticipating and preparing materials needed in order to respond to correspondence or phone calls from all entities within the VA and all non-VA entities. Knowledge of service procedures, policies, priorities, program goals, organization, and functions of the office necessary to coordinate the procedural work within the office, as well as to coordinate work with other offices and agencies. This includes the knowledge of how to obtain and monitor the full range of support services, such as requisition of supplies, maintenance and printing services, and various types of personnel and training actions. This also includes the ability to perform non-routine assignments, draft brief responses to routine correspondence, and locate information in files and prepare summary reports. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Analytical Reasoning Clerical Computer Skills 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, religious, 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: ???????There are no unique physical demands other than the ability to work and concentrate with frequent telephone and/or personal contact interruptions by staff, Veterans, families, and visitors. Most of the work is sedentary, but some mobility is required, such as walking, standing, bending, lifting, and carrying light items such as books, papers, and files. This position also requires mobility within the medical center and, in rare instances, via shuttle, bus, or government car between other locations within the healthcare system. 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/.
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