Program Support Assistant
What you'd do
This position is located in the Health Administration Service (HAS), Eligibility Section, under the direct supervision of the Eligibility Supervisor. The incumbent continuously embraces and supports the Salt Lake City George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center (MEDVAMC) mission, vision, and core values. The purpose of the position is to serve as a Program Assistant (PSA), also known as an enrollment and eligibility advisor in HAS.
Major duties
Duties include but are not limited to: Provides exceptional customer service, actively listen to internal and external customers, pays attention to details of customer concerns, and assist in problem solution; interacts with respect and communicates appropriately based on needs of the customer. Serves as an independent advisor of health benefits, verifying eligibility/entitlement for benefits of all applicants using various methods including income assessments, military discharge documents, computer applications and other means. Enters data and information including demographic, health insurance, and income information into the Veteran Enrollment System; review reports, records and statistical computations for accuracy. Operates computer systems and applications, such as Vista, CPRS, Microsoft applications, and various necessary internal software applications to accurately enter or extract information following HIPAA, FOIA and ROI laws and regulations; completes administrative functions including filing, scanning, faxing, and/or other applicable documentation in the electronic healthcare record. Greets and receives applicants; provides counseling regarding patients' financial obligations relative to care they will receive based on established VHA directives, laws, rules, policies and/or regulations for eligibility and entitlement of various benefits. Provides the Veteran with "New Patient Orientation" including assisting with scheduling of initial appointment with Primary Care provider at the medical center. Generates Veteran ID cards within Veterans Health Identification Card (VHIC) system for eligible Veterans. Travels to areas in the catchment area to assist in outreach programs assisting with counseling veterans, their dependents, and their beneficiaries. Collaborates with internal and external stakeholders; Provides training and information to VA staff, other federal agencies, and community agencies regarding the VA Health Care System services. Assesses enrollment data processing reports and provides significant finds and statistical trends to management. Generates and monitors enrolled patient data base information for accurate health insurance data, income assessments for the Means Test and Pharmacy co-pay exemption programs. Reviews the Incomplete Encounter Management Module (IEMM) report; resolve discrepancies in admin data that would prevent transmission of encounters. Administratively supports and collaborates with clinical and scheduling staff; reviews and reconciles appointments for ineligible Veterans; including notification when cancellation is necessary. Has the ability to work efficiently with a high degree of quality and accuracy, be dependable and use good judgment, while effectively and properly analyzing and evaluating all information. Performs administrative tasks pertaining to Decedent Affairs, Disposition of Body (Deaths); Indigent Program; and speaking and/or corresponding with family/next of kin/stakeholders which can include funeral homes and state entities. Other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday - 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant/PD13088A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.
What you need to qualify
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/07/2026. 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-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. 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. In order to qualify for this position, all applicants must possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. To be creditable, experience must have been equivalent the next lower grade level (GS-5) in the Federal service. Specialized experience includes: Provide exceptional customer service, serve as an independent advisor of health benefits, verifying eligibility/entitlement for benefits of all applicants, enters data and information including demographic, health insurance, and income information into the Veteran Enrollment System; review reports, records statistical computations for accuracy, Operate computer systems and applications such as Microsoft applications, and various necessary internal software applications to accurately enter or extract information following HIPAA, FOIA, and ROI laws and regulations; completes administrative functions including filing, scanning, faxing, and/or other applicable documentation in the electronic healthcare record, Greets and receives applicants; provides counseling regarding patients' financial obligations relative to care they will receive based on established VHA directives, law, rules, policies and/or regulations for eligibility and entitlement of various benefits, Provides the Veteran with "New Patient Orientation" including assisting with scheduling of initial appointment with Primary Care provider at the medical center, Generate Veteran ID cards within Veterans Health Identification Card (HIC) system for eligible Veterans, Travel to areas in the catchment area to assist in outreach programs assisting with counseling veterans, their dependents, and their beneficiaries, Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, Assess enrollment data processing reports, Generate and monitor enrolled patient data base information for accurate health insurance data, Review reports, resolve discrepancies in administrative data that would prevent transmission of encounters, Administratively support and collaborate with clinical and scheduling staff. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. 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: This is primarily a sedentary position, but the work requires some walking, bending, stooping and carrying of light objects such as manuals, documents, etc. Concentration and sustained performance under prolonged stress is required because of the time factors involved in completion of work assignments within deadlines. 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/.
Before you apply
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