Program Support Assistant
What you'd do
OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate whole health care to Veterans?
Major duties
This position is located at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the Geriatrics and Extended Care (GEC) Division. Incumbent will be assigned to work in the Division's main office.The incumbent will receive direction from the Supervisory Program Specialist and is responsible for providing administrative support in the Office of the Division Manager. The incumbent will interface with personal computer (PC) applications to include, but not limited to: VA Time and Attendance System (VATAS), Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VISTA), HR Smart, Electronic Personnel Access System (ePAS), Microsoft Office programs.This position is the target in the line of progression of PSAs assigned to GEC. Major Duties: Conducts quarterly documentation audits and tracks trends in program compliance; Generates and analyzes key performance reports to identify operational gaps or strengths; Maintains a database of corrective actions and monitors closure timelines; provides basic policy interpretations and prepares procedural updates for staff; coordinates and documents monthly compliance and performance review meetings. Builds and maintains operational dashboards for programs and administrative functions; Performs monthly and quarterly data reviews to support planning and improvement; Creates summary visuals (charts, graphs, tables) to communicate findings; Onboards new administrative team members using standardized training tools; conducts quarterly workshops on updated policies, tools, and best practices; Serves as a peer mentor for GS-5 and GS-4 staff; facilitates knowledge sharing; tracks training completions and provides status updates to supervisors; Supports creation and revision of SOPs for common administrative processes. Maintains calendars for major initiatives; coordinates timelines and stakeholder tasks; prepares meeting agendas, collects documentation, and follows up on action items; Drafts memos, procedural updates, and internal bulletins for distribution; Responds to routine inquiries related to scheduling, compliance, or procedures; Provides occasional MSA coverage in inpatient areas to support patient movement, document handling, or front desk inquiries. Manages timecards for complex 24/7 inpatient schedules across T38, HT38, and TS employees; validates leave, overtime, and tour changes in VATAS; Resolves discrepancies; provides biweekly and monthly reports on attendance, OT usage, and variances Holds and manages a Government Purchase Card (GPC) to execute authorized micro-purchases for the unit or Division; Submits supply and service orders that align with approved needs and complies with VA procurement policies; Reconciles monthly purchase card statements in a timely and accurate manner; Resolves discrepancies with vendors or fiscal staff; tracks and reports purchase trends to identify recurring needs or cost-saving opportunities; Serves as a backup purchasing resource for other GEC units when requested by the supervisor 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- Friday, 7:30am- 4:00pm Telework: Ad-hoc, available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant/PD25337A and PD253364 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized.
What you need to qualify
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/06/2026. 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 level. 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: GS-5 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-4 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Strong communication and interpersonal skills to coordinate with staff across clinical and administrative areas. Detailed knowledge of privacy, confidentiality, and data protection laws including HIPAA, the Privacy Act, and VA information security policies. Familiarity with VA performance improvement principles, safety practices, infection control standards, and equipment use in a healthcare setting. Coordinate meeting logistics, prepare agendas, manage correspondence, and maintain time-sensitive documents with minimal supervision. -OR- Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed full 4-year course of study, above high school, leading to a bachelor's degree in a field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal pre-requisite. 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 combination of successfully completed post-high school education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the position as outlined above that meets the requirements of the position. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. GS-6 Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience at the GS-5 level that equipped you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the Program Support Assistant position, and that is typically in or related to the duties of this position. Specialized experience includes: Strong communication and interpersonal skills to coordinate with staff across clinical and administrative areas. Detailed knowledge of privacy, confidentiality, and data protection laws including HIPAA, the Privacy Act, and VA information security policies. Familiarity with VA performance improvement principles, safety practices, infection control standards, and equipment use in a healthcare setting. Coordinate meeting logistics, prepare agendas, manage correspondence, and maintain time-sensitive documents with minimal supervision. Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook), SharePoint, and VA systems such as VistA, VATAS, BMS, and HR Smart, with the ability to extract and compile operational data. Working with scheduling systems, time and leave policies for Title 5 and Title 38 employees, and the ability to reconcile complex schedules with varied tours, pay entitlements, and leave statuses. Data entry, document formatting, proofreading, and written communication using VA standards and terminology. 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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