The Program Support Assistant Enrollment Specialist (PSA) position is located in the Eligibility and Enrollment Section of the Business Management Service, and performs a wide variety of duties, but is primarily responsible for interviewing applicants to determine eligibility for, and entitlement to, VA healthcare benefits. The Program Support Assistant ensures that all eligible applicants are registered and enrolled.

Duties

Major Duties and Responsibilities include but are not limited to: The Program Support Assistant (PSA) has a primary responsibility to interview applicants for VA healthcare, and is expected to provide exceptional customer service, with respect and concern for the applicant. The PSA should actively listen to customers, pay attention to the details of the customer's needs and concerns, and still be flexible and enthusiastic while helping the applicant understand the VA healthcare system. They should also exhibit an extensive knowledge of VA healthcare options, VA Directives, VA Handbooks, and national and local policies to be able to accurately respond to inquiries from applicants, veterans, their family members, medical center staff, internal and external stakeholders, and other agencies regarding eligibility and enrollment. The PSA should inform applicants of the eligibility requirements for healthcare and other benefits, the requirement for income information applicable to the Financial Means Test and Co-Pay Test, the requirement for insurance information and other necessary information, and be able to answer both general and specific questions about the applicant's eligibility for outpatient care, inpatient care, long term care, dental care, and other healthcare system programs and entitlements. The Program Support Assistant is responsible for the timely determination and verification of eligibility for all applicants, which is achieved through interactive access and input from various sources for making an eligibility determination, including, but not limited to: reviews of military documents; a query through the Hospital Inquiry System (HINQ); a query through Veteran Information Solutions (VIS); the patient data exchange system in VistA; notification and verification through the VA Regional Office; notification and verification through the Health Eligibility Center (HEC); notification and verification through the Health Resource Center (HRC); and, by any necessary means to accomplish eligibility verification. Pending applications with unresolved eligibility are maintained in a suspense file which requires constant monitoring until a final eligibility determination is made. The Program Support Assistant is responsible for ensuring all eligible applicants are properly enrolled through the Health Eligibility Center and all registrations are complete with no missing data (inconsistencies). Work Schedule: 8am to 4:30pm Monday - Friday; Hours subject to change based on agency needs. Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description Title/PD#: Program Support Assistant/PD09386A Physical Requirements: Most of work is performed while seated at a desk for potentially long periods of time, with limited stooping, lifting (less than 50 pounds), bending at files, and walking within the medical center.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation
• May serve a probationary period
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/02/2024. 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. 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 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: providing administrative support; collecting, compiling and tracking data and information; processing documents and reports; establishing, updating and maintaining office files and records; performing automation duties using such software applications such as word processing, spreadsheet, electronic mail, desktop publishing, calendar, database and/or graphics answering telephones, referring visitors, and providing information. OR Education: As a general rule, education is not creditable above GS-5 for most positions covered by this standard; however, graduate education may be credited in those few instances where the graduate education is directly related to the work of the position (NOTE: If using graduate education to qualify transcripts must be provided at the time of application for consideration. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and ManagementCustomer Service (Clerical/Technical)Data Management 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 incumbent must be in overall good health, able to sit at a desk working at a computer, engage in light to moderate physical activity including sitting, walking, bending, and carrying supplies. The incumbent must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands with reasonable accommodation if necessary, without endangering the health and safety of others. 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 grade level GS-05.

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.

Contacts

• Address Birmingham VA Medical Center 700 South 19th Street Birmingham, AL 35233 US
• Name: Shanda Alston
• Email: [email protected]