Program Support Assistant at Buffalo

JOB SUMMARY:

Vacancy ID: 979887 

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln’s promise – “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan” – 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 care to Veterans?

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) needs employees who possess the energy, compassion, and commitment to serve those who served our Country. Whatever the job title, every position in VA will give you a chance to make a meaningful and personal contribution to the lives of truly special and deserving people - our Veterans. VA professionals feel good about their careers and their ability to balance work and home life. VA offers generous paid time off and a variety of predictable and flexible scheduling opportunities. Working for VA is one of the most emotionally satisfying and professionally rewarding ways to dedicate the best within you to your Countrys service. If you are transitioning from the military or a Veteran already, we invite you to explore the benefits of continuing your career at the VA. The VA is committed to hiring Veterans.

The VA is much more than just another employer. It is an honorable, open and welcoming community of those who care. Gratitude is our motivation and service is our mission.

The VA has adopted Core Values and Characteristics that apply universally across the Department. The five Core Values define “who we are,” our culture, and how we care for Veterans, their families and other beneficiaries. The Values are Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect and Excellence (“I CARE”).

Americas Veterans need you! To find out more, go to http://www.va.gov/jobs/.

KEY REQUIREMENTS

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job.
• You will be subject to a background/suitability investigation.

DUTIES:Back to top

This position involves a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed below represent the full performance level of GS-06. At the GS-05 grade level, the incumbent performs assignments of a more limited scope and with less independence. The incumbent will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-06.  Promotion is at the discretion of the supervisor and is contingent upon satisfactory performance, availability of higher level work, and availability of funds.  Promotion is not guaranteed and no promise of promotion is implied.

This position is at the Veterans Service Center of the Veterans Administration WNY Healthcare System located in Buffalo, NY. Duties include but are not limited to:
• Assisting Veterans with the application for VA Healthcare
• Determining eligibility for service
• Advising Veterans on the healthcare benefits, entitlements, and services they are eligible for
• Responding to inquiries for information from staff, patients and their families
• Communicating with Veterans and their representatives the outcome of eligibility determinations
• Receiving, reviewing and processing applications, correspondence and reports
• Scheduling appointments, and meetings
• Generating and tracking ID cards
• Completing Means and Co-Pay tests with Veterans
• Entering information into a computer system
• Managing personal funds of patients
• Depositing/withdrawing funds to and from patient accounts
• Managing beneficiary travel program
• Processing claims for travel
• Arranging and scheduling transportation for Veterans
• Other related duties as assigned
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. OR a combination of shifts on Monday – Friday, 4:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. & 4:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. to equal 40 hours weekly. Holidays are required on a rotational basis. Shifts are subject to change based on agency needs with a two week notice.

  ***RELOCATION EXPENSES AND/OR INCENTIVES ARE NOT AUTHORIZED***

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:Back to top

GS-05 REQUIRES: One (1) year of specialized clerical experience in an office/medical environment that includes: answering phone calls and assisting visitors; scheduling meetings, appointments, and conferences; collecting and compiling information; entering and updating patient information into computerized records; determining patient eligibility for services; organizing and maintaining files; ordering office supplies, equipment and services; and using various computer programs to prepare correspondence, reports, etc. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-04 grade level in Federal service. To receive credit for these skills, they must be documented in your resume.
OR
GS-05 EDUCATION: A bachelors degree or four (4) years of post-high school education leading to a bachelors degree from an accredited institution that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position. One year of full-time academic study is usually 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours. Transcripts are required.
OR
GS-05 COMBINATION: A combination of specialized experience and post high-school education as described that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of the position. For the GS-05 only the semester hours in excess of the first 60 semester hours can be used in place of experience. To calculate the combination of education and experience, determine the amount of experience you have as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level. Then determine the amount of education you have as a percentage of the education required for the grade level. Only education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level is qualifying. Add the two percentages; the total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify for the grade level. Your experience must be documented in your resume and transcripts are required.
OR
GS-06 REQUIRES: One (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position, and that is typically in or related to the position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower level of Federal service. Examples of related experience include: perform administrative duties in a healthcare or office environment; determining eligibility for healthcare services; explaining benefits and entitlements; processing applications; scheduling appointments; performing medical billing; maintaining files, supplies and using various computer software to create and maintain logs, records, documents, etc; and communicate both orally and in writing. Your experience must be detailed in your resume to receive full credit.

You will be rated on the following Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Other characteristics (KSAOs) as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:

• Ability to communicate effectively
• Ability to apply regulations
• Ability to organize clerical workload, meet deadlines and project objectives
• Ability to provide customer service
• Knowledge of computer software and applications

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: The work involves mostly administrative processing which requires standing, walking, sitting, stooping, bending, lifting light objects, answering telephone and data entry. The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts, which require normal safety precautions typical of such places as offices, meeting and training rooms, or libraries.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Managements website at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications .

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC.  WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.  If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

APPLICANTS PLEASE NOTE: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Please refer to this checklist to ensure proper accreditation and for foreign education requirements.

Veterans Preference:

When applying for Federal jobs, eligible veterans should claim preference on the Occupational Questionnaire in the section provided and provide a legible copy of DD-214(s) showing all dates of service as well as character of service (honorable, general, etc.). Additionally, veterans with service-connected disability of 10% or more must also submit a copy of their official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs, or from a branch of the Armed Forces, certifying their service-connected disability and/or their receipt of compensation for service-connected disability.  If the military member is within 120 days of separation and does not yet have a DD214, the member may instead submit any written document from the armed forces that certifies the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is signed.

Veterans with service-connected disability of less than 10%, non service-connected disability, and Purple Heart recipients, as-well-as those claiming derived preference for a spouse, widow or widower, or natural mother, should refer to and submit a completed " SF15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference," (go to http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf) and required documentation with your application materials. For more information on Veterans Preference, please visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/veterans.aspx.

 

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:

Applicants will be ranked based on four quality groups, as follows:

• Best qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position;
• Highly qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the requirements of the job;
• Well qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the job; and
• Qualified - applicants possessing experience and/or education that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors.

After the vacancy announcement closes, reviewed applications are evaluated against the questionnaire responses and placed in the appropriate quality group.  Qualified veterans will be afforded preference by being placed at the top of the appropriate quality group.  Qualifying veterans with a service-connected disability of 10% or more will be placed at the top of the best qualified group.  The best qualified group is the first to be referred to the hiring facility for further consideration and possible interview.  The remaining groups may be referred based on the number of applicants available.

Country: USA, State: New York, City: Buffalo, Company: Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration.