Administrative Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration • San Antonio, TX

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Administrative Support Assistant works within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), supporting the South Texas Veterans Health Care System. The role coordinates clinic operations and administrative services to support continuity of care and access for veterans in primary and specialty care.

The position supports access and performance improvement in ambulatory care, including analyzing workload, access, patient feedback, and population data; developing operational plans; and recommending actions to address unmet demand, backlogs, and projected growth. It works with clinical and administrative leaders, the Group Practice Manager, and other service lines to manage staffing, contracts, clinic facilities, information technology, and purchased care. The role also develops and presents project proposals, reports, policies, and improvement plans to leadership.

The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Ad hoc telework may be authorized, with eligibility discussed during the interview. This is not a virtual position. Relocation and recruitment incentives, critical skills incentive, and permanent change of station are not authorized. The role is subject to a one-year probationary period or two-year trial period, as applicable.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Current federal employees applying under the time-in-grade requirement must have 52 weeks at GS-06 for a GS-07 position by the announcement closing date.
• One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-06 in the normal line of progression, including relevant administrative experience.
• Knowledge of purchasing, supply management, records management, travel, and related administrative areas sufficient to ensure compliance with policies, procedures, and controls.
• Ability to identify actual or potential problems through observation or studies.
• Ability to analyze and measure the effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity of administrative programs and develop written and oral recommendations for improvement.
• Knowledge of administrative concepts, principles, and practices sufficient to anticipate problems and conduct studies of procedures and processes.
• Knowledge of quality-assurance tools, concepts, and methodologies.
• Attention to detail and skills in data collection, management, analysis, and problem solving.
• Complete the application, questionnaire, and required online assessment.
• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must be registered with the Selective Service.
• Selected applicants must complete onboarding and provide acceptable identification for pre-employment requirements.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is required for VA Health Care Personnel.
• Serve a one-year probationary period or two-year trial period, as applicable.
• Education cannot substitute for the required experience at this grade level.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate daily clinic operations and services to provide continuity of care for veterans.
• Administer the VA health care benefits and specialty evaluation program for primary care.
• Establish contingency plans to maintain continuity of care and access during staffing shortages, absences, turnover, resource constraints, and nature-related events; estimate future staffing needs and identify gaps.
• Serve as contracting officer representative for contracts pertaining to the Office of Community Care in primary care; verify payments for services, conduct negotiations, and make recommendations on contracts and agreements before execution.
• Review and provide input on local issues, regulations, policies, and reports related to primary care operations.
• Advise the Group Practice Manager on access procedures and systems and support cost-effective services meeting accepted standards.
• Integrate VHA performance measures and goals into ambulatory care processes, educate staff on goals, and implement clinic process changes.
• Ensure clinic record-management guidelines are followed.
• Coordinate timely evaluation and resolution of patient concerns; analyze patient feedback and establish benchmarks and corrective-action processes for low experience scores.
• Establish communication plans with clinic teams concerning actions based on Veterans experience data.
• Assist the Group Practice Manager with data, analytics, performance measures, and continuous process improvement using LEAN, Six Sigma, and other methodologies.
• Use evidence-based access principles to improve workflow; develop and sustain clinic improvement plans and present them to leadership, including resource implications.
• Work with engineering, logistics, and contracting staff to manage clinic building operations.
• Serve as a member or chair of boards of survey and investigations.
• Coordinate with Office of Information and Technology staff to oversee and monitor clinic IT usage and project capability requirements.
• Develop project proposals and reports based on findings, brief leadership, and recommend system-wide operational changes.
• Coordinate with the Group Practice Manager to forecast and manage surges in purchased care.
• Support clinical and administrative leads in implementing operational improvements.
• Analyze workload and develop action plans so clinical grids accurately reflect supply.
• Apply access-improvement principles and strategies to improve effectiveness and reduce backlogs.
• Oversee consultant-management issues and provide guidance to clinical and administrative staff.
• Develop long- and short-range organizational policies and plans by coordinating clinics' medical-administrative needs.
• Partner with the Group Practice Manager to develop and maintain appropriate utilization for complex outpatient clinics.
• Analyze historical access and population data and coordinate ambulatory-care medical-administration needs for operational plans.
• Recommend responses and resources for unmet or projected primary and specialty care demand, including in-house and purchased care.

Benefits

• Federal employees and their families have access to a comprehensive benefits package; specific eligibility depends on position type.
• Eligible newly appointed federal employees may request credit for job-related non-federal experience or active-duty uniformed military service when determining annual leave accrual; approval is not guaranteed and must occur before appointment.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed