Program Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration • North Chicago, IL

25d

About The Position

The Program Support Assistant serves as an Office of Community Care (OCC) Coordinator at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago, Illinois. The center is a jointly integrated VA and Department of Defense healthcare facility serving Veterans, active-duty military personnel, and their eligible beneficiaries, including through outpatient pediatric services.

The position provides administrative care coordination to clinicians and other staff arranging medically necessary non-VA inpatient and outpatient care. It supports scheduling and referrals, eligibility reviews, authorizations, communication with Veterans and vendors, and the timely handling of records and correspondence. The employee works closely with the Community Care Nurse Coordinator and serves as a liaison among Veterans, vendors, VA clinical services, and primary care services.

The position has a Monday–Friday schedule from 0730 to 1600. Telework may be authorized, with eligibility discussed during the interview; the position is not virtual. The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition upon meeting regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements. A one-year probationary period is required.

Requirements

• For GS-5, one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-4, or qualifying education, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• GS-5 specialized experience includes communication and interpersonal skills for coordinating across clinical and administrative areas; knowledge of HIPAA, the Privacy Act, and VA information-security policies; familiarity with healthcare performance improvement, safety, infection control, and equipment-use practices; and ability to coordinate meeting logistics, prepare agendas, manage correspondence, and maintain time-sensitive documents with minimal supervision.
• For GS-6, at least one full year of specialized experience at the GS-5 level that equips the applicant to perform the duties.
• GS-6 specialized experience includes the GS-5 experience areas, plus proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, and Outlook; SharePoint; VA systems such as VistA, VATAS, BMS, and HR Smart; and ability to extract and compile operational data.
• GS-6 specialized experience also includes working with scheduling systems and Title 5 and Title 38 time-and-leave policies; reconciling complex schedules involving varied tours, pay entitlements, and leave statuses; and data entry, document formatting, proofreading, and written communication using VA standards and terminology.
• For GS-5 education substitution, successful completion of a full four-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor’s degree in a field for which high school graduation or equivalent is the normal prerequisite. Transcripts are required when qualifying based on education.
• Current or former federal applicants with applicable federal service must meet the time-in-grade requirement: 52 weeks at GS-5 for a GS-6 position, documented with an SF-50.
• Applicants must be U.S. citizens and complete the required application steps and online assessment.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after December 31, 1959.
• Selected applicants must complete a background/security investigation and online onboarding, provide acceptable identification, and participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• A one-year probationary period is required.
• A transcript must be submitted when education is used to meet qualification requirements; only education from appropriately accredited institutions is creditable, and foreign education requires a certificate of foreign equivalency.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate administrative support for medically necessary non-VA inpatient and outpatient care.
• Schedule diagnostic testing and referral appointments for clinical services.
• Check eligibility for non-VA medical care under the MISSION Act and process authorizations for pre-authorized care.
• Coordinate with the Community Care Nurse Coordinator to ensure authorizations are correct and correspondence is sent to vendors.
• Serve as a liaison between Veterans, vendors, OCC, VA clinical services, and primary care services.
• Obtain medical records, reports, x-rays, laboratory results, and other information needed to complete referrals in the Federal Electronic Health Record or applicable software.
• Ensure required documents and information are distributed to the appropriate services at outside institutions.
• Work with the OCC nurse to prioritize procedures as urgent or routine, considering combat Veteran status and compensation and pension examinations in accordance with policy.
• Coordinate administrative information between professional staff and Veterans, including verifying and updating demographic information and entering data.
• Administratively manage referral requests, schedule outside appointments, and notify patients of appointment details.
• Generate correspondence to Veterans and providers and manage correspondence received about care.
• Review eligibility for specialty programs in the VA Community Care Program and process authorizations accordingly.
• Discuss program or claim eligibility with vendors, Veterans, and service officers.
• Serve as the contact for designated community care claim needs and provide Payment Operation and Management with information when authorizations are needed for outstanding claims.
• Ensure appropriate selection of community care network providers and timely scheduling.
• Explain the VA’s mandate to collect insurance information to Veterans, their families, and other eligible patients.
• Apply policies and procedures to resolve nonrecurring problems and perform assignments involving varied processes, levels of complexity, and methods.

Benefits

• Federal employees receive access to a comprehensive benefits package for themselves and their families.
• VA may, upon request and approval before appointment, credit job-related non-federal experience or active-duty uniformed military service toward the rate of annual leave accrual; approval is not guaranteed.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level