Lead Patient Representative

Patient Advocacy within VA exists to ensure patient concerns are heard and addressed to improve the overall experience and quality of care for patients. Effective high-functioning Patient Advocacy is integral to fulfilling the goal of providing Veterans with world-class health care. Major duties and responsibilities include:

Team Lead Data Management and Process Improvement

• Leads the team and provides the day-to-day work direction review and distribution balance and adjustment of workload
• Monitors and reports on the progress of the teams work and provides updates to the supervisor
• Coaches and develops the team using appropriate tools and techniques to address a variety of issues and situations
• Oversees general administrative issues regarding subordinates leave scheduling appointments etc.
• Provides the team formal and informal training information related to patient advocacy service customer service techniques and resources needed to educate themselves
• Provides higher-level data management and analysis function for the Patient Advocate team
• Develops and maintains organizational dashboards and data sets
• Regularly produces cumulative reports which includes a categorization of patient inquiries to track and trend the patterns to identify opportunities for improvement

Complaint Resolution

• Leads and oversees the facility Veteran Centered Complaint Resolution (VCCR) process including complaint resolution data capture and analysis of issues/complaints to make system improvements
• Works in collaboration with Patient Advocates Service-Level Advocates (SLAs) and front-line staff to resolve complex issues that occur at the point of service or due to further investigation of the problem(s)
• Addresses complaints and proactively explores all avenues to identify the nature and scope of the problems and initiates appropriate action to expedite resolutions

Patient Advocate Representation and Relationship Management

• Serves as the liaison between the facility patients staff and the community ensuring Patients understand their rights in addition to their responsibilities
• Determines causes of patient dissatisfaction misinformation or complaints and documents patient encounters and contacts appropriate services to establish resolutions
• Leads and ensures that rounds throughout the facility are conducted on a routine basis to solicit patient feedback and build strong relationships with SLAs and service leadership.
• Leads staff in responding to patients inquiries through multiple VA approved forms of contact (e.g. Inquiry Routing and Information System (IRIS) My HealtheVet Secure Messaging E-mail Phone Walk-in Town Halls etc.) where patients pose questions complaints compliments and suggestions.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 7:00am - 3:30pm or 7:30am - 4:00pm PST
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Lead Patient Representative/PD99734S
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public determining if your employment advances the public interest we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification in writing that your continued employment advances the public interest.

To qualify for this position applicants must meet time-in-grade requirements and specialized experience within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement 08/17/2026.

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 within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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 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:

• To qualify for this position at the GS-12 level you must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-11) in the Federal Service that has given you the particular knowledge skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of this position as a Lead Patient Representative/Advocate. Qualifying specialized experience includes working directly with health care teams and management as a patient advocate to facilitate resolution to problems; ensuring patient advocacy goals policy and requirements are met; collecting analyzing and evaluating relevant data; identifying existing or potential problem areas and suggesting solutions or alternatives; serving as a liaison between a medical facility patients and staff to ensure Patient Rights and Responsibilities advocacy and services are available. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title duties month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week.

For more information on these qualification standards please visit the United States Office of Personnel Managements website at

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.