Program Support Assistant

Duties include but not limited to:

• The incumbent is the receptionist for the Office of the Associate Director for Patient Care Services Executive Suite and is responsible for answering telephone receiving visitors in a professional and courteous manner responds to inquiries including questions of a substantive nature based on general understanding of the functions of the office or refers the patient and/or employee to the appropriate staff person.
• Responds to calls for assistance on behalf of patients and/or staff and prioritizes those situations which require prompt action by VAMHCS Nursing Service. These responses are generally immediate and via personal contact with patients and staff.
• Receives messages by telephone opens and sorts incoming mail or e-mail for a variety of Nursing Service functions which require attention or action.
• All typing assignments are completed on the date specified with minimal exceptions.
• Typed materials are presented according to policy and procedure in the correct format and are proofread for spelling punctuation grammatical errors and content. Incumbent will expediently retrieve any material requested.
• The filing system is organized neat and maintained as current so that files can be retrieved easily.
• Incumbent independently provides assistance in effectively solving appropriate issues/problems.
• Notifies supervisor of actions taken. Uses appropriate judgment and own initiative to provide information that is relevant and necessary for effective operation of the department.
• Uses confidentiality discretion and judgment when dealing with sensitive information documents and materials.
• Ensures that information is input and maintained as current in the electronic computer Nursing Package in a correct and timely manner.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 0730-1600
Telework: This position may be authorized for AD-HOC telework.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant/PDA
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: No
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): No
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): No

• 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 all requirements by the closing date of this announcement 08/14/2026.

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 by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. 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 and/or education as described below:

• Program Support Assistant GS-06 Specialized Experience Requirement: 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: Specialized experience is experience where you were responsible for 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. Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title duties month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week.
• Program Support Assistant GS-06 TYPING PROFICIENCY Requirement: Type at least 40 words per minute.

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

• Recent PSA experience - 2 years in the last five years.
• Knowledge of VAMHCS scholarship program administrative tasks such as processing and reviewing applications invoice processing system VISTA software preparing audit reports.
• Familiarity with VAMHCS education nursing affiliations EBP and SPHM Programs.

Required Experience:

Junior IC