Summary The Healthcare Operations Center (HOC) is an office reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer (COO) . The HOC serves as the centralized operational hub for Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) leadership. Responsibilities This announcement will close on 12/30/2024. The first 50 applications received will receive first consideration. Applications that are submitted after the initial cut-off number has been reached will not receive consideration unless otherwise requested by management Duties include but are not limited to: Prepares communication and correspondence packages for review and concurrence including but not limited to VHA Site Tracking (VAST) and Bed Management System (BMS) Requests, Debt Waivers, Equitable Relief, Settlement Agreements, Workforce Management Actions, VA Integrated Enterprise Workflow Solution - Case and Correspondence Management (VIEWS-CCM), Freedom of Information Act requests, Patient Advocacy Tracking System-Replacement (PATS-R) inquiries, and other various Requests for Information (RFI) from congressional, executive and field stakeholders. Responsible for clarifying customer needs and expectations, identifying appropriate timelines for completion, and prioritizing these requests against the day to day needs of their VISN customers. Address quality of care issues and customer complaints arising from individual patients, Veterans groups, Congressional offices, and other VA stakeholders. Obtain confidential and protected health information and data, and utilize this to prepare replies to correspondence for the signature of the appropriate office, i.e., the Secretary, Under Secretary for Health, Chief Operating Officer,etc. Utilize various databases and systems to pull information, identify problems for resolution, and collaborate with VISN and Program Office shareholders to resolve concerns brought forward by Veterans, their families, or other advocates. Responsible for maintenance, improvement, and audits of the Enterprise Issue Reporting System. Responsible for the coordination of site visits as requested by elected officials, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and high-level officials both internal and external to the Department. Provides advice and consulting on resolving a wide range of VHA healthcare delivery problems and issues. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 0800-1630 Compressed/Flexible: May be authorized Telework: Available (applicant is required on site 50% of work schedule per pay period) Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/PD80107A Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/30/2024. 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-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13. 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 announcement. In 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. Individual Occupational Requirements Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration. OR Experience: Progressively responsible analytical or administrative, or clinical management or supervisory experience in the health care field. This work may have been performed in an operating health care facility or a higher organizational echelon with advisory or directional authority over such facilities. Work must have involved a close working relationship with facility managers and analysis and/or coordination of administrative, clinical, or other service activities, and provided knowledge of the following: Missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of health care delivery systems; Regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups; and Government-wide, agency, and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget, personnel, and procurement. Special Provision for Inservice Placement: Successful completion of an agency-sponsored on-the-job training program may be substituted for qualifying experience, provided it included a formal individualized training plan. Such a training program must have been conducted in an operating health care system and included: Assignments providing a knowledge of basic health system administration philosophies, practices, and procedures, and basic government administrative policies and requirements; Practical assignments providing an opportunity to apply health system administration skills and principles (as the individual progresses, work assignments must be characteristic of the grade level to which he or she is assigned); and Oversight by an experienced health system administrator with periodic evaluation of the individual's progress and appropriate adjustment of the training program. In addition to meeting the Individual Occupation Requirement: You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-13 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Identifies conditions, requirements, and interests which influence the effectiveness and efficiency of program adoption and recommends resolutions to identified barriers. Prepares guidance regarding implementation procedures and motivational/educational materials and information to facilitate participation. Develops a variety of reports, articles, presentations, and training materials. Application of health care ethics knowledge, project planning and management skills, and technical skills to complete reports and other documents, prepare presentations, participate in policy development and analysis, and to review proposals and documents. Writing/editing and project-planning. Experience with special projects utilizing these technical skills databases and the development of educational programs for advance health care planning. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Leadership Organizational Awareness Project Management Planning and Evaluating Strategic Thinking Decision Making Partnering Communication Administration and Management Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be involved to lift papers, books, and files. No special physical demands For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Education There is no educational substitution at this grade level. Additional Information This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.