Summary This position is located at the VA Illiana Health Care System (VAIHCS), and organizationally aligned to the Social Work Service Line (SWS). VAIHCS is a Level 3 Complexity VHA Facility compromised of the Main Hospital and five (5) Community Clinics. Responsibilities This position is located at the VA Illiana Health Care System (VAIHCS), and organizationally aligned to the Social Work Service Line (SWS). VAIHCS is a Level 3 Complexity VHA Facility compromised of the Main Hospital and five (5) Community Clinics. The primary purpose of this position is to ensure for efficient office operations and assisting the Administrative Officer (AO). The service is responsible for the coordination of a number of specialty programs including: Transition Care Management, VIST, SCI/D, Residential Care (RCH), Contract Nursing Home (CNH), HHA, CADHC, CSP, IPVAP, Medical Foster Home and Lodging and Hospitality Programs; and provides assistance with transportation arrangements and emergency assistance for indigent or displaced Veterans. Major Duties: Implements QA Plan(s) & Performance Improvement initiatives and other performance measures/requirements by reviewing data to ensure compliance with established targets and identify needed follow-up actions. Participates in the analysis and interpretation of workload and other data used in resource planning. Helps develop and maintain service policies and procedures and monitors staff compliance. Completes management studies and reports at request of Chief. Serves as the major liaison with other clinical and administrative services in the facility and works collaboratively with them to achieve performance goals and to provide customer service for patients/families referred for assistance. Point of contact for many outside facilities, community agencies and patients/families requesting assistance either in person or on the telephone. Key role in assessing/triaging the request, determining the appropriate course of action based on available staffing and nature of the situation, and ensuring needs are addressed. Trouble shoots various problems and requests from other services regarding a wide range of subjects. Provides information or technical assistance directly or may refer more technical administrative or clinical issues to the Chief, SWS, appropriate program coordinator or clinical staff. Helps AO monitor workload. Plans work schedules to assure an even flow and distribution of work, the expeditious handling of priority cases and the meeting of schedules and deadlines. Revises work schedules to meet changes in workload considering factors such as peak loads, availability of staff, and processing time requirements. Coordinates and schedules weekend coverage. Assists staff with a variety of day-to-day operational issues, i.e. patient travel, indigent patient situations, entering work orders, consults, etc. Serves as the service's TMS coordinator and assists staff with computer related problems. Monitors staff education activities, credit hours, enrolls staff for training and reminds them of mandatory training due dates. Helps educate new staff and interns regarding service requirements, work environment and procedures as needed to help them perform their work. Coordinates personnel management, scope of practice applications, competencies and state licensure matters of a routine nature. Maintains service competency folders, performance evaluations and timely follow-up on personnel actions/changes. Maintains timekeeper duties. Assists AO to ensure staff coverage is in place during planned and unplanned staff absences. Plans for sufficient amount of supplies and make recommendations concerning the maintenance or replacement of non-expendable equipment. This includes office supplies, pagers, cell phones, donated resources, program brochures, referral forms and applications, computer equipment, key inventory, etc. Maintains forms used by SWS staff. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 7:30am - 4:00pm Telework: This is not a virtual position. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Secretary (OA)/PD05037O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized 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, 10/10/2024. Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-4 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Working knowledge of automated office tools such as the MS Windows Operating System (OS), MS Office, which includes MS Word, Excel PowerPoint, & Outlook; Communicating effectively and working with people from all backgrounds, including patients and their families; Solving operational problems; Extensive knowledge of VISTA package; Coordinating the work of the office. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 4 years above high school. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial, or technical school. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond the second year. Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience. You must be able to type 40 words per minute. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Clerical Communications Computer Skills Information 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. Typically, the employee sits comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking; standing; bending; carrying of light items such as papers, books, and medical records. No physical demands are required to perform the work. 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 A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. 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.