Program Support Assistant

Summary

The incumbent functions as the Program Support Assistant within Surgery Service line whose purpose is to support and be primarily responsible for duties that consist of supporting Optometry service line. The incumbent will perform program support work and assist Surgery Care Service Administrative Officer, Optometry Supervisor, and Chief of Surgery with the responsibility of carrying out assigned duties related to the maintenance of Optometry.

Duties

Duties may include but are not limited to: Program support for Optometry: The incumbent will participate actively in the daily operations while maintaining patient confidentiality. Responsible for planning, preparing, coordinating, and accomplishing a variety of program support tasks. The incumbent plays a critical role in the overall function of Optometry/Surgery service. Works independently to organize office procedures, by identifying required resources, and devising actions to improve and meet the goals and objectives of the service, such as records, directives, mail, or forms management systems. Provides excellent customer service to internal and external customers, demonstrating a professional and courteous demeanor Attends, schedules, documents in and maintains huddle boards. Escalates issues as needed. Identifies, addresses gaps and needs and works to find solutions to existing dilemmas. Reviews directives, standing orders, service line agreements, and standard of procedures to provide information and guidance to staff referencing where such can be found. Serves as the necessary point of contact for other employees within the service, as well as for other administrative, clinical and managerial staff and departments throughout VCB. Monitors and performs work assignments, provides input on work processes, prioritizes daily work and maintains efficient workflow. Monitors optometry consult status by pulling reports and following up on any open consults to ensure action taken and completion. Pulls open encounter reports, unsigned notes and unsigned co-signed notes and alerts providers to close. Tracks and monitors to completion. Monitors, routes, tracks Optometry peer reviews and FPPE/OPPEs. Applies clerical and technical procedures, methods, and techniques in the collection, compilation, and/or tracking of data and statistical information in support of program's operation. Tracks and gathers data for Optometry Supervisor and Surgery AO. Manages clinical reminder reports and coordinates dissemination of information to providers tracking and reporting compliance. Requests records for administratively closed consults to assure timely resolution for clinical reminders. Communicates and works closely with service Program Specialist when equipment and supplies are needed. Office Automation Support: Works independently to control and maintain office and/or information systems such as forms, records, mail distribution, directives or publications, and management systems. Uses multiple automated programs and software such as databases, spreadsheets, and graphics in support of administrative and clerical work. Compiles readily available data in a presentable manner from a variety of resources and recognizes and corrects obvious discrepancies and data omissions. Generates and reviews documents, reports, and/or applications for omissions and inconsistencies, and ensure data entry is complete and accurate. Performs ADPAC, timekeeping duties, and travel arrangements primarily for Optometry Program Support for Surgical Service: Monitors message manager messages, escalates if needed, and ensures they are addressed and completed timely. Complete all steps required for conducting meetings, including setting up invites, agenda preparation, email notifications, taking notes, transcribing minutes for all meetings and conference calls involving the entire Surgery service. Maintains record of service monthly meeting agenda and minutes. Routes correspondence. Serves as backup ADPAC and RLO to Surgery Service Management Assistant, alternate Timekeeper to Surgery TL, and backup Travel Arranger for Surgery staff. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: 8:00 am - 4:30pm (Monday through Friday) Telework: This position may be authorized for Ad-hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. This is an onsite position. Ad-hoc Telework may be offered when deemed necessary by the department. (Employees who telework on an occasional, episodic, or short-term basis, must complete required telework training and a telework agreement.) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description Title/PD#: Program Support Assistant/PD013680 Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job Subject to a background/suitability investigation Designated and/or random drug testing may be required Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 A complete application package; including Resume, Transcripts, etc. is required Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. 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. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In 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.

Qualifications and evaluation

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received. Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed. Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

How to apply

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 08/17/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13031480. 1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. 2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

Required documents

Documents Accepted: Cover Letter DD-214/ Statement of Service Disability Letter (Schedule A) Disability Letter (VA) License Other (1) PCS Orders Performance Appraisal Professional Certification Resume Separation Notice (RIF) SF-15 SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Transcript Documents Required: Resume Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application.Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information. Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted. Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position. Applications are accepted online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application.

Additional information

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 (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information. VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/. Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. 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.