Program Support Assistant

Summary

This Program Support Assistant position, located in Care in the Community Service (CCS) at the VA Long Beach Healthcare System. Incumbent provides program support and assistance to the Community Care Program, on practical and technical aspects of office administration and other administrative support services. The incumbent is part of a team of clinical and administrative staff working to coordinate accessible, quality care for all Veterans.

Duties

• Duties include but are not limited to: Provides advanced administrative support for Care in the Community Service (CCS) to provide timely, seamless care between VA and non-VA settings. Receives, reviews, and manages consults and referrals; verifies administrative completeness and appropriate disposition; identifies duplicate, incomplete, delayed, or time-sensitive requests; and refers clinical questions or matters requiring clinical judgment to appropriate licensed staff. Coordinates care amongst Veterans, VA providers, PACT teams, specialty clinics, CCS staff, community providers, hospitals, diagnostic facilities, and other authorized non-VA entities. Schedules, cancels, reschedules, confirms, and tracks appointments in accordance with established procedures and Veteran preferences. Requests, obtains and routes relevant non-VA medical documentation for clinical review. Monitors assigned consult queues, referral worklists, and appointment status to ensure timely action on pending, aging, cancelled, incomplete, or unresolved requests. Resolves routine administrative issues and escalates access barriers, authorization concerns, and matters requiring additional review. Prioritizes and processes urgent, emergent, and routine referrals, coordinating time-sensitive scheduling activities and facilitating timely access to authorized services. Provides professional customer service by responding to telephone calls, secure messages, correspondence, and other inquiries from Veterans, family members, caregivers, VA staff, and external providers. Uses electronic health record, scheduling, referral, documentation, and communication systems-including VistA, CPRS, HealthShare Referral Manager (HSRM), External Provider Scheduling (EPS), Integrated Scheduling Solutions (ISS), Consult Tracking Manager (CTM), Referral Documentation Tool (REFDOC), VistA Imaging, payer or thirdparty administrator portals, and Microsoft Office applications-to process referrals, coordinate appointments, document actions, maintain records, and monitor follow-up. Participates in team huddles, interdisciplinary meetings, cross-training, process-improvement activities, and coverage assignments. Independently organizes workload and adjusts priorities to meet Veteran, team, and program needs. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30AM-4:00PM Compressed/Flexible: May be Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant/PD11382A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/13/2026. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: GS-06: 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: Demonstrates the ability to apply administrative and fiscal procedures; collect, track, and maintain program data; assist with processing authorizations, payments, referrals, or similar administrative actions; utilize automated databases, electronic records systems, and office automation software; coordinate actions with internal and external stakeholders; apply established policies, regulations, and procedures to assigned work; prepare reports, correspondence, and other administrative documents; and provide administrative support in a healthcare, customer service, or program environment while exercising sound judgment in completing assignments and resolving routine issues under general supervision. Based on the Statement of Differences, the GS-06 serves as a developmental level where technical knowledge and skills are gained through training and experience in preparation for independent performance at the GS-07 level. Specialized Experience: GS-07: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: applying administrative and fiscal procedures; collecting, analyzing, and maintaining program data; processing authorizations and payments; utilizing automated databases and healthcare information systems; coordinating actions with internal and external stakeholders; interpreting applicable policies and regulations; preparing reports and correspondence; and providing comprehensive administrative support in a fast-paced healthcare setting. 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. 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/.