Government Information Specialist

Full Job Description

The primary purpose of this position is to provide program assistance to the Privacy Officer as a Government Information Specialist, developing the skills necessary to ensure compliance with Federal and State laws governing the flow of information.

The work also involves safeguarding Government information while supporting accountability and transparency.

The Privacy/FOIA Officer Assistant reports directly to the VHA facility Privacy/FOIA Officer, but is expected to work independently.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/27/2026.

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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: focuses on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Privacy Act (PA), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA), and 38 U.S.C.

statutes that govern the collection, maintenance, and release of information from VA records; processes complaints, investigate allegations, complaints, incidents, and data breaches and recommend appropriate remediation; processes complaints and investigates allegations of illegal or improper activities related to the handling or release of privacy protected information; participate and develop facility specific, privacy/FOIA training materials and provide training to staff and uses computer applications for word processing, manipulating documents in Portable Document Format (PDF) and database/spreadsheet creation to provide reports, charts, and formulas in Excel.

OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience.

To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B.

or J.D., where it is directly related to the work of a Government Information Specialist. 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 a graduate degree.

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/.

Major Duties:

Government information work involves implementing policies and procedures to manage Government information and providing information-related assistance and services to the general public and VA staff members.

The work requires interpreting and applying laws, regulations, policies, and guidance to provide access to VA records and information, while ensuring protected information is appropriately safeguarded.

The Privacy/FOIA Officer Assistant makes determinations about disclosures, issuance of denials, redactions, access to Federal agency records and use and dissemination of personally identifiable information.

The incumbent focuses on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Privacy Act (PA), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA), and 38 U.S.C.

statutes that govern the collection, maintenance, and release of information from VA records: The VA Claims Confidentiality Statute (38 U.S.C.

5701), The Confidentiality of Healthcare Quality Assurance Review Records (38 U.S.C.

5705), and The Confidentiality of Drug Abuse, Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection, and Sickle Cell Anemia Medical Records (38 U.S.C. 7332).

The incumbent fulfills the role of liaison with the facility staff by ensuring that information received is disseminated to the appropriate areas, that employees adhere to mandates from regulatory agencies, and that monitoring i.s conducted to ensure VA policies and procedures are being followed.

In addition the incumbent promotes an awareness of privacy principles consistent with the mission, vision and values of the organization and those required by federal law.

Major duties include but not limited to: Researches, analyzes, and responds to FOIA requests for medical facility information applying FOIA exemptions as required.

Reviews and analyzes appeals from denials of access to records requested under FOIA and makes recommendations on release/non-­release of records.

Prepares responses to privacy inquiries from Congressional Offices, Human Resources, New Media, and the Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (HHS OCR) for the Privacy Officer.

Investigates HHS OCR requests related to HIPAA-­privacy complaints, gathers facts and information and develops recommendations.

Provides assistance with the investigation of privacy-related inquiries from the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) and the Office of the Medical Inspector (OMI), by researching and gathering necessary information.

Prepares proposed responses for the Privacy Officer.

Processes complaints and investigates allegations of inappropriate activities related to the medical facility privacy practices, using or accessing individually-identifiable health information, or disclosing or release of individually-identifiable health information.

Prepares recommended solutions for release by the Privacy Officer. Investigates data breaches, and makes suggestions on appropriate remediation.

Enters privacy complaints, incidents and data breaches into the Privacy and Security Event Tracking System (PSETS) in accordance with local procedures.

On occasion, may be required to represent the Privacy Officer on committees, teams, and work groups to assist and guide issues related to disclosure of information and privacy related functions.

Reviews facility compliance procedures, processes, and workflow to ensure information is appropriately safeguarded, used, and disclosed in accordance with established procedures.

Assesses the facility's privacy posture through periodic evaluations.

Reviews any products where individually identifiable information may be maintained to ensure use, storage, and maintenance of sensitive personal information is in compliance with program requirements.

Identifies discrepancies and deficiencies and makes suggestions to Privacy Officer on how to resolve issues. Assists with completing the Facility Self-Assessment at the end of each quarter.

Other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 7:30 am - 4:00 pm OR 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Telework: This position may be authorized for Ad-hoc telework.

Ad-hoc telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Government Information Specialist/PD08132O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized