Patient Representative

Full Job Description

The incumbent serves as a Patient Advocate within a CWM VAMC Medical Facility, Leeds MA (e.g., VAMC, CBOC, OPC, etc.).

On behalf of the VA Medical Facility Director, this position covers a variety of difficult and/or complex patient concerns, issues, and contacts for the Facility with the goal of providing resolution.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/01/2026.

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. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09.

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.

To qualify for this position at the GS-09 level, you must meet one of the following: Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-07) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties as a Patient Representative (Facility Patient Advocate).

Qualifying specialized experience includes providing customer service to patients; assisting patients and staff with resolving problems or complaints; assisting with identifying problem areas and suggesting solutions or alternatives; explaining policies and procedures; keeping accurate records and preparing reports and/or written correspondence.

NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week.

OR, Education: Successfully completed two (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education or masters or equivalent graduate degree or LL.B.

or J.D., in a related field of the position to be filled.

Education at the graduate level must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position.

NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

OR, Combination: Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the first year) and specialized experience as described above, to meet the total experience requirements.

The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do to the work of this position.

This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

Experience must be clearly indicated in your resume.

To qualify for this position at the GS-11 level, you must meet one of the following: Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-09) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties as a Patient Representative/Advocate.

Qualifying specialized experience includes providing customer service to patients and staff with resolving problems or complaints; identifying problem areas and suggesting solutions or alternatives; explaining policies and procedures; keeping accurate records and preparing reports and/or written correspondence; collaborating with facility staff to improve the patient experience.

NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates , AND hours worked per week.

OR, Education: Successfully completed three (3) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D.

degree, or Ph.D., or equivalent doctoral degree in the related field of the position to be filled.

The education portion must include courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position.

Education must have been obtained in an accredited college, or university. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

OR, Combination: Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the first 2 years) and specialized experience as described above to meet total experience requirements.

The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do to the work of this position.

NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. Experience must be clearly indicated in your resume.

Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualifications, and performance requirements are met.

Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

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:

Patient Advocates are primarily responsible for complaint resolution with service recovery, receiving compliments, working with SLAs to help resolve issues and concerns and communicating with patients about their experiences of care.

The Patient Advocate works exclusively in the Patient Advocate Tracking System (PATS).

Although Patient Advocates do not document it the electronic medical record, it is expected that they are well versed in reviewing the record to quickly resolve concerns, whenever possible.

Complaint Resolution: The Patient Advocate is tasked with managing the facility VCCR process, including complaint resolution, data capture and analysis of issues/complaints to make system improvements.

All inquiries (compliments or complaints) no matter how a facility receives them (e.g., in person, email, voicemail, congressional, mail, survey, MyHealtheVet, etc.) must be documented in the Patient Advocate Tracking System (PATS), routed to the point of service, resolved, coded and closed.

Patient Advocates assist SLAs and front-line staff in resolving issues that occur at the point of service, while also addressing more complex complaints that were not able to be resolved at the point of service.

Diplomacy, good judgment, compassion, flexibility, and a good sense of humor are required to work with the diversity of patients, family and staff and the complexity and sensitivity of issues which have the potential of controversy or legal action.

The ability to comprehend and explain numerous government laws, directives, and policies is required to provide information to individuals representing various levels of educational and cultural backgrounds.

Relationship Management: The Patient Advocate maintains a strong and consistent focus on Complaint Resolution which must always be accompanied by attempts at Service Recovery.

Service Recovery focuses on extending efforts to make up for a situation or experience that did not meet the expectations of the patient.

It is an expectation that rounds throughout the facility are conducted on a routine basis to solicit patient feedback and build strong relationships with SLAs and service leadership.

Rounding also increases the visibility of the Patient Advocate role and promotes the availability of service which it can provide.

Patient Advocate must maintain the attitude of taking a negative experience and turning it into a positive, memorable experience for patients and employees.

Data Analysis/System Improvement: Serves as a staff member directly supporting facility Executive Leadership responsible for planning, organization, development, direction and evaluation of VA Medical Facility administration.

Ensures VHA Patient Advocacy goals, policy and requirements are met by collecting, analyzing, and evaluating relevant data, and preparing meaningful reports based on that data.

The Patient Advocate works to identify the elements of clinical or administrative practices which contribute to or create an atmosphere for patient dissatisfaction and recommends appropriating official changes which will reduce or eliminate substantiated complaints.

Produces, on a regular basis, a cumulative report which includes a categorization of patient inquiries to track and trend the patterns to identify opportunities for improvement.

Works closely with Facility Management to discuss trending concerns that may indicate the need for system improvements Work Schedule: 40 Hours a week, Monday-Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm, EST.

Telework: At Supervisory Discretion. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Patient Representative/PD99864S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. Notifications: This position is not a Bargaining Unit position.

This position is in the Competitive Service.

Time-in-Grade Restriction: 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.

The grade may have been in any occupation but must have been held in the Federal service.

Interchange Agreements with Other Merit System: Employees who occupy medical or medical-related positions and were appointed under 38 U.S.C. 4701

or

[formerly 38 U.S.C. 4104

and

] must be serving in a full-time position without time limit and have served continuously for at least one year in this other merit system to be eligible to convert to the Title 5 System.

Some exceptions to this rule may apply if you have previously acquired tenure under a Title 5 appointment. Veterans' Preference does not apply for other current permanent Federal agency employees.