Program Specialist

Full Job Description

This Program Specialist position is in Specialty Care services at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, located at the West Haven location.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/17/2026.

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-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5, and for a GS-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7.

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: GS 07: Specialized Experience: 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: obtaining and interpreting data; conducting research as necessary for various projects; data collection and analysis and preparation of reports and/or presentations; develops assessment of performance, and development and evaluation of improvement activities.

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

To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 1 full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement*. Degree must be relevant to the position to be filled.

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 bachelor's degree.

The education and experience must be directly related to the work of the position to be filled.

GS 09: 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: applying qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques to identify, evaluate and resolve issues of a complex level with multiple factors; Employs management analysis techniques and methods to develop information for comprehensive reports, addressing such elements as work measurement, trend analysis, efficiency, effectiveness, and productivity, and to assess the success or failure in attaining program operational goals/objectives; has in-depth knowledge of computer systems to be able to troubleshoot problems for all users in the service line; obtaining data that is variable and translating this information into concrete data.

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

To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed 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., if related. Degree must be relevant to the position to be filled. 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 1 year of graduate level education may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-09.

The education and experience must be directly related to the work of the position to be filled. Preferred Experience: Experience with the OPPE (ongoing professional performance evaluation) process.

Experience with coordination of HPT (Health Professional Trainees). Experience with pulling reconciling and analyzing data.

Experience with providing administrative support of WOC (without compensation) and fee basis physicians.

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.

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:

The GS-7 is a developmental position, composes a career ladder structure to the full performance level of Program Specialist.

The incumbent at the GS-7 level will serve in a developmental assignment, to provide the individual with the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the full range of duties as described in the target position description.

The full performance, Program Specialist, GS 301-09, PD#689-04150-0.

At the GS-9 level, Program Specialist provides administrative and management support to the Specialty Care (Medicine & Dermatology) Service.

The incumbent is based at the West Haven VAMC; may travel to the Newington Campus and other campuses or VISN headquarters as needed.

The incumbent is the administrative focal point for Medicine (including 11 sections) and Dermatology to assist the Administrative Officer (AO) regarding operations management, workload adjustments, customer service, data collection/analysis and troubleshooting.

Major duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Evaluating provider productivity, bookable hours, RVUs, and making recommendations to clinical leaders.

Monitoring inpatient consults, e-consults, emergency room consults and encounter closure to ensure timeliness and documentation accuracy.

Tracking and addressing unsigned/uncosigned notes and developing procedures to reduce delinquencies.

Coordinating Health Professional Trainees (HPT's) onboarding with education, access, credentialing, and compliance tasks. Overseeing Talent Management System (TMS) compliance.

Supporting OPPE/FPPE processes. Retrieving and compiling data for Pay-for-Performance. Providing administrative support for WOC, fee-basis, contract, and Yale-affiliated clinicians.

Pulling and reconciling data for workload, labor mapping and budget metrics. Updating performance improvement plans.

Serve as the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) - managing equipment procurement activities. Maintain Equipment Inventory List (EIL).

Supporting research initiatives - grant preparation, resource coordination and data management.

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 Telework: This position may be authorized for telework.

Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD04150 and PD04151 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required Notifications: Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.

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.

Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action).

The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted).

In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held. This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay.

The incumbent may be required to travel to other VA campuses and CBOC's. This position is a AFGE Bargaining Unit position.