Program Support Assistant

Full Job Description

The Wilkes Barre VA is recruiting for a Program Support Assistant for the Health Administration Services (HAS) department.

The program support assistant will be responsible for managing and organizing information, communicating with senior staff members, supervisors, leads, employees, and new hires, performing various clerical functions, working with technology applications and will also occasionally serve as remote support to the MSA's/Advanced MSA's, servicing the Wilkes-Barre area.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/26/2026.

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-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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-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: Knowledge of processes in order to perform the full range of clerical assignments.

Knowledge of areas such as human resources, purchasing, supply, records management, and budgeting.

Knowledge and skill in data entry and word processing software, precision in use of grammar, and effective communication.

Interpersonal skills to provide assistance and technical advice to individuals within the service line, the incumbent develops and maintains relationships with others.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Communication Computer Skills Interpersonal Skills Manages and Organizes Information 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.

Physical Requirements: Work is primarily sedentary but may require walking and standing. No special physical effort or ability is required to do the work.

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:

Assists HAS department and implementing timely responses to all actions required by the department and its supervisors. Prepares and collects a variety of HAS reports.

Develops computerized methods of completing work - spreadsheets and Access database. Provides administrative support and office management for HAS.

Uses the Veterans Health Information & Technology Architecture (VISTA) to access information in the Medical Center Computer System.

Assist with creating regulations, polices, instructions, standing memorandums, and guidelines.

May serve as backup timekeeper and be requested to track overtime usages and prepares monthly and annual reports. May assist with training of new staff.

Act as a liaison for HAS during inspection and audits. Performs other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized 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 Support Assistant/PD002160