Summary This position is located in the Office of the Director for the Greater Los Angeles Department of Veterans' Affairs.

The incumbent of this position will be responsible for reviewing all correspondence and requests from agency clients, Congressional representatives, VACO or VISN officials, or other interest groups, and will be recommending or completing actions / responses in order to comply with agency required objectives.

Responsibilities Duties include but are not limited to : Reviews correspondence for technical and substantive compliance with management and department policies, writes and conducts a technical review of correspondence prepared for signature by organization executives to assure consistency with agency procedures on completeness, response accuracy, timeliness, and formatting.

Writes, reviews, and monitors suspense's, Congressional inquiries and other time sensitive requests for information as directed by Executive Leadership.

Researches and prepares in appropriate format with all pertinent data within time-frame to enable appropriate review and approval prior to submission.

Provides assistance to service level staff to assure that the tailored responses to inquiries from Veterans and family member / support, their agents, agency clients, Congressional representatives, VACO or VISN officials, or interest groups on special matters are appropriate and in compliance with executive preferences and policies.

Assures that analytical, background and supporting information is provided in the correspondence package. Evaluates the effectiveness of the General Correspondence Review.

Execute suspense management and document control procedures. Apply comprehensive knowledge of the organization and the functions of the (VHA).

Function as the official point of contact for the Director actions requiring signature / approval. Performs full review of format for all correspondence submitted for Front Office review and ensures compliance with the Agency's policy guidance.

Develops or updates the organization's correspondence program policies and procedures and evaluates organization practices to identify problem areas.

Consults with administrative and clerical personnel to develop solutions and written responses for technical or procedural issues on correspondence administration.

Prepares recommendation, develops procedures to implement recommendations, and educates key staff throughout the organization as to proper procedures for document preparation.

Obtains and analyzes data for inclusion into models, and for entering and maintaining other data with the facility Tracking System computer program.

Assigns action to the appropriate staff with direction concerning the type of response, level of signature authority, and requirements for coordination with other staff elements.

Utilize multiple data systems. Prepares cover / assignment sheets for all suspense actions. Prepares daily and / or weekly action reports of critical suspense data to provide to senior facility management.

Conducts regular reconciliation on overdue suspense lists investigating and resolving all discrepancies. Serves as the facility's functional expert on both automated tracking systems and as the correspondence liaison between higher headquarters and VACO.

Ensures appropriate handling of confidential correspondence and tasks, in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.

Monitors progress and conducts follow up on each action from the time it is assigned until final disposition is accomplished.

Responds to all inquiries from higher headquarter pertaining to suspense items. Forwards completed actions to appropriate individual and ensures actions are closed out in tracking system.

Other duties as assigned. Work Schedule : 7 : 30 a.m. - 4 : 00 p.m. Monday - Friday Telework : May be authorized for highly qualified candidates at agency discretion.

VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies.

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 / PD13022A Relocation / Recruitment Incentives : Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI) : Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS) : Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report : Not required Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.

S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12 / 31 / 1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background / security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03 / 19 / 2024.

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.

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.

SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR : A competency / KSAs or special qualification without which a candidate could not perform the duties of a position in a satisfactory manner.

Selective factors are applied in addition to minimum qualifications. Applicants who do not meet a selective placement factor are ineligible for further consideration.

Selective Placement Factor : Applicant must have at least 1 years of the following experience : Knowledge of the theory and principles of management and organization, including administrative practices and procedures common to organizations, such as those pertaining to areas of responsibility, channels of communication, delegation of authority, routing of correspondence, filing systems, and storage of files and records.

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 : Managing the programs; planning, developing, implementing and evaluating the program including assessment of needs, monitoring overall program evaluation and recognition.

• Coordinating activities that support all clinical and administrative program areas; serving on special projects, technical reviewing of writing correspondence, briefing higher leadership, analyzing data, tracking suspense's, preparing reports, responding to Congressional inquiries, correcting grammar;
• conducting various studies, in such areas as workflow measurements, problems or issues encountered, changes in policy and how it will affect the Healthcare System relative to the Correspondence Control program;

Developing and / or updating the organization's correspondence program policies and procedures, evaluating organizations practices to identify problem areas, consulting with administrative and clerical personnel to develop solutions and written responses for technical or procedural issues on correspondence administration.

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 : 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., if related. (copy of transcripts required). OR, Combination : Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level.

You must have an combination of specialized experience and graduate level education in excess of the first two years or 36 semester hours to meet total experience requirements.

copy of transcripts required).. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position : Analysis and Problem Solving Analytical Reasoning Communication Computer Skills Stakeholder Management 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 : The work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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 : 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 : Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave : Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee.

Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience.

This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal / VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies.

To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy.

To be well-qualified : applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job.

Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Last updated : 2024-03-09