Program Specialist

Summary

Summary This Program Specialist position is in the Mental Health service at the Central Western Massachusetts VA Healthcare System, located at the Leeds, MA. location. This is a full time position, 40 hours a week. Responsibilities The Program Specialist position provides administrative oversightto the following services; Mental Health Intensive Care Management (MHICM), Therapeutic and Supported Employment (TSES), Compensated Work Therapy/Transitional Residential Treatment Program (CWT/TR), Military Sexual Trauma (MST), Transitional Care Management (TCM), Suicide Prevention (SP), Acute and Subacute Inpatient Units, and the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Residential Treatment Program (RRTP), which are integrated services within the Mental Health Service Line at the Leeds VAMC, Springfield CBOC, Worcester CBOC, Greenfield CBOC, Pittsfield CBOC, and Fitchburg CBOC, within VA Central Western Massachusetts Healthcare Systems. The position participates with all levels of management, planning, analyzing, implementing and establishing sound business practices. Duties include but are not limited to: Assist management with decisions on appropriate clinic set up. Review clinic functions, e.g. overbooking of patients, scheduling new patients, and resolving consults. Responsible for day-to-day issues associated with the clinics. Assign staff to various activities to ensure productivity and access to care are maximized. Collect and validate workload data. Develop and implement strategies for improving delivery of care. Prepare recurring and nonrecurring reports, complies and analyzes data. Coordinate quality assurance/utilization review activities within the clinic. Maintain timecards for clinical and administrative personnel. Oversee all Mental Health consults and monitors for timeliness. Review provider clinic set-up for accuracy and appropriate utilization. Establish and manage the PCMM for Mental Health teams and position set up for all PCMM for Mental Health and specialties involved as an intricate part of the Mental Health Teams. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30 am - 4:00 pm Telework: Ad-hoc as determined by agency policy Position Description/PD#: 02981 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized NOTIFICATIONS: This position is in the Competitive Service. This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay. Current 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 is not a Bargaining Union Position. 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(1) or (3) [formerly 38 U.S.C. 4104 (1) and (3)] 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. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications 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. Program Specialist GS-0301-09: You must 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: Experience in positions that required working knowledge of the computer system for entry and retrieval of data; Ability to locate and interpret appropriate applicable regulations; Knowledge of medical records, medical billing programs, and medical terminology; Gathering, developing, and interpreting data from various information systems; and Reviews reports, records, and provides statistical analysis for accuracy. 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. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED). 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 full year of graduate level education. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED). Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week.For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at 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. Physical Requirements: Regular and recurring work is mostly sedentary involving sitting at a desk, although the position requires the ability to move from one geographic location of the facility to another. The incumbent works with a computer screen and keyboard. Some physical effort such as standing, walking, bending or prolonged sitting may be required. The incumbent maybe exposed to walking to outlying areas. The work places no special physical demands on the employee. 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. 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 Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced 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

Job Description

Summary This Program Specialist position is in the Mental Health service at the Central Western Massachusetts VA Healthcare System, located at the Leeds, MA. location. This is a full time position, 40 hours a week. Responsibilities The Program Specialist position provides administrative oversightto the following services; Mental Health Intensive Care Management (MHICM), Therapeutic and Supported Employment (TSES), Compensated Work Therapy/Transitional Residential Treatment Program (CWT/TR), Military Sexual Trauma (MST), Transitional Care Management (TCM), Suicide Prevention (SP), Acute and Subacute Inpatient Units, and the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Residential Treatment Program (RRTP), which are integrated services within the Mental Health Service Line at the Leeds VAMC, Springfield CBOC, Worcester CBOC, Greenfield CBOC, Pittsfield CBOC, and Fitchburg CBOC, within VA Central Western Massachusetts Healthcare Systems. The position participates with all levels of management, planning, analyzing, implementing and establishing sound business practices. Duties include but are not limited to: Assist management with decisions on appropriate clinic set up. Review clinic functions, e.g. overbooking of patients, scheduling new patients, and resolving consults. Responsible for day-to-day issues associated with the clinics. Assign staff to various activities to ensure productivity and access to care are maximized. Collect and validate workload data. Develop and implement strategies for improving delivery of care. Prepare recurring and nonrecurring reports, complies and analyzes data. Coordinate quality assurance/utilization review activities within the clinic. Maintain timecards for clinical and administrative personnel. Oversee all Mental Health consults and monitors for timeliness. Review provider clinic set-up for accuracy and appropriate utilization. Establish and manage the PCMM for Mental Health teams and position set up for all PCMM for Mental Health and specialties involved as an intricate part of the Mental Health Teams. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30 am - 4:00 pm Telework: Ad-hoc as determined by agency policy Position Description/PD#: 02981 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized NOTIFICATIONS: This position is in the Competitive Service. This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay. Current 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 is not a Bargaining Union Position. 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(1) or (3) [formerly 38 U.S.C. 4104 (1) and (3)] 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. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications 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. Program Specialist GS-0301-09: You must 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: Experience in positions that required working knowledge of the computer system for entry and retrieval of data; Ability to locate and interpret appropriate applicable regulations; Knowledge of medical records, medical billing programs, and medical terminology; Gathering, developing, and interpreting data from various information systems; and Reviews reports, records, and provides statistical analysis for accuracy. 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. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED). 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 full year of graduate level education. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED). Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week.For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at 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. Physical Requirements: Regular and recurring work is mostly sedentary involving sitting at a desk, although the position requires the ability to move from one geographic location of the facility to another. The incumbent works with a computer screen and keyboard. Some physical effort such as standing, walking, bending or prolonged sitting may be required. The incumbent maybe exposed to walking to outlying areas. The work places no special physical demands on the employee. 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. 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 Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced 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