Program Support Assistant

SummaryThe Health Eligibility Center-Income Verification Department (HEC/IVD) in Atlanta - GA manages the nation-wide VA medical benefits program - including Veteran's health care eligibility-income verification and enrollment programs. This department provides support and guidance to Veterans - Veterans family members and/or representatives - the public and VA employees.QualificationsTo qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 11/12/2025. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Advancement to positions up to GS-5. Candidates may be advanced without time restriction to positions up to GS-5 if the position to be filled is no more than two grades above the lowest grade the employee held within the preceding 52 weeks under his or her latest non-temporary competitive appointment. GS-05 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include - but are not limited to: Ability to research and apply knowledge on regulations - policies - and/or procedures. Prepare oral/written responses to internal and external customers. Perform data entry in various computer systems. Provide customer service to customers/patients. The ability to provide instructions to customers/patients. OR GS-05: Substitution of Education for Experience (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Four (4) years of education above a high school level in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business - secretarial or technical school - junior college - college or university. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours - 45 quarter hours - or the equivalent in a college or university - or a least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business - secretarial or technical school. OR GS-05: Combination of Education and Experience (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond high school to meet the total experience requirements. (i.e. 6 months of specialized experience and 3 years of education above the high school level). For GS-5 level positions only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (i.e. - beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the combination with specialized experience requirement. One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience. Physical Requirements: There is a combination of potentially extended periods of sitting - standing - carrying of items weighing up to 20 pounds (i.e. files - manuals - and books) required. In general - work does not require special physical demands. 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/.DutiesDuties include - but may not be limited to the following: Receives and refers visitors and telephone callsServe as a first-tier contact person for telephone inquiries from veterans - representatives of veteran service organizations - VA medical center staff - and other outside sourcesAnswer questions by providing general program information or by locating appropriate regulations or existing case development activitiesPrepares and types letters - reports - tabulated data - memoranda - etcResponsible for file maintenance - scanning and packaging of documentsConducts indexing and quality control of scanned documentsResearch to identify a new address for returned and undeliverable mail and update the computer systems as neededAssist the Mail Center staff with opening - sorting - and scanning of HEC incoming mailResponsible for uploading documents including spreadsheets into the Workload Management SystemUtilize clerical software programs to complete administrative duties (i.eMicrosoft Office: Word - Excel - PowerPoint - Outlook - SharePoint - Skype)Apply knowledge of the Privacy Act and Freedom of Information ActProcesses Requests to update Veterans' demographic - military - financial - eligibility - and enrollment information by entering the information into the databasesPerform a variety of duties in support of data entry and collection of dataMaintain basic knowledge of various VA directives - HEC polices - and publications pertinent to eligibilityObserves and adheres to existing regulations to carefully review the circumstances that could enhance - restore - or substantiate the Veteran's benefit status for basic eligibility updatesOther duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday-Friday - Full-Time - 9:00 am - 5:30 pmTelework: This position is not available for teleworkRemote: This is not a remote positionVirtual: This is not a virtual positionPosition Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant/PD01406A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized