QUALIFICATIONS

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

Program Support Assistant (OA) , GS-05 grade: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-04 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA’s) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes:

• Responsible for providing clerical, technical, or customer support;
• Receiving and referring phone calls;
• Communicating and treating customers in a courteous, tactful and respectful manner while providing consistent information according to established policies and procedures; and
• Using computer programs to prepare correspondence and manage documents. OR,

Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-05 level. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have four (4) years above high school. OR,
Applicants may also have a combination of education and experience to qualify at the GS-05 level. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-05. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Program Support Assistant (OA) , GS-06 grade: 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. Specialized experience includes:

• Ability to analyze, evaluate, and provide recommendations on administrative issues;
• Ability to apply eligibility principles to gather information, determine entitlement, process applications and claims, and coordinate benefit needs;
• Ability to monitor, track, audit, and implement corrective actions across all managed programs;
• Skill in operating multiple computer systems and applications to accurately enter or extract information;
• Ability to manage funds in regard to billing and travel;
• Administrative support such as preparing responses to correspondence, scheduling appointments and meetings, tracking time and attendance, and generating reports.

THERE IS NO EDUCATIONAL SUBSTITUTION FOR THE GS-06 LEVEL.

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.

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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/.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.

MAJOR PROGRAM SUPPORT ASSISTANT (OA) DUTIES INCLUDE:

Health Benefits Enrollment and Eligibility Advisor:

• Advises applicants of the health care benefits they are legally entitled to in person and over the phone, initiates administrative processes for establishing care, adjudicates eligibility when discrepancies exist, and notifies appropriate healthcare personnel accordingly.

Decedent Affairs Duties:

• Responsible for all administrative functions related to the Decedent Affairs program including details of patient death cases occurring within the Medical Center.
• Serves as a liaison between Medical Center staff, next of kin, organ/body donation recovery units and funeral directors.

Beneficiary Travel Advisor:

• Demonstrates working knowledge and technical proficiency in Beneficiary Travel program administration using eligibility criteria and regulatory authorities to appropriately administer program benefits to eligible patients and caretakers.
• Prepares and processes claims for travel reimbursement, authors vouchers to reimburse travel cost to eligible beneficiaries and communicates eligibility criteria to the patient.

Program Support Assistant (OA) , GS-05 grade: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-04 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA’s) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes:

• Responsible for providing clerical, technical, or customer support;
• Receiving and referring phone calls;
• Communicating and treating customers in a courteous, tactful and respectful manner while providing consistent information according to established policies and procedures; and
• Using computer programs to prepare correspondence and manage documents. OR