Medical Administration Specialist

Veterans Health Administration; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Veterans Health Administration seeks a Health Administrative Specialist on Duty (HOD) to represent the Medical Center Director and HAS Chief on administrative matters when not on a normal tour. The role spans multipleHAS/Budget offices and requires handling complex regulatory and incident-command situations.

The ideal candidate has knowledge of bed management, emergency management and federal regulations, with strong writing and diplomacy skills for interdepartmental coordination.

Qualifications

• Experience with bed management, emergency management and incident command.
• Knowledge of management principles and supervision practices.
• Familiarity with federal and department personnel policies and medical resources.
• Ability to interpret regulations and public laws affecting VA care.
• Strong written and oral communication skills for complex issues.

Skills

Bed Management

Emergency management

Public affairs

Supervision principles

Regulatory knowledge

Education

Master's degree or equivalent

Two years of graduate education

LL.B. or J.D. (related)

Job description

The Health Administrative Specialist on Duty (HOD) is a facility-wide position, located in the Office of the Chief, Health Administration Service (HAS), or Business Office (BO), or Medical Administration Service (MAS), or similarly named and organized service; with established guidelines, the position has both the authority and responsibility to represent both the Medical Center Director and the Chief, HAS on all administrative matters occurring when assigned to other than a normal tour of duty.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/16/2026. 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-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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education s 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: Knowledge of a wide range of administrative concepts, principles, and practices such as Bed Management, Emergency management and incident command, Public Affairs media management; Knowledge of general principles of management and of the practices, techniques, and objectives of supervision; general knowledge of Federal and department personnel management policies and practices; knowledge of medical resources in surrounding community; Knowledge of medical and technical terminology; Knowledge of applicable public laws, policy, and regulations, dealing with care and treatment of veterans and beneficiaries; Ability to locate and interpret all applicable regulations; Knowledge of public laws governing VA and states served by medical center in matters of judicial hospitalization, issuing warrants, Workman's Compensation, reimbursable hospital insurance, liability of third parties, and other medico-legal matters; Knowledge of commitment laws and proceedings in the state and other neighboring jurisdictions so that required actions are taken without violating patient's rights; Ability to deal with variety of individuals with tact and diplomacy; Knowledge of safety and fire prevention rules and regulations; Ability to assist during an emergency that may include weather, a toxic environment, major disruption of services, or an active threat; Ability to interpret rules, regulations, policies, and procedures to make sound decisions using good judgment; Ability to identify and analyze complex problems with a range of variables; Ability to complete assigned projects in a thorough, accurate, and timely manner; Ability to explain and organize complex issues in writing. (This experience must be well documented in your resume or application package.) 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 two (2) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. Education at the graduate level must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application with the conferral of degree present. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond the first year or 18 semester hours and specialized experience directly related to the work of the position as outlined above. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. Education cannot be credited without documentation. For more information on these qualifica