Program Support Assistant.

Veterans Benefits Administration; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 43,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Veterans Benefits Administration in the United States is seeking a Program Support Assistant to provide administrative support within HR functions. The role includes handling customer interactions, managing PIV identity proofing processes, and performing fingerprinting and onboarding steps for new employees.

The position requires maintaining HR data, organizing files and ensuring compliance with directives and policies, with a standard full-time schedule and limited telework options as described

Qualifications

• Experience using word processing, database and automated systems.
• Experience maintaining filing systems.
• Experience performing recruitment, selection, or placement tasks.
• Experience applying moderately complex personnel policies and regulations.

Responsibilities

• Provide customer service by receiving, screening and handling electronic communications, telephone calls and/or visitors.
• Assist with the management of PIV identity proofing, registration, issuance and lifecycle management.
• Perform fingerprinting for employees for Background Investigations and submit electronically to OPM.
• Coordinate and conduct new employee orientations on retirement, health benefits, life insurance, and leave policies.
• Review personnel actions for input into HRSmart and ensure required documentation is present.
• Organize and maintain an effective office support system in accordance with directives and policies.

Skills

Utilizing word processing, database &1

Maintaining filing systems

Recruitment, selection or placement

Administrative support duties (polic…

Job description

• Provide customer service by receiving, screening and handling electronic communications, telephone calls and/or visitors
• Assist with the management of the Personal Identification Verification (PIV) identify proofing, registration, issuance and life cycle management.
• Perform fingerprinting for employees for Background Investigations ensuring that fingerprint request is completed entirely and accurately (i.e. correct DOB, SSN, other names used, etc.) and submit electronically to the Office Of Personnel Mgmt (OPM).
• Coordinate and conduct new employee orientations on such matters as retirement, health benefits, life insurance, Veterans military service deposits and leave administration policy/programs.
• Review personnel actions received for input into the human resources database (HRSmart) to ensure accuracy; determining documentation required to support the action, ensuring supporting documentation is present, and when missing, obtaining the information
• Organize and maintain an effective office support system ensuring that files, correspondence, publications, and regulatory material are maintained in accordance with directives and policies.

Duties

Specific Duties Include

• Provide customer service by receiving, screening and handling electronic communications, telephone calls and/or visitors
• Assist with the management of the Personal Identification Verification (PIV) identify proofing, registration, issuance and life cycle management.
• Perform fingerprinting for employees for Background Investigations ensuring that fingerprint request is completed entirely and accurately (i.e. correct DOB, SSN, other names used, etc.) and submit electronically to the Office Of Personnel Mgmt (OPM).
• Coordinate and conduct new employee orientations on such matters as retirement, health benefits, life insurance, Veterans military service deposits and leave administration policy/programs.
• Review personnel actions received for input into the human resources database (HRSmart) to ensure accuracy; determining documentation required to support the action, ensuring supporting documentation is present, and when missing, obtaining the information
• Organize and maintain an effective office support system ensuring that files, correspondence, publications, and regulatory material are maintained in accordance with directives and policies.

Work Schedule:

Full time, Monday-Friday, 7:00am - 4:30pm

Compressed/Flexible:

Not Available

Telework:

This position is eligible for situational (ad hoc) telework only. The selectee is required to report to the official duty station each scheduled workday. Telework may be approved only on a case-by-case basis with supervisory approval. Routine or recurring telework is not authorized for this position.

Virtual:

This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#:

Program Support Assistant, 41196O

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives:

Not Authorized

Financial Disclosure Report:

Not required

Bargaining Unit:

No

Requirements

Conditions of employment

Required

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary 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.

Additional Conditions Of Employment Are As Follows

• 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 or trial period
• 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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:08/17/2026.

TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT

• For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05 level.

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.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT:

You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

GS-07 Grade Level

Specialized Experience:

• Utilizing word processing, database and other automated systems;
• Maintaining filing systems;
• Performing technical work in recruitment, selection, or placement;
• Performing a variety of administrative support duties that includes researching, interpreting, communicating and applying moderately complex personnel policies, procedures and regulations.

Volunteer Experience:

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.

Full vs. Part-Time Employment:

Full-time employment is considered to be at least 35 hours per week. Part-time experience will be credited on a pro-rated basis; when including part-time employment in your resume you must specify the average hours worked per week.

Physical Requirements:

The work normally involves mental rather than physical exertion. The work is mostly sedentary. Typically, the employee sits comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking; standing; bending; and carrying of light items, such as papers or books.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at

Education

Education requirements do not apply for this position.

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 (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP),

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.

Placement Policy:

The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

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:

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.