Program Support Assistant (Patient Experience Liaison)

Veterans Health Administration; Cleveland (OH); On-site; USD 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

The Veterans Health Administration is recruiting for three Program Support Assistants to support the Patient Experience Program within the Employee/Patient Experience Service (EPES). The role involves assisting patients and staff to ensure timely, compassionate service and accurate handling of veteran data.

Applicants must meet time-in-grade requirements and provide SF-50 documentation as described in the federal guidelines.

Qualifications

• Specialized experience equivalent to GS-05 for one year in the normal progression for the occupation.

Responsibilities

• Assist patients, administrative staff and professional staff regarding inpatient stays and care experiences.
• Sort and process patient-related information and inquiries, maintain databases of veteran information.

Skills

Specialized Experience

Job description

The VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System is recruiting for three Program Support Assistants. The Program Support Assistant provides support to the Patient Experience Program, which is located in Employee/Patient Experience Service (EPES), for incoming and outgoing Patients.

In order to qualify for this position, you must meet the following requirements within 30 calendar days of the closing date listed on the announcement, 09/11/2026. 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-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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. Applicants must be eligible under the VA Interchange Agreement, having served continuously for at least one year in the other merit system under this interchange agreement. For more information regarding the VA Interchange Agreement please visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy data-oversight/hiring-authorities/competitive-hiring/. All Title 38 Veterans Canteen Service (VCS) employees must have served in their Excepted Service position for at least 90 days in order to be eligible for a position within the Competitive Service. Applicants who were previously selected under a Competitive Delegating Examining Office (DEO) announcement must have served in their position for at least 90 days prior to being eligible for other positions within the Competitive Service.

You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

Specialized Experience

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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: providing assistance to patients, administrative staff and professional staff regarding the in-patient's stay, ensuring that quality service is rendered in a timely, competent, and caring manner, communicating with patients about their experiences of care, sorting and processing incoming correspondence, reviewing issues and requests related to information regarding provisions for medical care, eligibility, etc., collecting and compiling patient experience data and telephone inquiries, coordinating incoming data from a variety of sources and, maintaining databases which contain a wide variety of veteran specific information.

Physical Requirements

The work includes walking, standing, bending, carrying of light items, and occasionally assisting with a wheelchair. In some instances, relationships with patients and caregivers can become intense and the incumbent is constantly exposed to high levels of stress and anxiety. This position demands emotional stability, as the incumbent is deeply involved with many challenging, seriously ill, and/or dying patients and their caregivers. 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/.