Summary This position is located within the Resource Directorate, Patient Administration, DoD Medical Operations Management, located at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC), North Chicago, Illinois; a 1c complexity facility. The Lovell FHCC is larger than just a single facility, but rather a system of facilities throughout Northeastern Illinois and Wisconsin which provide medical and dental services to U.S. Military Veterans, Recruits, Active-Duty, and eligible beneficiaries. Responsibilities Limited Duty (LIMDU) Program Support (65%) The employee serves as the subject matter expert on LIMDU policies, procedures, and regulations for the FHCC Medical Evaluation Board (MEB). Responsible for tracking and reporting of Navy and Marine Corps Service members placed in a LIMDU status in a 12 state Area of Responsibility (AOR). Receives medical provider recommendations for LIMDU and ensures proper routing and signatures on all LIMDU forms. Enters all LIMDU cases into LIMDU SMART or respective system in place. Ensures the Medical Board Convening Authority (CA) approves LIMDU recommendations within 5 business days from LIMDU initiation date. Counsels in person and via phone all Service members referred to LIMDU on service member responsibilities; program requirements; military personnel actions that will occur upon entering/ending LIMDU status and procedures for making follow on appointments. Prepares and submits standard Naval messages to appropriate Personnel Detachment (PSD), PERS-454 and/or U.S. Marine Corps Headquarters (MMSR-4) placing and removing service members from LIMDU status. Tracks and provides reports on the status of all Navy and Marine Corps LIMDU personnel in area of responsibility (AOR). The employee reviews all recommendations for LIMDU for procedural correctness. Refers cases where it appears to be an inappropriate referral for LIMDU back to the referring physician or to the CA for resolution. Ensures providers make return to medically unrestricted duty determinations and recommendations of additional LIMDU or Physical Evaluation Board (PEB) no later than 30 days prior to the expiration of LIMDU. Evaluates the Service member's personnel status with regards to time remaining on contract and makes recommendations to the referring physician and the CA for those members whose enlistment of service contract would expire during the time of the recommended LIMDU. LIMDU Coordinator (20%) The employee is designated as the LIMDU Coordinator for FHCC active-duty service members placed in a LIMDU status. Provides required BUMED Command Deployability Coordinator Training to newly appointed Command Deployability Coordinators and assist them in managing their LIMDU personnel. Assists Command Deployability Coordinators and LIMDU Service members with obtaining follow-on appointments on a priority basis to assess fitness for return to duty. Maintains updated Command Deployability Coordinator contact list. Chairs monthly Command Deployability Coordinator meetings. Office Automation (15%) Requires competitive level proficiency in typing and a working knowledge of office automation software needed to produce a wide range of documents. Operates a personal computer, with Microsoft Office applications, using a mouse or touch pad and electronic keyboard with additional function keys to produce work accurately and efficiently. Operates related peripheral equipment, such as printers, scanners, and modems. Operates facsimile machine to transmit or receive reports and other technical information. Performs office automation work which involves receipt/transmission of electronic mail, creation, and maintenance of databases for office projects/activities, organizing tasks and schedules, preparing graphic presentation charts and spreadsheets, word processing, and preparation of documents from multiple sources and/or applications. Utilizes hospital database applications to enter, revise, sort, and retrieve departmental workload productivity data to draw information from a wide variety of sources to generate and prepare reports for higher authority on an ongoing basis; and assists in the planning, review, and reporting of data or statistical results of the LIMDU Program. The employee ensures that all incoming/outgoing program case correspondence is properly completed and processed within the timelines governed by instruction. Responsible for collecting, compiling, and/or tracking statistical information in support of program operations and accessing statuses or outcomes in relation to established performance measures, goals, and objectives. Utilizes Microsoft Outlook and Teams for communication with managers, and other Microsoft programs to track and trend data. Maintains a current knowledge on procedures, policies, directives, etc.; answers questions of other employees; and obtains needed information or decisions from supervisor on problems that arise. Assists in developing programs to ensure that quality provisions are planned and implemented to identify, prevent, and correct unsatisfactory conditions and elements which influence the regulatory correctness and responsiveness of transactions and services. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30am-4pm Position Description/PD#: Program Support Asstistant (OA)/PD06340O Requirements Conditions of Employment 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 period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/01/2024. 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-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-6. 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 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: Thorough knowledge of Department of Defense (DoD), Department of the Navy (DoN), and Bureau of Medicine (BUMED), Joint Commission, Veterans Administration (VA) and Federal HIPAA standards, policies, and procedures. Thorough knowledge of VA and the DoD/DoN medical standards, general policies and procedures, and general health Information systems and records. Knowledge of the organization, function, and operations of the local command structure, higher echelon commands, and their relationship to other DoD as well as VA agencies, and the private sector as it relates to pertinent health Information. OR, Education: High school graduate. Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond. This may include 4 years of education above high school level being progressively responsible clerical, office, or other work that indicates ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position to be filled. and 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-6). You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to Detail Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Organizational Awareness Planning and Evaluating Self-Management Technical Competence 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: 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/. Education There is no educational substitution at this grade level. 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. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. 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. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.