Health System Specialist (Facility Integrity & Compliance Officer) Job in Hines, IL

Vacancy No. HN-12752498-25-AM Department Veterans Health Administration
Salary $99,069.00 to $153,151.00 Grade 12 to 13
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 6/18/2025 Close Date 6/27/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Hines, IL


Summary

This position is organizationally aligned under the Office of the Medical Center Director at the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital (578), Hines, IL - a complexity level 1a VHA facility. The primary purpose of the position is to function as the Facility Integrity and Compliance Officer (ICO).

Salary Ranges:
GS 12: $99,069 - $128,795
GS 13: $117,807 - $153,151

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

THIS IS OPEN TO CURRENT, PERMANENT VHA EMPLOYEES ONLY.

Duties

The primary purpose of the position is to function as the Facility Integrity and Compliance Officer (ICO). Compliance is an oversight process, supported by appropriate organizational conditions (culture, regulations, policies, procedures, controls, etc.) which over time are most likely to ensure that employee actions and character are consistent with VHA core values. The ICO identifies high risk areas and initiates corrective actions. The program must fulfill the Office of Inspector General's (OIG) guidelines for effective compliance programs as well as fulfillment of all VHA regulations, including VHA Directive 1030 (VHA Integrity and Compliance Program) and its accompanying guidebooks.

The Facility ICO contributes to the fulfillment of the organization's mission and vision by planning, designing, implementing, and maintaining system-wide compliance programs, policies, and procedures. The Facility ICO is an active member of senior management who reports directly to the Corporate Compliance Officer and provides guidance and counsel on incorporating compliance- related activities into the operations of a complex multi-mission facility. This individual maintains current regulatory resources, ensures regulatory and policy updates are disseminated to employees in a timely manner, performs on- going monitoring of all areas of compliance and acts decisively on issues of potential non-compliance and focusing on fraud, waste and abuse.

  • Develops, implements, and maintains the compliance program throughout the facility and Chairs or Co-Chairs the Facility Integrity and Compliance Committee meetings.
  • Participates in the VISN Integrity and Compliance Committee meetings in order to share best practices with other VISN facilities.
  • Interacts with the facility management, government agencies/contractors, Regional Counsel, and employees to ensure an understanding of the organization's initiatives toward compliance and to ensure consistency of compliance among the various divisions and service areas.
  • Oversees the education and training process for the facility's employees regarding compliance related activities.
  • Monitors questions, issues and reports of possible non-compliance reported through established mechanisms.
  • Coordinates internal and external compliance reviews. Initiates investigation, when appropriate, of any issues of non-compliance as well as the implementation of appropriate corrective action plans.
  • Provides the VISN 12 ICO with copies of the Integrity and Committee meeting minutes and informs him/her of any compliance issues.
  • Periodically revises the program considering changes in the organization's needs, and in the law and policies and procedures of Government and private payer health plans.
  • Coordinates personnel issues with Human Resources to ensure that providers and employees do not appear in the Cumulative Sanction Report; List of Excluded Individuals and Entities (LEIE reports).
  • Provides support on medical record/billing documentation issues and assists in the development of guidelines for data compatibility and consistency, and monitoring for compliance to improve quality of clinical financial and administrative data.
  • Reviews results of all internal audit reports and works closely with key managers to identify aberrant trends in the coding and billing areas.
  • Collaborate with executive leadership and risk owners to prevent, detect, and manage potential FWA risks and provide oversight of the training, education, communication, tracking, and reporting of these types of activities.
At the GS 12 level incumbent will assist with the supervision of Integrity and Compliance Auditors until advancement to full performance level of Health System Specialist, GS-671-13 is met.

Promotion Potential: The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12 to GS-13.The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.


Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30 am - 4:00 pm
Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized
Telework: Ad-hoc; as determined by the agency
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist (Facility Integrity & Compliance Officer)/PD252040

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. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
  • Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/27/2025.

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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. For a GS-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. 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.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: You must have one of the following:
EDUCATION: Undergraduate or Graduate Education with a major study in hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration. OR,
EXPERIENCE:
Progressively responsible analytical or administrative, or clinical management or supervisory experience in the health care field? This work may have been performed in an operating health care facility or a higher organizational echelon with advisory or directional authority over such facilities. Work must have involved a close working relationship with facility managers and analysis and/or coordination of administrative, clinical, or other service activities, and provided knowledge of the following:
  • Missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of health care delivery systems
  • Regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups
  • Government-wide, agency, and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget, personnel, and procurement

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

GS-12 Grade Requirements:
Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:
  • Mastery of advanced principles and practices of program management and analytical ability sufficient to conduct comparative studies aimed at determining the effectiveness of a wide range of forms, records, files, management processes, management information system/office automation and the applicability of higher-level directives to a highly complex multi-mission facility.
  • Skill in oral and written communication to prepare and present recommendations and solutions regarding complex issues based on analysis and evaluation, including the preparation and presentation of reports, proposals, charts and graphs, etc.
  • Expert knowledge of the healthcare industry and/or experience with Medicare and third-party payer coding and billing practices.

GS-13 Grade Requirements:
Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:
  • Mastery of advanced principles and practices of program management and analytical ability sufficient to conduct comparative studies aimed at determining the effectiveness of a wide range of forms, records, files, management processes, management information system/office automation and the applicability of higher-level directives to a highly complex multi-mission facility.
  • Skill in oral and written communication to prepare and present recommendations and solutions regarding complex issues based on analysis and evaluation, including the preparation and presentation of reports, proposals, charts and graphs, etc.
  • Expert knowledge of the healthcare industry and/or experience with Medicare and third-party payer coding and billing practices.
  • Expert knowledge of, and skill in using management information system(s), office automation systems and processes, computer applications, principles, and techniques, including ability to develop and implement new automated systems for control and support of interrelated program operations.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
  • Administration and Management
  • Change Management
  • Communications


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: Performance of the employee's duties may require extensive walking per day to meet with Facility Executive Leadership Team, Clinic Leads, Administrative Leads, PAS staff, and other appropriate personnel. Trips to satellite outpatient clinics (CBOCs) are sometimes necessary and will involve transportation via station GSA vehicle or privately-owned vehicle. The work performed is of a precise nature requiring long periods of concentration that is often interrupted. The Incumbent is often faced with changing priorities and with meeting deadlines.

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.

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing your basic qualifications on 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. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

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

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.

Benefits

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. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

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.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

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.

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

  • Resume
  • SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action


The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.
  • Cover Letter
  • Other (1)
  • Resume
  • SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
  • Transcript


SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility):
  • Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee
  • An SF-50 showing 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
  • Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.
  • Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:
    • Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
    • Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
    • SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.

Veterans' preference does not apply for internal permanent agency employees.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 06/27/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12752498.

  1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
  2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

Agency contact information

Amy McCrary
Address
Edward Hines Junior Hospital
5000 South 5th Avenue
Hines, IL 60141
US

Next steps

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.

You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.

NOTE: Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a condition of employment and a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.