Clarification from the agency

Open to current, permanent employees of the Veterans Health Administration and/or Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) eligibles.

The Program Applications Specialist serves as the functional "expert" for matters relating to the Patient Information Management System (PIMS) core package, to include providing training on other service packages, such as Pharmacy, Radiology, Laboratory, and Health Summary, as they relate to the business office process. Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Responsible for the coordination and training for service and facility staff in business and functional areas for various information technology VISTA packages.
• Ensures the accuracy of reports such as the Gains and Losses and AMIS reports.
• Serves as key point of contact responsible for assuring that all information technology equipment with the service is operational and functions and coordinates with OI&T equipment replacement/installation with all other services.
• Participates in the establishment of administrative qualitative standards; the objective of which is intended to improve programs, facilities and operations.
• Provides training and troubleshooting for clinical and administrative staff in business processes and associated supporting software.
• Assists with the preparation and implementation of business contingency plans for system failure specifically addressing manual system backup plans addressing how day to day business will be conducted for long and short-term outages.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Program Applications Specialist/PD12153A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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
• 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)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial 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 or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/16/2026.

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.

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-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: An extensive knowledge of Veterans Integrated Systems Technology Architecture (VistA) packages that support the business processes is needed to insure the success of this integration; applies knowledge and abilities to analyze, evaluate and make recommendations on major aspects of all assigned VISTA and commercial off the shelf computer packages; ability to retrieve, track and trend information needed for reporting; management analysis techniques and methods are required to refine information for comprehensive reports, addressing elements such as cost analysis, work measurement, trend analysis, efficiency, effectiveness, productivity; knowledge of the service software is required in training employees, identifying inconsistencies, discussions with management of capabilities of computer software feasibly toward meeting their objectives, validating new programs and options; comprehensive knowledge of software programs of other services (i.e. Radiology, Dietetics, Health Summary, OE/RR, CPRS, Laboratory and Pharmacy) for training of all service staff is needed due to the interrelation of the VISTA programs; skill in applying user acceptance testing principles, methods, and approaches sufficient to test, debug and maintain software applications that meet functional requirements; high degree of knowledge of Patient Information Management System (PIMS) software to create entry transactions on simple data needs, but be sophisticated enough to provide reports about any of the clinical or administrative data elements contained in the PIMS package throughout the Medical Center; knowledge of appropriate VA policies, VA directives, operating procedures, information flow and of prevailing automated practices in government agencies and the private sector sufficient to ensure applications are consistent with the current and planned infrastructure and data environments currently used at the supported VAMC; comprehensive knowledge in business metadata is needed to provide information related to continued business operations and external requests such as JCAHO, SOARS, and other internal audits; knowledge of information security principles and methods; ability to communicate a clear, logical and concise explanation of information, both orally and in written format. 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 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an equivalent combination of specialized experience and education beyond the graduate level as stated above to meet total experience requirements.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Analysis and Problem Solving
• Communications
• Computer Skills
• Database Management Systems
• Education and Training
• Interpersonal Skills

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: Regular and recurring work is mostly sedentary involving sitting at a desk, although the position requires the ability to move from one geographic location of the facility to another. The incumbent works with a computer screen and keyboard. Some physical effort such as standing, walking, bending or prolonged sitting may be required. The incumbent may be exposed to walking to outlying areas. The work places no special physical demands on the employee.

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/.

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.

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

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

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

• Resume

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
• Performance Appraisal
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• 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.

Next steps