About This Position
The Buffalo VA Medical Center is looking for a Program Specialist for the Health Administration Services Department. The incumbent supports the Chief of HAS who oversees all activities of the Health Administration Service which is compromised of Medical Support Assistants who support all inpatient and outpatient clinical operations of the healthcare system. Incumbent will need a knowledge base of HAS.
Qualifications
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/03/2026. 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-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7.
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 as described below: Specialized Experience: Experience: Must have one year equivalent to at least next lower grade level OR Education: Two full years of graduate education or a master's degree meets the requirements for GS-09. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent one year of full-time study OR Combination of Experience & Education. Specialized experience is experience where you were responsible for providing administrative/clerical support; collecting, compiling and tracking data and information, timekeeping, processing documents and reports; establishing, updating and maintaining office files and records; performing automation duties using software applications such as word processing, spreadsheet, electronic mail, desktop publishing, calendar, database and/or graphics; answering telephones, scheduling meetings, and providing information.
NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week.
You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Accountability Analytical Thinking Creative Thinking Criminal Law Knowledge Management Planning and Evaluating 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: The work includes some walking, standing, bending, lifting and caring of relatively light items such as books, papers, and folders. The incumbent must be in good physical condition to work under pressure and able to tolerate the stresses of various aspects of this position.
Major Duties
Program Management/Administration The incumbent will assist the Chief who is responsible for evaluating, planning, direction, and management of all inpatient care functions including admission, pre/registration, eligibility, enrollment, and outpatient clinics scheduling and management. The incumbent will be responsible for maintaining databases, spreadsheets and other tracking mechanisms which will aid in the operations of the service. He/she provides support with all oversight monitoring activities to ensure that the eligibility of Veterans for VA care is verified by staff members during every patient interaction, and that all pertinent demographics are updated.
The incumbent will be responsible for meeting and agendas. Unit Operations/Coordination The incumbent will disseminate supervisory communication(s) of guidance and advise to first level supervisors as directed/delegated by the Chief. He/she will coordinate the implementation and effectiveness of the MSA Training Program for the VAWNYHS.
The incumbent will communicate the decisions of supervision and leadership to section supervisors within HAS and work with the section supervisors to ensure that day-to-day operations are completed in the absence of the HAS Chief. He/she coordinates administrative and managerial support and coordinates his/her activities with other administrative and medical departments in the VAWNY Healthcare System. The incumbent will assist the Chief with initiating, shaping and setting policy, procedures, standards and goals in his/her organization; develops and applies an internal program of management review, appraisal and improvement; establishes priorities in light of budget and manpower constraints; and provides for formal and on-the-job training and instruction for his/her staff.
The incumbent formulates, implements, coordinates and controls comprehensive facility improvement programs. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30-4:00pm -negotiable after fully trained Compressed/Flexible: Not eligible Telework: Not eligible Virtual: This is not a virtual position Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD494750 Functional Statement #: PD494750 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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. Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
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. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
Education
Education: Two full years of graduate education or a master's degree meets the requirements for GS-09. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent one year of full-time study.
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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.
How You Will Be Evaluated
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received.
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. 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. Participation in the seasonal influenza program is 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. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies.
To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/.
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.
How to Apply
All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 04/03/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12923933.
- To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account.
Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2.
Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
Required Documents
Documents Accepted: Cover Letter DD-214/ Statement of Service Disability Letter (Schedule A) Disability Letter (VA) License Other (1) PCS Orders Professional Certification Resume Separation Notice (RIF) SF-15 SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Transcript Documents Required: Resume Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application. Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees).
You will not be contacted for additional information.
Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted. Applications are accepted online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application.