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Summary This Program Specialist position is located within Patient Administration Service of the Edward Hines Jr VA Hospital system and will support deployment of the VA's Electronic Health Records Management (EHRM) System and is responsible for auditing and training activities. Responsibilities Coordination, Delivery and Evaluation of Scheduler Training Develop, modify and administer training programs for the scheduling staff and supervisors throughout the facility and tailors training for local needs and specific areas. Coordinate orientation activities and prepare material to educate new and experienced scheduling employees with the organization's mission, structure, history, objectives and policies of scheduling and high-level customer service. Perform analysis of audit findings related to access to care, scheduling, consult management, insurance capture, recall reminders, return to clinic orders, open encounters, and clinic profile management. Provide management with periodic reports on the status of the training and an analysis of the effectiveness and capacity of the training program in achieving agency objectives and policies. Provide consultation and assistance in implementation of performance improvement activities. Participate in all phases of training, developmental planning, implementation and evaluation and serve as the point of contact for routine development and one-on-one training matters. Incorporate training material and guidance prepared at the national level and develop and modify procedures, courses, training guides and plans, and seek alternative training sources for local needs. Prepare internal office instructions governing local training development programs and work with all facility staff to identify and develop continuing education programs for facility quality improvement. Conduct formal and informal in-service and continuing education programs based on identified needs and provide training to all staff with the ability to schedule, coordinate and utilize appropriate teaching aids. Review, analyze and evaluate. training courses and programs to assess their quality and effectiveness. Participate in facility, VISN and national committees along with the Patient Administration Service in representing the facility on topics such as, but not limited to, scheduling programs, access to care, consult management, clinic practice management, and data support. Assessment, Auditing, and Reporting of Scheduling Practices Provide assessments of scheduling processes through a standardized auditing mechanism. Conduct extensive reviews and analysis of data from diverse sources, assemble information, and develop reports or presentations. Manage, advise and/or perform internal audits of scheduling activities and issue reports of audit findings and recommended corrective actions. Perform reviews and audits, follow-up audits, and special audits generated by facility leadership, which are in accordance with VHA and generally accepted government auditing standards. Plan, prepare, and develop reviews and reporting procedures for all aspects of such review. Use skills, knowledge, and problem-solving techniques to define problems, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Manage the timely and accurate preparation of final audit reports which conform with report writing policies and standards; and establish audit priorities. Write reports that accurately depict entity's compliance with internal and external regulations and policies. Evaluate control systems, develop constructive recommendations for improvements and prepare audit reports. Ensure all required scheduling audits are completed by required deadlines, including appointment and telephone audits. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am to 4:00pm. Telework: Not Suitable Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: EHRM Program Specialist/PD18218O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: Work is mainly sedentary with little need for physical exertion. The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. 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, 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, 11/24/2025. 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-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 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: Applying analytical and evaluative techniques to identify and resolve issues or problems related to scheduling procedures and audits, workload, compliance with agency guidelines, and accurate data capture; performing systematic reviews of information and data, run specialized reports, ensure competency of scheduling processes, provide recommendations for performance improvement, and tailor training to specific needs; search, extract and organize data, produce reports, and prepare a variety of working documents such as spreadsheets, instructions, training guides, and other similar products; designing, developing, modifying and evaluating training presentations, plans, instructions, materials and aids; writing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs); developing and implementing quality and process improvement procedures. . OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed 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 that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond graduate level education (in excess of the first year or 18 semester hours) to meet total experience requirements. Preferred Experience: The highly qualified candidate will have knowledge and experience with VHA scheduling policy. 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 A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your 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 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. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.