Veterans Health Administration
Program Specialist
Apply on USAJOBSThis announcement is sourced from the official USAJOBS API. Federal Job Alerts is not affiliated with OPM, USAJOBS, or any U.S. government agency.
Summary
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/26/2026. 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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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. 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. This is a two grade-level position, you may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-07 SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 level or pay band in the Federal service that includes performing the following duties: Experience with next of kin and burial benefits; Experience communicating resources such as Chaplaincy and Social Work to provide support at end of life; Reviewing death notifications and submitting completed death certificates; Preparing purchase orders and contracts for funeral homes; Recording and transcribing providers' requests for permission from the legal next of kin or other designee by law to conduct an autopsy; Coordinating release of remains with appropriate services/outside agencies in the event of autopsy, or organ/tissue/body donation; Requesting death certificates from the County Registrar's Office; Maintaining proficiency in using local, regional and national databases; Initiating disposition of funds when deceased patient fund account balance is identified; Developing and maintaining monthly and fiscal year variance reports. OR, EDUCATION (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): You have completed one (1) full year of graduate level education OR have a bachelor's degree with superior academic achievement. This education must have equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position at this grade level and is in a field directly related to the position. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR, COMBINATION: EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): You have some specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-5 grade level but less than one year, and I have some graduate level education but less than one year. I have computed the percentage of the requirements that I meet, and the total is at least 100% of the requirement for the GS-7 grade level. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT: (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): To meet the qualification requirements for this position using Superior Academic Achievement (SAA). You have completed all the requirements for a bachelor's degree in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled and I meet one of the following: Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university or major subdivision OR A grade-point average of "B" (a GPA of 2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study OR A grade point average of "B+" (a GPA of 3.45 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of undergraduate study OR Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. For a list of recognized honor societies please visit http://www.achsnatl.org/quick_link.asp. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. GS-09 SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level or pay band in the Federal service that includes performing the following duties: Experience with next of kin and burial benefits; Experience communicating resources such as Chaplaincy and Social Work to provide support at end of life; Reviewing death notifications and submitting completed death certificates; Preparing purchase orders and contracts for funeral homes; Recording and transcribing providers' requests for permission from the legal next of kin or other designee by law to conduct an autopsy; Coordinating release of remains with appropriate services/outside agencies in the event of autopsy, or organ/tissue/body donation; Requesting death certificates from the County Registrar's Office; Maintaining proficiency in using local, regional and national databases; Initiating disposition of funds when deceased patient fund account balance is identified; Developing and maintaining monthly and fiscal year variance reports; Participating in facility initiatives relating to No Veteran Dies Alone (NVDA) and partnering with staff and leadership to identify needs and opportunities throughout the facility; Providing general education, training, and resources about SAMS (Survivors Assistance and Memorial Support) to staff throughout the hospital, community living centers (CLC), and the community who provide support to Veterans at end-of-life and to their family and NOK (next of kin); Collaborating with the VA Center for Development and Civic Engagement to recruit, train, schedule, and oversee volunteers at the facility and CLC. OR, EDUCATION (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): You have successfully completed a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree OR I have two (2) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree OR I have a LL.B. or J.D., if related, that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR, COMBINATION: EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): You have some specialized experience as described in A but less than one year, and I have more than one year but less than two years of graduate education as described in B. I have computed the percentage of these requirements that I meet, and the total is at least 100%. (To compute the percentage, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education beyond two years by 18. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify). NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation 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/.
Major Duties
Advise Veterans and their NOK of burial benefits. Help Veterans and NOK prearrange burial, interment, or cremation, as desired by the Veteran. Advise surviving relatives about burial benefits and other VA benefits. Review eligibility and entitlement of burial and death allowances and advise on the process for applying for those benefits. Refer surviving relatives with specific benefit inquiries to a VBA point of contact, not the toll-free telephone number. Inform Veteran, caregiver, and NOK of available supportive services within the medical facility, such as Chaplaincy and Social Work, to provide support at the end of life and immediately following death. Review daily death notifications and submit completed death certificates to the designated Funeral Director and County Registrar's Office. Ensure Veterans with no relatives (unclaimed remains) are provided with a dignified funeral and burial at VA (contract or purchase order) expense. Collaborate with VA offices to locate NOKs when NOKs are not readily known. View, as required, the deceased Veteran's unclaimed body and/or remains to confirm that VA funds are executed as intended in the burial purchase. Request that any clinical staff involved with care prior to death contact the survivor within 24 hours of the pronouncement of death. Identify, in collaboration with designated facility staff, a responsible funeral home for the unclaimed remains and prepare a purchase order and/or contract for this effect. Complete required VA authorizations to release personal effects and any remaining funds in the patient's account to NOK or designated party. Record and transcribe providers' requests for permission from the legal next of kin or other designee by law to conduct an autopsy. Coordinate with VA physician and NOK/legal designee in obtaining signed consent in the event the family is not present to sign, or the death occurred outside of normal business hours. Coordinate the release of remains with appropriate services/outside agencies in the event of autopsy, or organ/tissue/body donation. Establish and/or follow local procedures for whole body donation. Collaborate with the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT), Pharmacy, and Prosthetics to cancel all appointments, including orders. Coordinate with Pathology Services to complete all forms and paperwork required to release the deceased's remains to the selected funeral home. Prepare and provide military information forms to the funeral home representative. Request death certificates from the County Registrar's Office for all external notifications of a Veteran's death and update records as appropriate within the VA system. Coordinate the dispositions of personal funds and effects with the Office of General Council for Veterans who have been adjudicated as incompetent. This may require the position to appear in person at county courthouses. Participate in facility initiatives relating to No Veteran Dies Alone (NVDA). Partner with staff and leadership to identify needs and opportunities throughout the facility. Provide general education, training, and resources about SAMS to staff throughout the hospital, community living centers (CLC), and the community who provide support to Veterans at end-of-life and to their family and NOK. Collaborate with the VA Center for Development and Civic Engagement to recruit, train, schedule, and oversee volunteers at the facility and CLC. Collaborate with palliative care to promote quality end-of-life care by assisting in developing action plans and process improvements related to quantitative and qualitative reporting from the Bereaved Family Survey. Implement information systems to track service activities, including visits, referrals, demographics, and outcomes. Investigate and analyze adverse quality trends or conditions and initiate corrective action. Consult with staff and managers to identify opportunities for quality improvement. Facilitate quality management plan development and implementation. Perform other related duties as assigned. Promotion Potential: 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 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: This position may be authorized for telework, Ad-Hoc only. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD417770 and PD417760 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Requirements
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: 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 identification 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.
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) 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. Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference. 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. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. 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. 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.
How to Apply
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online questionnaire and submission of the required documentation specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. To preview the application questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13076439. The application process is as follows: 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. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date, 10/26/2026. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. NOTE: Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed. Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started. Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume: Prioritize most relevant and recent experience Use concise, results focused language Align language from the job announcement Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies Remove outdated or unrelated experience Use the USAJOBS resume builder Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit