The primary purpose of this position is to provide administrative staff support functions of the Privacy Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) program operations. The position is aligned under the Associate Medical Center Director, Gulf Coast Veterans Healthcare System.

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Job Grade: 9
Total Openings:

Duties:

Duties include but are not limited to: Provide support to the facility’s Privacy/FOIA Officer by assisting in the assessment, development, implementation, coordination and evaluation of the facility’s Privacy training presentations and tracking. Assist with compiling, organizing, and creating the reports which are designed to monitor and document compliance with external audits, reviews, and consultative visits. Identify problems that do not comply with the standards and recommends alternatives for improvement. Develop and implement tools that measure the hospital’s compliance to the privacy incidents/complaints and HIPAA standards Demonstrate expert oral and written communication skills and the ability to teach and communicate concepts, ideas, and information to a variety of audiences to include patients, families, and staff members Provide training to staff members as necessary regarding regulatory standards and guidelines, and policy and procedure changes. Type a variety of materials in final form from written materials, drafts, or verbal instructions; examples include memoranda, reports, tabulated material, charts, form letters and forms. Analyze the Joint Commission Accreditation Survey, and any other related measurement data using the appropriate statistical process control techniques and tools. Direct the collection, organization and analysis of data from all levels in the organization which are identified as actual or potential risk in order to verify the existence of a problem and determine the extent and probable causes so that appropriate action may be planned. Ensure compliance data is reported in the Compliance Advisory Committee and/or Compliance Officer directly, as appropriate Assist in developing policies and procedures for conducting quality assurance reviews related to the Joint Commission Accreditation Survey, Privacy Compliance Assurance (PSA), and Facility Site Assessment (FSA) standards as well as resolving problems adversely affecting compliance issues. Conducts Facility Site Assessment (FSA) – quarterly reports (consolidating Privacy, Records Management, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Facility Complexity, and Privacy Research). Identify opportunities for improvement and presents findings on a monthly basis to appropriate committees Establish and implement reporting processes for the appropriate accounting of all disclosures of privacy protected information made by the facility Create reports to facilitate comprehensive delineated and consolidated tracking and trending of Privacy (i.e., facility assessments, mandatory training; breaches and violations); FOIA Request; ROI; internal/external correspondence (e.g., Memorandums of Understanding, Data Transfer Agreements, where such documents are required for the sharing of VA privacy protected data between the facility and another party, such as another Federal agency) Ensure advance reports, in preparation for internal and external reviews and response reports, are well prepared and address the identified pre-review documentation requests, and/or are specific and complete in response to post-review response questions or action items. 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: Full-time, Monday-Friday, 8-hour shift between 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM, based on organizational needs.
Telework: This position may be authorized for Ad Hoc Telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.
Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist – Privacy and FOIA Program/PD036250 and PD036240
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Qualifications:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/19/2022. 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. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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. GS-9 level:
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-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Assist with developing objectives, determine priorities and demonstrate the ability to meet those objectives. Contribute to the assessment of problems and provide assistance with key personnel to enhance effectiveness, promote innovation and resolve deficiencies. Communicate effectively both verbally and in writing in a variety of settings with personnel at all levels Produce a wide range of documents, incorporate data from different software applications, and update databases or spreadsheets using personal computer and software like word processors, graphics, spreadsheets, and database management systems. 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 (transcripts required). OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and graduate education beyond the first year to qualify (transcripts required). [To compute the percentage, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education beyond one year by 18. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify.] GS-11 level:
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-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Develop objectives, determine priorities and demonstrate the ability to meet those objectives. Conduct analysis and studies pertaining to the Joint Commission requirements and develop guidance and techniques for quality improvement based on new directives. Assess problems and provide consultation and assistance with key personnel to enhance effectiveness, promote innovation and resolve deficiencies. Communicate effectively both verbally and in writing in a variety of settings with personnel at all levels Produce a wide range of documents, incorporate data from different software applications, and update databases or spreadsheets using personal computer and software like word processors, graphics, spreadsheets, and database management systems. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related (transcripts required). 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 second year to qualify (transcripts required). [To compute the percentage, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education beyond one year by 18. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify.] You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
Administration and ManagementOrganizational Performance AnalysisReasoning 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: Work in sedentary. No special physical qualifications required. It requires sitting, walking, bending and carrying light items such as books, papers and files. 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/.

Job Requirements:

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 Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) – See “Additional Information” below for details.