Summary The Credentialing Specialist is assigned to the Credentialing and Privileging Office, which is under the Chief of Staff at a VA Medical Center (VAMC) and is responsible for providing administrative and technical direction and support to the credentialing operations. The Credentialing Specialist is aligned to and supervised by the Credentialing and Privileging (C) Manager. Responsibilities The Credentialing Specialist has continuing responsibility for specialized duties to accomplish the mission and function of the credentials program at the VAMC. Serves as subject matter expert (SME) in the field of credentialing. Uses significant judgement to inform leadership and appropriate administrative staff of program changes, new regulatory requirements, policies and procedures or issues and concerns pertaining to the credentialing program. Assists C Manager or Analyst in drafting local credentialing procedures for LIP and Non-LIPs. Receives and reviews correspondence and communications for the credentials function and determines which items require immediate attention and which are confidential in nature. Receives and reviews VetPro reports detecting problem areas requiring further investigation. Upon identification of a problem, researches reference materials, regulations, and standards to identify appropriate action necessary to correct the problem. Issues of a serious nature are elevated to C Manager/Analyst for guidance. Manages provider applications (initial) for Non-LIPs credentialing within the VAMC; Credentialing Specialist must have knowledge of medical specialties, upon receipt of individual credentials' files for review, credentialing Specialist ensures primary source verification to include, but not limited to, state licenses, certifications, and required certifications. Primary source verification includes, but may not be limited to, the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB), state licensing agencies, specialty certification boards, universities, DoD and healthcare facilities and assist with verification of LIP applications. Duties include, but may not be limited to the following: Complying with all Federal, VA, VHA, VISN and local regulations, using mandated socio-economic entities and complying with the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act and using mandatory sources. Ensuring the acquisition of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-designated products (green). Verifying funds availability prior to making purchases and complying with single purchase and monthly cardholder limits placed on card. Inputting order into IFCAP, within one (1) workday of purchase, to include correct control point, cost center, and budget object class (BOC) for that transaction. Undelivered or partial and unmatched payments pending beyond thirty (30) days must be reviewed and necessary action taken. Reconciling payments within thirty (30) days of receipt of notice to reconcile in IFCAP, including when leave is scheduled. Approves payments in the bank system by the 15th calendar day of the month following close of the billing cycle (23rd each month). Purchasing from mandatory government supply sources to see if they meet organizational needs and best pricing prior to using open market sources. Researching price differences between charge amounts and purchase order amounts. Maintaining appropriate receipt records and supporting documentation, to include pre-approval and proof of receipt independent of cardholder and approving official(s) for all goods and services. Safeguarding the card, not allowing others to utilize the card, and only utilizing the card for official Government business only. As part of the exit clearance process, the government purchase card shall be surrendered to the Program Coordinator or disposed of as instructed by Program Coordinator. Ensuring privacy laws are not violated with transmittal of sensitive information. Completing refresher training in TMS every two years. Register and remain active in the Charge Card Portal (CCP) Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Assistant/PD99868A Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/23/2021. 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-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. For a GS-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-6. 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. In order to qualify for this position at the GS-6 level, you must possess the following: Specialized Experience: One (1) full year of specialized experience that equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties the Program Support Assistant at the full performance level (GS-6), and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-5) in the Federal service. Specialized experience includes: experience where you were responsible for providing administrative support; collecting, compiling and tracking data and information; processing documents and reports; establishing, updating and maintaining office files and records; performing automation duties using such software applications such as word processing, spreadsheet, electronic mail, desktop publishing, calendar, database and/or graphics; answering telephones, referring visitors, 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. In order to qualify for this position at the GS-7 level, you must possess the following: Specialized Experience: One (1) full year of specialized experience that equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties the Program Support Assistant at the full performance level (GS-7), and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-6) in the Federal service. Specialized experience includes: Verifying of information in health care provider files; Maintaining confidentiality of information in accordance with the Privacy Act; Provides quality control checks on data; managing multiple projects and priorities and meets deadlines; using software applications such as word processing and data bases and internet database applications for data entry, file maintenance and data retrieval; and researching reference materials, regulations, and standards to identify appropriate action necessary to correct problems or issues. 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 as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Attention to DetailClericalTechnical Competence Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (eg, Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (eg, 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 is mostly sedentary. Occasionally, light physical effort may be required, such as that involved with walking, stair climbing, and carrying of light office items. The work is performed in an office setting which require normal safety precautions typical for offices and meeting rooms. The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. 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 There is no educational substitution at this grade level. Additional Information 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. Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/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 ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at -data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. 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. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. 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. For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document. If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.