About

Overview

Who May Apply/Clarification From the Agency:

U.S. citizens or U.S. Nationals who are:
Status Eligibles, VEOA eligibles, CTAP/ICTAP eligibles, eligible for special hiring authorities (e.g., the Schedule A appointment for persons with disabilities, or covered by an Interchange Agreement).

Security Clearance Required:

Public Trust - Background Investigation

Appointment Type

Permanent

Appointment Type Details:

Full-time

Marketing Statement:

The Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) mission is to serve veterans and the public by conducting effective oversight of the programs and operations of the Department of Veterans Affairs through independent audits, inspections, and investigations.

Summary:

It is anticipated that there will be significant interest in the announcement. As a result, the announcement will close at 11:59 p.m. ET on the date of receipt of the 200th application or at 11:59 p.m.  ET on 10/12/2017; whichever occurs first. Any required documents should be submitted at the time that you apply as documents will not be accepted after the vacancy closes.

OIG is organized into three line elements: the Offices of Investigations, Audits and Evaluations, and Healthcare Inspections; along with the Office of Contract Review and the Office of Management and Administration. In addition to the Washington, DC, headquarters, OIG has offices located in more than 30 cities throughout the country.

The Health Systems Specialist, located in the Office of Healthcare Inspections, Office of Inspector General (OIG), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is responsible for independently ensuring that reviews, inspections, and program evaluations are properly carried out and that resultant findings and recommendations are developed into a well written report format.

 

Supervisory Position:

No

Relocation Expenses Reimbursed:

No

Travel Required:

50% or less

Travel nationwide under tight deadlines. The incumbent should anticipate frequent walking and standing as a component of this travel.

Duties

As a Health Systems Specialist, you will:

• Assist the team leader in a broad range of quality improvement and health care program inspections and evaluations.
• Plan, coordinate, and/or conduct extensive pre-inspection research, monitor team members progress, and provide guidance as needed.
• Draft impactful written reports, executive summaries, and briefings.
• Plan and schedule project briefings, to include pertinent legislative and regulatory information.
• Provide accurate information through professionally delivered briefings to OIG leaders, Congressional stakeholders, and VHA managers and staff.

Qualifications and Evaluations

Requirements:

The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your résumé.

Key Requirements:

Please refer to "Conditions of Employment."

Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying.

Education Requirements:

Evaluations:

Your application includes your résumé, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your résumé includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your résumé may result in a “not qualified” determination.

Rating: Your application will be evaluated in the following areas: Technical, Project Management, Business Acumen and Communication. Your application will be rated and ranked among others, based on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, training, performance appraisals and awards relevant to the duties of this position.  Your rating may be lowered if your responses to the online questions are not supported by the education and/or experience described in your application.

Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration.  You may be required to participate in a selection interview. 

If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)) you must receive a score of 92 or better to be rated as “well qualified" to receive special selection priority.

Qualifications:

You must meet the following requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

Specialized experience: For the GS-13, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes: 

• Experience providing clinical healthcare services requiring interpretation of various medical regulation and directives; AND
• Experience conducting healthcare audits, inspections, or program evaluations.

OR Special Provision for In-service Placement:

Successful completion of an agency-sponsored on-the-job training program may be substituted for qualifying experience, provided it included a formal individualized training plan. Such a training program must have been conducted in an operating health care system and included:
• Assignments providing a knowledge of basic health system administration philosophies, practices, and procedures, and basic Government administrative policies and requirements;
• Practical assignments providing an opportunity to apply a broad range of quality assurance and health care program inspections and evaluation skills. (as the individual progresses, work assignments must be characteristic of the grade level to which he or she is assigned); and
• Oversight by an experienced health system administrator with periodic evaluation of the individual's progress and appropriate adjustment of the training program.

In addition to the above requirements, you must meet the following time-in-grade requirement, if applicable:
For the GS-13, you must have been at the GS-12 level for 52 weeks.

Time After Competitive Appointment: Candidates who are current Federal employees serving on a nontemporary competitive appointment must have served at least three months in that appointment.

Benefits and Other Info

Benefits:

Our comprehensive benefits are very generous.  Our benefits package includes:               

- Challenging work, opportunities for advancement, competitive salaries, bonuses and incentive awards.
- Ten paid holidays, 13 days of sick leave, and 13 to 26 days of vacation time each year.
- Access to insurance programs that may be continued after you retire.
- A wide choice of health insurance plans, coverage for pre-existing conditions, and no waiting periods. We pay a substantial amount (up to 75%) of the health insurance premiums.
- A retirement program which includes employer-matching contributions.
- Learn more about Federal benefits programs at: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Pay_and_Benefits

Other Information:

- We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies. 
- This is a non-bargaining unit position.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
- A one year probationary period may be required.
- Must successfully complete a background investigation.
- If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
- Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
- Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9.  Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
- Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
- Obtain and use a Government-issued purchase card for business-related travel.

How to Apply

How to Apply:

VAOIG has partnered with the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service to provide certain personnel services to its organization.  Fiscal Service's responsibilities include advertising vacancies, accepting and handling applications, and extending job offers.

The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday).  If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on the announcement's closing date. 

VAOIG provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis.  Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.
 
To begin, either click the “Create a New Account” button and follow the prompts to register or if you previously registered, click the "Apply Online" button and follow the prompts.
 
You will be re-directed to VAOIG's CareerConnector system to complete your application process; answer the online questions, and submit all required documents. (To submit supporting documents, click one of the available options; Upload; Fax; or Reuse existing documents.  To protect your privacy, we suggest you first remove your SSN). Also, go to “My Account” to view and update your information, as necessary.

To complete, you must click the “Finish” button located at the bottom of the “Application Review” page.

To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application.

To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

If you are experiencing system issues with your application, please contact the CareerConnector Help Desk at careerconnectorhelp@treasury.gov and/or the USAJOBS Help Desk.

Required Documents:

A complete application includes 1. A résumé, 2. Vacancy question responses, and 3. Submission of any required documents.  Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible). 

All applicants are required to submit a résumé either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing.  (Cover letters are optional.)  To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your résumé.  We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your résumé to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view résumé tips.

CURRENT AND FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES -- Documentation Relating to Your Federal Employment:
- Submit a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which shows your current (or most recent) grade and competitive service status.  (The “position occupied” block on the SF-50 should show a “1” and your “tenure” block should show a “1” or “2”.)
- Indicate on your application the highest permanent grade you have held; if this grade is different from your current grade, submit a copy of an additional SF-50 showing this grade.

PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL: Submit a copy of your most recent completed annual performance appraisal which includes the final rating.  If you have not received a performance appraisal, please explain why in your application. 

CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (CTAP) OR INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP) DOCUMENTATION: If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, click CTAP/ICTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents.

If you are applying under a special hiring authority (e.g. Military Spouses, Interchange Agreement, VEOA, Schedule A Disability, etc.), please see applicant guide for required documentation. In order to be eligible under one of these authorities, you must submit all required documentation as outlined in the applicant guide.

Recommended Documents:
In addition, we recommend that you submit copies of the following:

• A list of awards received while employed with the Federal Government, if applicable. DO NOT send copies of the awards.

Next Steps:

 To check the status of your application for this position, please follow these steps:

1. Login to your USAJOBS account, select the "Applications" section and click on the vacancy you would like to view and have already applied for.
2. Under "application status," click "additional application information" and you will be taken to the CareerConnector website where you can check your application status.  The "additional application information" link may not be available if your application status says "Unavailable." This indicates that your application is not complete.