Program Specialist

This position is located within Care in the Community Service at the Veteran's Affairs Long Beach Healthcare System (VALBHS). The incumbent is responsible for providing a full range of Patient Advocate services to Veterans utilizing Community Care. Incumbent acts as a liaison, communicator, facilitator, and problem solver between Veterans and Community Providers and administrators as pertains to Community Care.

Qualifications:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/02/2026.

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-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.

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. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience GS-09: 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: Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: providing program/administrative support; reviewing material for grammar, neatness, technical accuracy, adherence to established format.

Education:

Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have one full year of graduate level education; superior academic achievement.

OR, Combination:

Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education as listed above. Specialized Experience GS-11: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: providing program/administrative support; reviewing material for grammar, neatness, technical accuracy, adherence to established format.

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 degree, or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree.

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 the first full year of graduate education. 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/ .