This position, located at the Oklahoma VA Health Care System, covers a variety of difficult and/or complex patient concerns, issues, and contacts for the Facility with the goal of providing a resolution. Patient Advocates are primarily responsible for complaint resolution with service recovery, receiving compliments, and communicating with patients about their experiences of care.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/20/2025. 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 level. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 level. 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education 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...thorough knowledge of Federal Laws, VA eligibility regulations and directives governing medical benefits for Veterans and changes which affect these benefits; comprehensive knowledge of the principles and practices, federal laws, regulations, policies and procedures governing eligibility, benefits, care, access, services, clinical appeals, and privacy and skill in applying this extensive knowledge to the most difficult and complex problems; knowledge of medical terminology and VA nomenclature used with a variety of administrative, diagnostic, and treatment procedures provided to all categories of patients; knowledge of various Public Laws as well as the Privacy Act, Freedom of Information Act, Advance Directives Act; skilled in communicating effectively, orally, and in writing with a wide range of internal and external customers of the VA Medical Facility; skilled in conducting interviews in the routine daily encounters with patients, family members, staff members, and external organization that intercede on behalf of patients; and the ability to effectively review and interpret information contained in medical and administrative records...OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 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...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 graduate degree level. 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...knowledgeable of hospital systems to effectively address services which are responsible for patient concerns; thorough knowledge of Federal Laws, VA eligibility regulations and directives governing medical benefits for Veterans and changes which affect these benefits, facility policies, procedures, and organizational structure, services available and capabilities of clinics; comprehensive knowledge of the principles and practices, federal laws, regulations, policies and procedures governing eligibility, benefits, care, access, services, clinical appeals, and privacy and skill in applying this extensive knowledge to the most difficult and complex problems; knowledge of medical terminology and VA nomenclature used with a variety of administrative, diagnostic, and treatment procedures provided to all categories of patients; thorough knowledge of various Public Laws as well as the Privacy Act, Freedom of Information Act, and Advance Directives Act and others are required; comprehensive knowledge of major issues, program goals and objectives, work processes, and administrative operations of the medical facility to evaluate and recommend solutions to measure, evaluate, and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of key medical center operations that have or may have a significant impact of the patient experience; comprehensive knowledge of programs, services and support resources available to patients and their caregivers; high degree of skill in oral and written communication as well as interpersonal relations; possess skills in motivational interviewing; knowledge of the process of inquiry; and knowledge of active listening principles and record keeping techniques; analytical and evaluative skills and techniques to plan and conduct comprehensive studies and evaluations that result in the development and recommendation of new or modified workflows, processes, policies, procedures, and guidelines in key areas impacting overall patient experience is required; and the ability to effectively review and interpret information contained in medical and administrative records...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...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 graduate degree level. Preferred Experience: Hands-on Service Level Advocate experience within PATS-R with demonstrated service recovery, as well as knowledge of Department of Veterans Affairs missions, goals, objectives, regulations, directives, procedures, and policies 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 of this position includes but are not limited to.... Manages the facility VCCR process, including complaint resolution, data capture and analysis of issues/complaints to make system improvements Assists SLAs and front-line staff in resolving issues that occur at the point of service, while also addressing more complex complaints that were not able to be resolved at the point of service Explores all avenues, crossing all lines of authority and responsibility within the medical facility, in order to properly identify the nature and scope of the problem and to initiate appropriate action to expediate a resolution May be asked to independently resolve the most difficult and complex complaints, expedite services, and implement necessary corrective measures within established facility polices Serves as the liaison between the Facility, patients, staff, and community, ensuring Patient Rights and Responsibilities, advocacy, and services are available; assists patients in understanding their rights, in addition to their responsibilities Works directly with health care teams, Service Chief, and management to facilitate resolution to problems, concerns, and unmet needs, recognizing that complaints are a gap between service expectations and the actual experience of the patient Interprets the Facility's mission, policies, procedures, and available resources/services to the patient and presents the patient's concerns. opinions, and needs to appropriate staff and management Serves on committees whereby patient complaints are identified, resolved, classified, and the data is utilized to improve overall services to patients Maintains a strong and consistent focus on complaint resolution which must always be accompanied by attempts at Service Recovery Works closely in identifying, training, and consulting with SLAs, and front-line staff, in resolving issues on first contact within their service area and use of PATS Responds to patient inquiries through multiple VA approved forms of contact (e.g., Inquiry Routing and Information System (IRIS), MyHealtheVet, Secure Messaging, email, walk-in, town halls, etc.), where patients pose questions, complaints, compliments, and suggestions Safeguards privacy data/sensitive policy-making data against unauthorized disclosure; notifies the supervisor and privacy officer upon disclosure or suspected disclosure of sensitive data by others 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, 7:30am-4:00pm or 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Patient Representative/PD99864A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized