Government Information Specialist - Fresno, CA - Overview Summary OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate care to Veterans? As a VA professional, your opportunities are endless. With many openings in the multiple functions of VA, you will have a wide range of opportunities and leadership positions at your fingertips. Not only is it the largest, most technologically advanced integrated health care system in the Nation, but we also provide many other services to Veterans through the Benefits Administration and National Cemeteries. VA professionals feel good about their careers and their ability to balance work and home life. VA offers generous paid time off and a variety of predictable and flexible scheduling opportunities. For more information on the Department of Veterans Affairs, go to http://www.vacareers.va.gov/ 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. NOTE: First area of consideration will be given to qualified current VACCHCS employees. Duties This position serves as the Privacy and Freedom of Information Act Officer for the Central California Health Care System. The Privacy/FOIA Officer contributes to the fulfillment of the VA's mission and vision by planning, designing, implementing and maintaining appropriate and effective program, polices and procedures in the VHA facility. The Government Information Specialist fulfills the role of liaison with the facility staff by enduring that information received is disseminated to the appropriate areas, that employees adhere to mandates from regulatory agencies, and that monitoring is conducted to ensure VA policies and procedures are being followed. Additionally, the Privacy/FOIA Officer promotes an awareness of privacy principles consistent with the mission, vision and values of the organization and those required by federal law. Duties of the position include but not limited to: Implements, manages, and evaluate the Privacy and Freedom of Information Acts programs in the facility by distributing information, preparing facility-specific guidance, reviewing facility processes and products for compliance with program requirements. He/she assesses the facility privacy posture through periodic evaluation of the facility's collection, use, storage and maintenance of sensitive personal information. He/she coordinates program implementation and management with higher organizational levels and prepares required and requested reports and information. Advises management and staff on Title 38 United States Code (U.S.C.) Sections 5701. 5702, 5705 and 7332, PA, FOIA and appropriate HIPPA requirements, policies, and procedures. Develops facility Privicay and FOIA polices and procedures in compliance with Department and Administration privacy policies and ensure implementation within the facility. He/She will develop facility-specific Privacy and FOIA and training maters and provide training to facility staff as required. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Position Description Title/PD#: Government Information Specialist/021590 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Required Virtual: This is not a virtual position. - $61,218 $79,586 Job Details Application Open Date 3/20/2018 Application Close Date 4/6/2018 Organization Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration Who May Apply None Status None - 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. 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 (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at - . 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 - 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 - document. If you are unable to apply online view the following link for information regarding an - . - Qualifications - To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/06/2018. 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-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. 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: 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 includes: knowledge of Privacy Act(PA) and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) legislation; knowledge of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA), and HIPPA Privacy Rules; regulatory, licensing, and accrediting agency requirements, experience in research protocols and procedures, regulations and court decisions. This work may have been performed in administrative, professional, technical, investigative, or other responsible work.: OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have three (3) years of progressively higher education lead to such a degree or LL.M. 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 graduate level, LL.B., JD., Ph. D or equivalent doctoral degree. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: - Oral Communication - Planning and Evaluating - Technical Credibility - Written Communication 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 and Work Environment: Work is primarily performed in normal office setting however theres is periodic walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light items such as instructional materials, books and manuals. - Benefits - How To Apply - The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 04/06/2018 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10148162. - To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. - Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. To verify your application is complete, log into your USA JOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Application page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USA JOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USA JOBS account or your application will be incomplete.