Supervisor Prosthetic Representative

The incumbent serves as a Supervisor Prosthetic Representative, responsible for supervising the full range of all phases of prosthetic operations and Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service (PSAS) staff. The incumbent serves as an expert advisor administering, analyzing, evaluating, planning, developing, and work concerned with prosthetic and sensory aids services to disabled patients throughout the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

Major duties

Duties include but are not limited to: Provides supervision, administrative management, and direction to assigned staff with delegated full administrative and professional responsibility for planning and directing the staff activities for the section or equivalent work unit. Assures compliance with accrediting agency and regulatory requirements. Drafts, develops, and implements new local organizational policies, directives, and procedures that are consistent with national policies, procedures, and programs. Manages document control and provides documents to the supervisor for final approval after the incumbent submits final, review, comments, and recommendations. Oversees the operation of the prosthetic, orthotic, optical laboratories, including restorations activities. Provides professional and administrative management of an assigned area to include budget execution. Supervises staff that serves as an advisor to clinicians regarding selection, prescription, and acquisition of prosthetic devices involving furnishing information on new developments in the field of prosthetics and sources of supply for such devices. Interprets prescriptions of clinicians to make certain that proper prosthetic devices are selected. Possesses program responsibility for contracting, procurement, clinical services, customer service and reception associated with medical, rehabilitative, and durable medical equipment devices and home durable medical equipment delivery and installation. Prepares and authorizes purchase orders for a wide variety of prosthetic and orthotic devices. Keeps the supervisor well informed of procurement or contract issues as they arise for accountability purposes. Serves as a contract officer representative for contracts and chair facility committees and administer benefit programs. Monitors contracts for compliance with the statement of work and receives, analyzes, and completes requests for prosthetic equipment and services. Procures, maintains, controls, and issues materials, supplies, and equipment for inventory. Refers veterans to proper clinical area for evaluation. Monitors and ensures requests for items or services are completed and received following established timeframes and confers with contractors, vendors, and other health care workers as needed regarding procurement status and other needs and concerns. Oversees contract programs, such as orthotics/prosthetics, home oxygen, durable medical equipment, eyeglasses, and benefit programs, such as home and structural alterations, automobile adaptive equipment, clothing allowance. Maintains continuous liaison with manufacturers and dealers of prosthetic supplies, inspecting their facilities and services and participants in the award of prosthetic appliance contracts. Oversees programmatic activities for visual or hearing devices, orthotics/prosthetics, assistive technology, and contract development. Works in collaboration with supervisor and senior staff to plan, develop, and prepare budget estimates. Develops cost-containment measures for prosthetic equipment and services and authorizes benefit payment and reimbursement. Identifies and selects national health care procedural codes to be entered for every item purchased through and/or billed to ensure proper reporting. Conducts data analysis using the program's statistical data to prepare various reports regarding prosthetics and sensory aids. Collaborates with clinical staff when devices and equipment require repair or replacement and takes necessary actions to resolve issues. Reviews, interprets, and applies laws concerning benefits available to disabled patients. Maintains awareness regarding medical and psychological problems related to patients need to use prosthetic devices. Authorizes the purchase, fabrication, fitting, or repair of prosthetic devices. Responds to a variety of policy and correspondence inquires related to contractors, congressional inquiries, veteran concerns, specialty benefits program issues, new local and national guidelines implementation, and develops tools that allow monitoring of a quality assurance program. Assures compliance with accrediting agency and regulatory requirements. Completes human resources assignments independently, including drafting and developing position descriptions, functional statements, performance standards, and competencies. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. EST. Telework: Ad Hoc. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: F03303 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship. Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency. Candidates will not be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. chapters 73 or 74 to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who are not proficient in written and spoken English.

1. Experience. One year of creditable experience that demonstrates: Knowledge of basic anatomy and medical terminology; knowledge of accounting methods; ability to research, analyze, comprehend, and apply decisions; basic knowledge of inventory management procedures; ability to use computer software packages for word processing, spreadsheet development, and database management; and ability to work independently and as a member of a team; or

1. Education. A bachelor's degree from an accredited educational institution AND at least 24 semester hours in course work related to health care, public administration, or business. The 24 semester hours could include but is not limited to any combination from the following fields: occupational therapy, physical therapy, kinesiotherapy, social work, psychology, prosthetics, orthotics, respiratory therapy, assistive technology, business law, leadership, healthcare, public administration, or business management. This course work may have been completed within the degree or in addition to the degree; or

1. Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Grandfathering Provision. All persons employed in VHA as a Prosthetic Representative on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: (1) Employees grandfathered into the GS-0672 occupational series as prosthetic representatives may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journeyman) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. (2) Prosthetic Representatives who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. (3) Employees who are retained as a Prosthetic Representative under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry as a prosthetic representative. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: GS-12 Supervisor Prosthetic Representative (a) Experience. At least one year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. (b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 1. Leadership and managerial skills, including skill in interpersonal relations and conflict resolution to deal with employees, team leaders, and managers. 2. Ability to perform the full range of supervisory duties, including responsibility for assignment of work to be performed; evaluation of performance; selection of staff; and recommendation of awards, advancements, and disciplinary actions. 3. Ability to manage a health care program that provides home medical equipment, rehabilitation services, home oxygen, visual or hearing impairment devices, assistive technology, orthotics, or prosthetics. 4. Skill in coordinating work flow and work assignments. 5. Ability to counsel patients and work effectively with a clinical team to resolve conflict. (c) Assignments. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and range of variety, and must be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. The supervisor is responsible for the supervision, administrative management, and direction of assigned PSAS staff. The supervisor is delegated full administrative and professional responsibility for planning and directing the staff activities for the section or equivalent work unit. Program areas of responsibility include, but are not limited to, procurement; PSAS clinical services, customer service/reception, inventory management associated with medical, rehabilitative, and durable medical equipment devices, home durable medical equipment deliver/set-up/installation. visual or hearing devices, assistive technology, orthotics/prosthetics, PSAS contract development, management and oversight of contract programs, such as home oxygen, durable medical equipment, orthotics/prosthetics, and eyeglasses, and benefit programs, such as home and structural alterations, automobile adaptive equipment, clothing allowance. They serve as contract officer representative for PSAS contracts and chair facility committees and administer benefit programs. The Supervisor provides education and training to Veterans, caregivers, VA clinical teams and PSAS staff. The Supervisor assures compliance with accrediting agency and regulatory requirements; establishes and monitors performance and quality metrics; reviews and modifies work processes to achieve optimal efficiency and effectiveness; ensures customer satisfaction; and takes corrective actions as needed. He/She develops policies and procedures; manages document control; develops performance standards, position descriptions and functional statements; and is responsible for professional and administrative management of an assigned area to include budget execution. Approves and disapproves employee leave requests; monitors time and attendance; and ensures that all requests for hiring, promotions, awards and disciplinary actions are justified and carried out according to appropriate VA Human Resources policies and procedures. The supervisor maintains interdepartmental relations with other services to accomplish medical center goals. Preferred Experience: Supervisory experience. Experience with Clothing Allowance, Auto Adaptive Equipment, Home Improvement & Structural Alterations benefits. Experience with fund control points and budget. Reference: VA Handbook 5005/94, Part II, Appendix G34, dated January 18, 2018. For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Work is sedentary but also demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, and carrying light items. This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. This position requires potentially long periods of continued sitting, with intermittent bending, pulling, and pushing. Movement between work areas within the health care system is expected. Lifting and carrying of objects up to 25 pounds may be required.

Education

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the United States must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials, and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to experience gained in conventional United States programs.

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.