Government Information Specialist – Temp NTE 1 year

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/31/2024. 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 12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS 11. 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 must qualify based on your experience as described below: GS-12 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS 11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: experience as a Privacy/FOIA officer working independently with little supervision, formulating policy, ensuring compliance with federal and state laws and conducts thorough research of implementing regulations and policies and procedures to manage agency/organization information; providing assistance and services to the general public, staff members and communicated information to the Executive leadership, facility staff and outside stakeholders. Be experienced with in-depth knowledge of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), HIPAA Privacy Rule, Title 38 U.S.C. Sections 5701, 5701, 5705, and 7332, the Privacy Act (PA) and Freedom of lnformation Act (FOIA) Knowledge of the interrelationship between HIP AA and other Federal privacy Jaws, such as the Privacy Act and FOIA. Have exceptional knowledge and skill in oral and written communication to interface with a wide range of people including patients, families, legal counsel, VHA offices, staff etc. Experienced in explaining Privacy/FOIA requirements and procedures to management and staff; defend findings and recommendations to management; and prepare written responses, reports and information for a variety of audiences. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Communications Compliance Reading Technical Competence Preferred Experience: Have an in-depth knowledge of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), HIPAA Privacy Rule, Title 38 U.S.C. Sections 5701, 5701, 5705, and 7332, the Privacy Act (PA) and Freedom of lnformation Act (FOIA) Knowledge of the interrelationship between HIP AA and other Federal privacy Jaws, such as the Privacy Act and FOIA. Experienced with research protocols and procedures, regulations, court decisions, and Federal and agency policies to provide review and recommendations for a major research program. Experienced in oral and written communication to interface with a wide range of people including patients, families, legal counsel, VHA offices, staff etc. Is an expert in explaining Privacy/FOIA requirements and procedures to management and staff; defend findings and recommendations to management; and prepare written responses, reports and information for a variety of audiences. 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: The work is primarily sedentary. There will be episodes of moderate lifting or prolonged periods of standing and bending in searching various files. There is lifting and carrying of such items as record boxes and bulky files. The work involves considerable walking, standing and bending conducting rounds, auditing and providing training to both on-site and off-site personnel. There is also occasional lifting and carrying of such items as boxes and files, weighing up to 30 lbs. 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/.
The facility Privacy/FOIA Officer has oversight for the data governance program and initiatives in the VHA Medical Center or Healthcare System and its supporting catchment area. The position makes unique facility-level determinations about disclosures, issuance of denials, redactions, access, use and dissemination of federal agency records. The position is located at the VA Connecticut Health Care System, West Haven Campus Executive Director Service.