The Purchasing Agent is a member of the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service (PSAS) at the Columbia VA Health Care System. The purpose of this position is to perform direct medical supply purchasing and inventory management support to the administrative and clinical services of the VA to initiate the obligation for all related requirements necessary to provide prosthetic and sensory aids services, to include durable medical equipment and supplies directly to Veterans.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/26/2025. 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-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. 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 as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to: utilizing electronic contracting databases or systems, submitting plans and procurement packages to contracting offices; interpreting and analyzing prescriptions and requests for medical equipment and services; maintaining regular contact and resolving issues with vendors, contractors, medical center professionals and staff; purchasing equipment, supplies and services using an agency/organization purchase card; and reconciling charges and preparing and submitting reports. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Contract Administration Creative Thinking Customer Service Decision Making Interpersonal Skills Organizational Stewardship Plan and organize work 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: Work is primarily sedentary when conducting purchasing functions for PSAS. However, while conducting inventory management functions, the incumbent may work comfortably in a warehouse environment, sitting, standing, walking, bending, lifting, carrying, retrieving and managing inventory. Prolonged periods of working at a computer terminal is required. Ability to retrieve equipment from a storage room is required. Climbing associated with stocking of equipment and other items in storage areas is necessary. Incumbent may carry/lift items weighing up to twenty-five (25) pounds. Normal safety precautions are adequate. The work involves moderate discomfort when visiting sites away from the office. At times, the employee may be required to wear protective clothing when visiting the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Fabrication Laboratory. Often, walking between the main medical center and other parts of Prosthetics to conduct professional duties. 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 include, but are not limited to: Reviews prosthetic requests for completeness and for proper documentation and justification of the items, services and durable medical equipment being requested Compares the diagnosis to the equipment or services normally provided for the condition Examines clinical health records and claims folders to determine legal eligibility and medical entitlement for prosthetic items and services Advises veterans on the outcome of eligibility and entitlement determinations. Authorizes and prepares complex purchase orders for a wide variety of prosthetic and sensory aids devices, medical supplies and durable medical equipment Coordinates the delivery of home medical equipment, including oxygen therapy, through contracted providers Ensures that funding allocations for the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service Line reflect correct expenditures and balances utilizing Fiscal policies and procedures Reconciles all invoices for certification of payment by reviewing veterans records against invoices presented to ensure that accurate cost is being charged for the service or item Computes correct total costs and resolves any discrepancies with vendors Maintains accurate record of transactions Makes purchases through automated process or through utilization of a purchase card Completes all adjustments in automated system before final payment to vendor is certified Reconciles daily activity sheets with actual service expenditures Posts all adjustments that affect service fund control points in a timely manner to ensure availability of funds Performs in strict conformance with proper accounting procedures Operates the Prosthetics software package to maintain detailed and accurate accounting of all actions taken for veterans and documents their records to show all items and services provided Responsible for data collection used in preparing and submitting numerous reports Conducts quarterly inventory of prosthetic stock in compliance with procedures and regulatory requirements Issues items from stock and initiates purchase orders to replenish stock items when needed Separates returned items based on whether they are clean or soiled, and initiates paperwork to condemn items that cannot be used Reviews incoming shipments for correct quantities and initiates paperwork to correct deficiencies Maintains continuous liaison with vendors, medical center professionals and staff ensure timely acquisition and provision of items and services to veterans Researches information on prosthetic appliances, services and medical equipment from local and national sources Determines differences between similar products and researches compatibility of products from different manufactures Advises physicians and other professional staff on the availability, selection and acquisition of prosthetic devices or services Interviews veterans reporting to the service and receives phone calls from beneficiaries Advises patients, family members or other representatives on decisions, appeal rights, and equipment safety and maintenance Performs other related duties as assigned Work Schedule: Full-Time, Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm. Work schedule subject to change based on agency needs. Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Purchasing Agent (Prosthetics)/PD11378A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized