Health Technician-Prosthetic Eyeglass Program Coordinator

Department of Veterans Affairs › Veterans Health Administration (3689 current openings)

Fort Harrison, Montana

Full-time Security Clearance: Not Required

Application Deadline:

2026-08-26

Posted:

2026-08-18

About 1 week left

Apply on usajobs.gov

Salary: $40,736 – $65,599 per year (GS-5/7)

Salary context

Based on 180 annual-salary jobs in the same occupational series. This role pays below most similar positions.

Job Details

Position Overview

The incumbent is a member of the Prosthetics and Sensory Aids Service at the Montana VA Health Care System providing comprehensive treatment of medical, surgical and long-term care patients.

The primary purpose of Prosthetics Eyeglass Program Coordinator is responsibility for quality assurance activities, day-to-day operations, and administrative oversight of the MTVAHCS.

Duties

DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.205) for this occupation.

Major duties and responsibilities include:

Coordinates with Community Care and the eyeglass vendor to ensure that policies on eyeglasses and other ophthalmic devices are adhered to and that all orders submitted are reviewed and processed appropriately in a timely fashion.
Review and enter all received orders for eyeglasses into computer records system.
Tracks eyeglass orders and ensures timely distribution of all eyeglasses received.
Tracks, delegates and/or responds to complaints, audits, and requested information from external inquiries. Coordinates with vendor on any eyeglass order discrepancies; tracks all warranty returns.
The incumbent is a Prosthetics point of contract to internal and external stakeholders for understanding and interpretation of the Prosthetics Eyeglass Program regulations and eligibility requirements for patients.
The incumbent is the principal advisor to management on eyeglass contracting and procurement policies and issues that may arise during routine audits and reviews.
The incumbent reviews all incoming prescriptions from the community care providers and Community Care services for accuracy and eligibility to ensure all fields are populated correctly.
The incumbent will review all prescriptions for eyeglasses to ensure that the patient is receiving lens materials, lens designs, frames, tints and coating that they are eligible for and entitled to receive . Incumbent will let the provider know if a new consult is required to be entered as the original item selected is not an option per the vendor.
The incumbent will make recommendations regarding the best ophthalmic lens and eyewear options for the patient's individual spectacle prescription and lifestyle should a prescription be received that conflicts with the examination notes and what the national vendor offers. These patient specific recommendations will be made with emphasis on patient safety, comfort and optimal visual function. Incumbent will let the provider know if a new consult needs to be entered as the originally selected item is not an option per the vendor.
Consistently communicates and treats customers (patients, their representatives, visitors, and all hospital staff) in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner.
Provides the customer with consistent information according to established policies and procedures.
Assists the eligible patient with questions on how to receive the prosthetic appliances, primarily glasses.

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: Mon- Friday (8:00am - 4:30pm)
Telework: This position may be authorized for ADHOC telework ONLY
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Health Technician-Prosthetic Eyeglass Program Coordinator/PD146750, PD146740, and PD146730
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Qualifications & Requirements

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/26/2026.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS.

English Language Profiency. Health Technician (Optometry) candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): The Health Technician, 0640 has a minimum qualification entry requirement. All applicants must meet this Individual Occupational Requirement regardless of grade level. You may qualify based on one of the following:

Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 and above): Positions in this series range widely in type and include support duties to medical or health personnel such as audiologists, speech pathologists, medical officers, and optometrists. Therefore, technician experience is experience that required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled.

OR,

For GS-5 Education and Training: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position.

GRADE REQUIREMENTS:In addition to the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR), applicants must also meet the following grade requirements as outlined below:

GS-05 Grade Requirement: Please select the statement below that best describes your experience to meet the specific qualification requirement for this grade level.

Specialized Experience for GS-05: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-04) in the Federal Service that has given me the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of this Health Technician position. Specialized experience includes:

Knowledge of the mission, organization, and work processes of programs within a healthcare system;
Knowledge of qualitative and quantitative techniques for analyzing and measuring the effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity of administrative and technical programs;
Knowledge of computer software to be able to pull reports and review statistical data;
Ability to communicate orally and in writing and provides excellent customer service to internal and external stakeholders;
Skill to interpret pertinent laws, regulations, policies and precedents that affect the use of programs and related support resources in a Healthcare facility.

OR,

Education for GS-05: A bachelor's degree or four (4) years of education above the high school level with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business or technical school, junior college, college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. (Transcripts required).

OR,

Combination for GS-05: An equivalent combination of successfully completed level positions, only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. Two full academic years of study, or 60 semester hours, beyond the second year is equivalent to l year of specialized experience. Determine the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the year of specialized experience required at the GS-5 level. Then determine the applicant's education as a percentage of the education that meets the requirements for GS-5. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for GS-5. (Transcripts required).

GS-06 Grade Requirement: Please select the statement below that best describes your experience to meet the specific qualification requirement for this grade level.

Specialized Experience for GS-06: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-05) in the Federal Service that has given me the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of this Health Technician position. Specialized experience includes:
Knowledge of the mission, organization, and work processes of programs within a healthcare system;
Knowledge of qualitative and quantitative techniques for analyzing and measuring the effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity of administrative and technical programs;
Knowledge of computer software to be able to pull reports and review statistical data;
Ability to communicate orally and in writing and provides excellent customer service to internal and external stakeholders;
Skill to interpret pertinent laws, regulations, policies and precedents that affect the use of programs and related support resources in a Healthcare facility.

Or,

Six months of graduate level education related to the position can be substituted for specialized experience. (Transcripts Required at the time of application, no required documents will be accepted outside this application)

GS-07 Grade Requirement: Please select the statement below that best describes your experience to meet the specific qualification requirement for this grade level.

Specialized Experience for GS-07: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-06) in the Federal Service that has given me the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of this Health Technician position. Specialized experience includes:
Knowledge of the mission, organization, and work processes of programs within a healthcare system;
Knowledge of qualitative and quantitative techniques for analyzing and measuring the effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity of administrative and technical programs;
Knowledge of computer software to be able to pull reports and review statistical data;
Ability to communicate orally and in writing and provides excellent customer service to internal and external stakeholders;
Skill to interpret pertinent laws, regulations, policies and precedents that affect the use of programs and related support resources in a Healthcare facility.

Or,

One full year of graduate level education related to the position can be substituted for specialized experience. (Transcripts required)

Preferred Experience:

Prosthetics and Optics Knowledge: 1-2 years experience working within a healthcare setting, particularly in the area of eyeglasses and optical devices, including and understanding of the technical specifications and medical necessity criteria for various eyewear prescriptions.
Quality Assurance in Healthcare: Some experience in coordination with community providers and vendors to ensure compliance with policies, timely distribution of medical devices, and handling of issues.
Customer Service: Experience Healthcare Customer Service: Applicants must have experience providing customer service in a healthcare setting. This experience must include communicating with patients, managing patient expectations, and resolving patient issues related to medical devices or services, ensuring high level of patient satisfaction.

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/.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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/.

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
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.
Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary 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 probationary period period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Evaluations

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position:

Attention to Detail
Customer Service
Decision Making
Flexibility
Integrity/Honesty
Interpersonal Skills
Reading Comprehension
Self-Management
Stress Tolerance
Teamwork

Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. 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. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

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.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

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.

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

Resume

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.

Cover Letter
DD-214/ Statement of Service
Disability Letter (Schedule A)
Disability Letter (VA)
License
PCS Orders
Performance Appraisal
Professional Certification
Resume
Separation Notice (RIF)
SF-15
SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
Transcript

Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets 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.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

NOTE: Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a condition of employment and a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities.

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.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online questionnaire and submission of the required documentation specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. To preview the application questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13040651. The application process is as follows:

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.
Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.
Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date, 08/26/2026.
If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice.
Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials.
Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. NOTE: Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused.

Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us.

To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To view the announcement status or your application status: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.

Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed.

Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement.

Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started.

Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume:

Prioritize most relevant and recent experience
Use concise, results focused language
Align language from the job announcement
Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies
Remove outdated or unrelated experience
Use the USAJOBS resume builder

Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit. Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required assessments and documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued, and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.

If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. If initial application submission is updated and resubmitted with a new resume, only the most current resume will be reviewed for consideration. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

Source: Data sourced from USAJOBS