Government Information Specialist

VA Hudson Valley is looking to fill the position of a Government Information Specialist at it's Montrose or Castle Point and must travel to both campuses as needed. The position provides comprehensive support in the execution, oversight, and continuous advancement of Privacy Act, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability ACT (HIPAA), Privacy, and Records Management operations across VA Hudson Valley Health Care System (VAHVHCS). The position functions as a critical extension of the Privacy/FOIA Program, contributing to the planning, coordination, and administration of all program components. The work supports the implementation of statutory and regulatory requirements, including the Privacy Act, FOIA, HIPAA, and Title 38 confidentiality statues, ensuring the organization's compliance with federal law, VA policy, and VHA directives. This includes active participation in the development of policies, safeguards, and internal processes that maintain consistency, mitigate privacy risks, and strengthen information governance practices across all service lines. The duties of the position may include but, are not limited to: The role involves supporting facility-level determinations on disclosures, redactions, denials, release authorizations, and records management requirements, ensuring that decisions are well-informed, defensible, and aligned with federal guidance and agency precedent. Central to the position is the Responsible for collaborating and engaging frequently with internal stakeholders and external partners. This includes working with Veteran Service Organizations, Congressional offices, community leaders, attorneys, affiliate academic institutions, commercial organizations, and members of the public. Assists in advancing strategic initiatives that strengthen the Health Care System's control of sensitive information. This includes contributing to the development, revision, and maintenance of local privacy practices; reviewing and recommending improvements to business workflows including but not limited to data disclosure workflow, consent and authorization, privacy investigation and breach response and FOIA and record management workflow; and promoting the adoption of sound data governance practices across clinical, administrative, and operational settings. Maintaining program sustainability. Supports internal and external communication strategies designed to enhance awareness, reinforce compliance expectations, and promote a strong culture of privacy within the organization. Provides technical and analytical assistance in areas involving data governance, partnering with senior leadership, law enforcement, the Office of Chief Counsel, VISN leadership, and VHA program offices to resolve complex issues. Contributes to the analysis of intricate policy questions involving the collection, use, disclosure, and protection of information throughout the facility. Advanced legal and regulatory research, including review of federal and state laws, case law, and decisions by oversight bodies. Provides support for privacy investigation responsibilities, assisting in the planning, coordination, and execution of investigative activities tied to the organization's data governance goals. Collaborates with the Office of Chief Counsel, Human Resources, executive leadership, and labor partners is essential for reviewing complex cases involving the mishandling, unauthorized disclosure, or impermissible access of sensitive information. Supports evidence collection, case analysis, briefings, and the development of recommended actions for leadership when violations occur. Supports incident response functions, including documentation and remediation activities for impermissible access, unauthorized disclosures, and breaches involving PHI or PII. Designing and delivering training, providing targeted guidance to service areas that exhibit compliance deficiencies, and supporting staff education regarding legal and regulatory requirements governing information handling, access, and disclosure. Performs assessments of privacy related risks associated with business activities that involve the processing of personal and sensitive data. Independently investigates privacy related noncompliance matters occurring within the organization and involving external partners when VHA information may be affected. Contributes to the development and execution of strategic management initiatives that strengthen the facility's control of information and ensure consistency across service lines. Identifies policy gaps, assessing staff knowledge, and supporting program improvements as privacy and FOIA requirements evolve. Assists in training employees on general data protection principles and service specific privacy practices essential to their daily responsibilities. Work Schedule: Full-Time; Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Government Information Specialist/PD143840 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/26/2026. 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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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 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-07 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 in reviewing and processing incoming Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy requests, identifying sensitive records, and responding to requests for which disclosure policy is established. Experience in screening materials prior to release to ensure compliance with FOIA, Privacy Act, and Personally Identifiable Information (PII) exemptions, and completing certifications for "no records" findings. Experience in researching FOIA developments, court decisions, legislative activity, and compiling data in support of FOIA reporting. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Analytical Reasoning Attention to Detail Communication Compliance Inspection Data Management Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Reading Comprehension Risk Management Stress Tolerance 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: Sitting, walking, bending and carrying light items such as books, papers and files. 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/. You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 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 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 probationary period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. There is no educational substitution at this grade level.