Clarification from the agency

This position is open to current, permanent employees of the VA New York Harbor (first consideration) and Veterans Health Administration (second consideration). NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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Major duties include but are not limited to:

• Schedules, cancels, and re-schedules patients' appointments and/or consults.
• Enters no-show information.
• Monitors the electronic wait list.
• Prepares for clinic visits.
• Monitors both inpatient and outpatient appointments for areas of responsibility.
• Ensures that encounter forms are completed in order to obtain appropriate workload credit.
• Verifies all patients eligibility with Health Administration Service.
• File patient charts appropriately with correct documentation.
• Schedule examinations for inpatients/sends out recall cards according to the appropriate schedule.
• Screen all emergencies and unscheduled patients to see if proper paperwork is in order.
• Notifies dental assistants and dental hygienists when patients have arrived.
• Prepares daily schedules for the clinic.
• Assures that telephone messages are delivered appropriately.

Work Schedule: 8:00am-4:30pm, Monday-Friday
Telework: Not available.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 23661A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

Conditions of employment

• 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 dentification 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).
• 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.

Qualifications

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.
• Experience and Education:
  • Experience: Six months experience of clerical, office, customer service, or other administrative work that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position; OR,
  • Education: One year above high school; OR,
  • Experience/Education Combination: Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for the entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable.
• English Language Proficiency: MSAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.j.

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).


Creditable Experience:

• Knowledge of MSA Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with current MSA responsibilities or an equivalent administrative patient support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting. Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid/non-paid employment as an MSA or an equivalent position in a non-VA hospital or clinic setting.
• Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to MSA experience or equivalent administrative clinical support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting at the next lower grade level. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty), and a range of varieties as described in this standard, at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements, the following education and experience criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

Medical Support Assistant, GS-3:

• Experience or Education: None beyond the basic requirements.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:
  • Ability to meet, communicate, and interact with individuals in a courteous and helpful manner in order to give instructions and arrange appointments;
  • Ability to utilize computer systems to enter administrative data in patient systems; and
  • Ability to learn and utilize basic medical terminology to record patient messages and physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care.

Medical Support Assistant, GS-4:

• Experience: One year of experience in clerical, office, customer service, or other administrative work that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position; OR,
• Education: Two years of education above high school. AND,
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:
  • Ability to meet, communicate, and interact with individuals from varying backgrounds and other health care team members in a courteous and helpful manner in order to facilitate medical care for patients;
  • Ability to use, and navigate between various types of office automation equipment and software (i.e. computer systems, web based scheduling programs; insurance collection system; scanning software, multiple line phone systems; electronic faxing programs) to support patient care;
  • Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients;
  • Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics.

Medical Support Assistant, GS-5:

• Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-4 grade level; OR,
• Education: Four years of education above high school. AND,
• Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities (KSAs): Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:
  • Ability to operate computerized programs and systems in order to enter, modify, and retrieve sensitive medical and patient identifying information (PII) into or from electronic health records, scheduling systems, and/or reports;
  • Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients;
  • Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.
  • Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work
  • Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers;
  • Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-5. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-3 - GS-5

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

AREA OF CONSIDERATION: Eligible applicants will be reviewed and referred in the following order:

1. VA New York Harbor HCS
2. Veterans Health Administration

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.

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.

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

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.