Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. Open to current permanent VA New Jersey employees; Department of Veterans Affairs employees, current permanent Federal employees of other agencies and all US Citizens.

Videos

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Coordinates with team members to review clinic utilization and ensures that the clinic setup is closely monitored to effectively support the needs of the clinic, making necessary adjustments as needed.
• Develops and maintains effective and efficient communication with the patients, interdisciplinary team, VA medical centers,
  and other agencies.
• Communicate with staff inside and outside the facility to include Non-VA Medical facilities.
• Process secure messaging requests from the patient to the team.
• Develop and manage a tracking system for follow up care such as consults, tests, etc.
• Participate in team huddles and team meetings to manage and plan patient care. This will include providing input in problem solving on operational issues or procedures.
• Adjust the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs.
• Monitoring pre-appointment requirements to assure readiness for patient visit/procedure (e.g., X-ray, lab work).
• Managing electronic wait list to verify and validate accuracy and resolve issues.
• Share information by collaborating with the medical team to assure continuity of care; evaluating patient information
  and clinic schedule lists to determine whether patient is vested; educating providers about share patients (those who
  receive their care at multiple VAs or those who have care in the community) and bringing to the attention of the
  provider.

VA Careers - Lead Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/UJO_XH5uCLs


Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30AM-4:00PM
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience.
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 21W72-A

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 entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable.

Grade Determinations (Advanced Medical Support Assistant GS 6)

• Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level. AND
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:
  • Ability to collaborate and communicate with a wide range of medical clinicians across multiple disciplines (e.g. medical doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, clinical pharmacists, and nursing staff) to accomplish team goal setting to ensure medical care to patients is met.
  • Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.
  • Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively, electronically, by phone, in person], and in writing, with internal and external customers]. This may include preparing reports in various formats and presenting data to various organizational levels, as well as resolving patient concerns.
  • Advanced knowledge of the technical health care process [(including, but not limited to, scheduling across interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community models and patient health care portals)] as it relates to access to care.
  • Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures associated with interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community operational activities that affect patient flow, and patient support care [administrative functions] to include, but not limited to appointment cycles, outside patient referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, provider availability, etc
  • Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.

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).

Preferred Experience:

• Medical Record Management (Scanning/Indexing): Receiving, reviewing, and indexing health documentation from non-VA providers and other VA locations into the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) and VistA Imaging software.
• Documentation & Accuracy: Ensuring all necessary medical and administrative information is correctly uploaded into the patient's record, including creating progress notes and attaching documents to the correct patient.
• Logistics & Tracking: Managing the tracking, retrieval, and transfer of medical records, including sending and receiving records to other facilities and conducting follow-ups when information is not received promptly.
• Eligibility Determination: Assisting in determining patient eligibility for transfers, including navigating complex rules regarding TRICARE, sharing agreements, or research patients.
• Communication Liaison: Serving as a primary point of contact between clinical staff & outside facilities to coordinate care, answer questions, and resolve issues.
• Information Security & Compliance: Protecting sensitive patient data in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, HIPAA, and VHA
• Systems Knowledge: Proficiency in VA computer systems, specifically Vista and CPRS.
• Interpersonal Skills: Ability to work with a diverse team of clinicians and communicate tactfully with veterans and their families.

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

Physical Requirements: See VA 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.

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.