Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. This is an INTERNAL ANNOUNCEMENT and is limited to current, permanent employees of the Sioux Falls VA Health Care System.

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Major duties include, but are not limited to the following:

• Provides specialized and expert administrative Veteran support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary collaborative care delivery model.
• Works closely with clinical personnel to ensure Veterans receive timely referred and scheduled care in their local community. It involves specialized administrative judgment and the flexible use of a wide range of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across all disciplines and specialties through CC.
• Recommends changes to existing clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelines.
• Coordinates Veteran appointments through community vendors utilizing guidance and direction from the Veteran's care team to ensure appointments are scheduled accurately, efficiently, and within the clinical needs requested by the provider.
• Develop and maintain effective and efficient communication with but not limited to, the Veteran, Veteran representatives, and other agencies. Other assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: processing incoming Veteran messages through secure messaging and care requests through my healthy vet, and coordinating with the care team as appropriate; participating in team huddles and team meetings to manage, plan problem solve, and follow up with Veteran care by sharing information and collaborating with interdisciplinary team; setting priorities and deadlines, adjusting the flow and sequencing of the work to meet the team and Veteran needs; enters appropriate information into the electronic medical record; manages Veteran systems to verify and validate the accuracy and resolve issues; evaluates and triages scheduling to meet recommendations by the clinician in regards to the urgency of the referrals.
• Ensures the integrity of various databases and data used in the management of administrative and customer service within the department.
• Understands and appropriately utilizes the administrative support packages. All appointments will be made with the Veteran's input, either in person, over the phone, or through written communication.
• Responsible for assignments to include but are not limited to; scheduling/rescheduling, canceling Veteran consults, accurately schedules the full spectrum of medical care for outpatient appointments, outpatient procedures, inpatient surgery, home care, lab tests, scheduling of whole health inhouse consults, requesting records and appropriately administrative closure of consult, imaging throughout all specialties and processes related to CC.
• Communicate to the Veteran any pre-appointment requirements or instructions. Clearly communicates appointment care details to the Veteran or point of contact for the Veteran. Identify and voice Veterans' concerns or needs to be recognized during communications regarding upcoming care.
• Communicates effectively, efficiently, and appropriately with other administrative staff, RNs, and leadership in VA CC to ensure accurate and timely processing of consults and incoming workload.
• Assignments include but are not limited to; scheduling/rescheduling, canceling, providing reception to incoming and outgoing customers, and manual and electronic data entry.
• Responsible for scheduling appointments per the VA Scheduling Directive. Independently recognizes the urgency of the consults and schedules care in accordance with the Field Guidebook (FGB).
• Identify and communicate Veteran concerns or needs to be recognized during communications regarding upcoming CC appointments and referral processing.
• Utilizes consult status to support accurate records management as it moves through the approval process from CC to the Vendor. Collaborates, communicates, sets priorities, and organizes the work to assist the team in meeting deadlines and ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.
• Collaborates with the VA CC RNs when a consult requires clinical guidance during the scheduling process.
• Communicate information between community providers and VA interdisciplinary team timely and clearly to facilitate timely access to care.
• Assists Veterans in rescheduling appointments in cases of missed or no-show appointments.
• Recognizes the importance of scheduling care in the correct sequence and timing when multiple CC appointments are necessary. Effectively coordinates this care when multiple vendors or agencies are involved.
• Knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.
• Demonstrates the ability of the specialized health care process as it relates to access to care within the VA and within CC.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00am - 4:30pm
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
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

All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package. We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications. Failure to clearly demonstrate your experience in your application package may result in disqualification. All applicants are encouraged to submit responses to each Knowledge, Skill, and Ability (KSA) on a separate document.

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.
• Certification: None Required
• 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).

Grade Determinations:

Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) GS-6

Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level, which includes, but not limited to:

1. 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.
2. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients
3. Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting
4. Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work
5. Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers
6. Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution.

AND

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:

1. 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.
2. Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.

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

Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

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.