Clarification from the agency

First Area of Consideration: Current, Permanent Employees of the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center and its associated Outpatient Clinics Second Area of Consideration: Current, Permanent Employees of Veteran Affairs Health Administration.

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Duties include the receiving, indexing, scanning, and assignment of appropriate nomenclature to health and administrative information, as assigned, accordingly on a timely basis and within established guidelines; and makes the proper disposition of documents for unavailable records for incorporation into the correct patient's record in the computerized patient records system (CPRS). Duties include, but may not be limited to the following:

• Receiving, indexing, scanning, and assignment of appropriate nomenclature to health and administrative information, as assigned, accordingly on a timely basis and within established guidelines; and makes the proper disposition of documents for unavailable records for incorporation into the correct patient's record in the computerized patient records system (CPRS).
• Performs filing of paper health and administrative documents in accordance with approved procedures.
• Retrieves and delivers records or documents from such system upon request from persons having right of access.
• Requests from and transfers records to other Veterans Health Administration (VHA) medical facilities.
• Identifies and prepares records for retention and disposition. These functions are performed under established procedure.
• Promotes a positive image of this Medical Center with emphasis on customer service by treating patients, co-workers, and medical center personnel with courtesy and respect.
• Fully protects the confidentiality of patient information, access to computer files and release of access codes, according to established guidelines and policies.
• Other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 07:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Telework: AD-HOC may be approved
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: File Clerk/PD60567A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
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
• 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)

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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/13/2026.

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-4 position candidates may be advanced without time restriction to positions up to GS-5 if the position to be filled is no more than two grades above the lowest grade the employee held within the preceding 52 weeks under his or her latest nontemporary competitive appointment. 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:

You must have one year of generalized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-03 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Creditable general experience is progressively responsible clerical, office, or other work that indicates ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of this position. NOTE: Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position, dates of employment and the number of hours a week spent in each position. Examples of general experience would typically include, but not limited to:

• Knowledgeable of computer technology and procedure regarding imaging and scanning applications, fax applications, and numerous Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VISTA) and Computerized Patient Records System (CPRS) applications.
• Thorough working knowledge of the contents, arrangement, and filing sequence of both medical and administrative records' procedures relating to subject matter is necessary to properly index and scan information into Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VISTA) IMAGING.
• Knowledge of basic medical terminology is useful in filing material in the medical records.
• Knowledge of the functions performed within the units serviced to determine the subject matter of diverse types of records information, correspondence, and forms for filing and scanning purposes.
• Knowledgeable of the organization of both the medical and administrative record, Veteran Health Administration (VHA) file system, policies, and procedures, records retention, and procedure relating to the transfer and other disposition of hard copy records.

OR,

• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed two years of education above the high school level in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite is creditable for this position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial, or technical school (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED).

OR,

• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of education and general experience to qualify for this position and a combination of general experience and education beyond the first 60 semester hours that is creditable toward meeting the one-year of general experience requirement. One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience. You must provide transcripts with your application.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Clerical
• Compliance
• Encryption
• Planning and Evaluating
• Teamwork
• Technology Application
• Technology Awareness

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: The work with computers is mainly sedentary in an office environment. However, paper records retrieval, filing, and management involves long hours of standing, with extensive bending, reaching, lifting, stooping, pulling, and other physical exertion or strain.

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/.

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 WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. 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. 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.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

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.

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.