Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELoTotal Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Duties of this position are, but not limited to:

• The incumbent performs duties related to the receipt, intake, and indexing of health and administrative information.
• The incumbent will interface with personal computer (PC) applications as well as numerous Vista applications. The work requires a high degree of judgment in responding to both employee and patient concerns and providing solutions to the process problems as they affect day-to-day operations.
• The work is mostly sedentary, but requires collection of Prosthetic devices/equipment from the stock room, which involves lifting less than or equal to 45 pounds, reaching on high shelves or bending to retrieve items from low shelves.
• The MSA will receive more frequent guidance from experienced MSAs to: interacting with both internal and external customers; establishing and maintaining medical outpatient and inpatient charts as well as administrative records; verifying third-party insurance and updating information in the Insurance Capture Buffer (ICB) system; obtaining medical information from patients; coordinating information and actions related to patient care and services; and scheduling appointments in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines.
• The MSA refers all questions requiring immediate medical attention to appropriate health care team member.
• The Medical Support Assistant is also responsible for scheduling appointments in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines for the Certified Prosthetist/Orthotist, Orthotist, Orthotic Fitter, Pedorthist, or other Orthotics & Prosthetics (O&P) staff, to include daily walk-in patients, follow-up patients, and patients needing access to Amputee Clinic.
• Scheduling duties to include, but not limited to, scheduling, canceling, rescheduling patient appointments and entering no-show information.
• The MSA will support the PSAS by correctly completing stock posts, receiving equipment, inventory and handling of used, dirty or excess equipment.
• The MSA will follow all guidance for mandatory stock issue items, scorecard matrix and established National, Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) and Local guidelines. It is vitally important that the MSA meets or exceeds guidelines for provision of equipment in support of Veterans healthcare, the mission of the VHA and PSAS.
• The incumbent is responsible for reporting backlogs, difficulties in meeting deadlines, uncooperative physicians, or difficulty in securing information from clinicians or the record.
• Performance is judged in terms of overall effectiveness of the operation through broad general objectives, the adequacy and accuracy of the work, timeliness, and conformance to established procedures, policies and instructions. Cover controls as they relate to both clinical and administrative aspects of the work.

Work Schedule: 800 am to 1630pm- Monday- Friday
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• 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:

• Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens according to 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).
• Experience. No experience required.
• Education. High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.
• Licensure/Certification/Registration. None
• Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

GRADE DETERMINATIONS:

GS-3 MSA (Entry Level)

You must meet the Basic Requirements outlined above.

GS-4 MSA (Developmental Level)

1. Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.

OR

2. Education. One year of education above high school.

AND

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.
In addition to Basic Requirements and the experience listed above, candidates must be able to demonstrate all of the KSAs below:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients.
4. Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics.

GS-5 MSA (Full Performance Level)

1. Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.

OR

2. Education. Two years of education above high school.

AND

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.
In addition to Basic Requirements and the experience listed above, candidates must be able to demonstrate all of the KSAs below:

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.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit Medical Support Assistant Qualification Standard (va.gov)

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 to GS-5.

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.