Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to US Citizens 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/EE9c4XkaELo

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The Medical Support Assistant (MSA) required duties include receiving, admitting, scheduling and providing assistance and direction to veterans seeking medical care. The MSA also functions as a fully qualified typist and possesses excellent communication skills.

The incumbent possesses the following:

• Ability to operate computerized programs and databases in order to enter, modify and retrieve sensitive information/data into or from electronic medical records, scheduling systems and/or reports.
• Knowledge of basic medical terminology.
• Ability to make appointments in a clinical setting.
• Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties, including setting priorities and coordinating work.
• Ability to communicate effectively and professionally with employees at various grade levels including clinical staff such as physicians, nurses, and social workers.
• Ability to identify customer's concerns, perform the tasks required to resolve issues accurately and timely, and follow-up as necessary to ensure satisfactory resolutions.
• Knowledge of Medical Center policies and/or procedures dealing with medical records, Compensation & Pension, Release of Information, Admission, Travel, Eligibility and Outpatient Procedures.
• Knowledge of procedures and policies involving Persian Gulf and Agent Orange programs.
• Knowledge of ADP security regulations.
• Knowledge of Decentralized Hospital Computer Program (DHCP) and CPRS systems.
• Excellent communication, professional and interpersonal skills.

They are responsible for a variety of customer service functions including data entry, data retrieval and records processing. The incumbent is responsible for scheduling appointments, recall scheduling and verifying provider orders for scheduling purposes. They schedule Outpatient Clinic appointments using Veteran Health Information Systems. The MSA complies with established business rules to schedule and/or create provider and patient requested visits, consultations and recall scheduling, makes reminder calls and sends appointment letters to veterans. The incumbent complies with all mandatory training requirements.

Duties include but are not limited to: scheduling, cancelling, re-scheduling and/or recalling patients' appointments, consults and/or compensation & pension (C&P) examinations; appointment reconciliation including pulling clinic lists; appointment cancellation; retrieving and re-filing patient charts: assembling patient records; printing medication profiles; providing administrative support to Outpatient Clinics (OPCs) as needed; re-scheduling patient's appointments and/or consults; maintaining and entering no-show information; monitoring the electronic wait list and clinical availability; preparing for clinic visits; monitoring both inpatient and outpatient appointments for areas of responsibility; ensuring encounter forms arc completed in order to obtain appropriate workload credit; performing data validation audits and quality care data retrieval oversight in order to obtain appropriate workload credit.

They are responsible for verifying and updating demographics and insurance information; processing all emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals; performing eligibility, co-pay and preauthorization requirements for specific coverage; acquiring knowledge of travel and all related duties for providing treatment; authorizing and calculating reimbursement of travel expenses for qualified outpatients: collecting data necessary to prepare monthly AMIS reports; Communicates scheduling and consult issues with clinical staff as needed.

They determine prima facie eligibility of veterans for care as part of the admissions process by screening documents provided by the veteran regarding his/her discharge from military service.

They elicit information from the veteran necessary to complete Insurance capture, as well as procure all required consent forms from the veteran. The MSA may at times advise the veteran on his/her eligibility for care and provide a meaningful explanation to an ineligible veteran based on Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) regulations and applicable law and refers the veteran to an appropriate source for further information when appropriate.

They are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of information obtained to carry out required duties. The incumbent routinely communicates with physicians, case managers, and other allied health professional staff using sound inter-personal skills. He/she is constantly aware of the sensitive nature of the information being communicated or discussed.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

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:

• 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).

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.

Part-Time Experience.
Part-time experience as [an MSA or equivalent administrative patient support in] a [non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting] is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, [an] MSA employed 20 hours a week, or on a 1/2-time basis, would receive [one] full-time workweek of credit for each [two] weeks of service.

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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment above, the following education/experience criteria must be met:

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.

Preferred Experience: An applicant with at least 2 years scheduling experience, clerical experience and computer knowledge is preferred

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-05, which is the grade at which an applicant may be selected for.

Physical Requirements: The work is mostly sedentary but requires some bending and walking to various locations of the medical facility and DHCP. The position also requires dexterity in using a CRT/printer.

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.

The Medical Support Assistant (GS-0679) is currently on the FY 2026 VHA shortage occupations approved for waiver of Veterans' preference.