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 position is open to permanent full time Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center

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

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Must screen/receive phone calls in a courteous and timely manner, determine the nature of request, and provide the information desired in accordance with VHA privacy regulations and established release of information processes.
• S/he is responsible for accurate appointment management and the coordination of all administrative information between the professional staff and the Veteran. This includes checking-in Veterans for appointments, updating, and verifying demographic
• information, scheduling and rescheduling appointments, obtaining insurance information upon every visit.
• S/he independently handles scheduling problems and deviations based on obtained knowledge of clinic/ward operations and policy, schedules, and provider preferences.
• S/he explains the VA's mandate to collect third party insurance information to Veterans, their families, and all eligible patients. S/he scans and updates health insurance information upon every visit.
• Utilizing the Recall reminder software, s/he must maintain appointment recall data accurately and consistently. - Incumbent properly documents if Veteran is deemed ineligible for services and forwards the information to the appropriate staff.
• S/he refers incomplete check-outs to the Provider for prompt completion.
• Manages the Electronic Wait-List in accordance to VHA policy.
• Performs daily review of active/pending consults, Electronic Wait-List, Recall list and Audio care communications for accuracy and disposition per VHA policies and as assigned
• Performs ongoing reviews of the Insurance Capture Buffer (ICB) for third party insurance capture.
• Incumbent(s) working on inpatient wards are responsible for processing, verifying, extracting Provider orders from CPRS; as well as clearing unverified orders daily and filing appropriate forms.
• Processes Veteran Identification Cards (VHIC) as required.
• Encourages Veteran registration for and the utilization of My HealtheVet (MHV).
• S/he must coordinate efforts to ensure all aspects of duties are accomplished with efficiency and of high quality, and must report all backlogs immediately to their supervisor.
• S/he must assist with access contingency plans by adjusting appointment times, location, or dates as well as shift patients to other community healthcare providers as conflicts with staffing and/or coverage occurs.
• Incumbent is able to independently manage position responsibilities with little supervision as well as set priorities and deadlines adjusting the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs.
• The Lead MSA participates in team led huddles and/or team meetings where patient care planning and management occur, except during staff shortages for coverage.
• Lead MSA's will be familiar with Veterans Choice program and address questions about the program from Veterans and staff.
• Daily review of active/pending consults, Veteran's Choice List (VCL) / Electronic Wait List (EWL) and individually maintained recall spreadsheet for accuracy and disposition.
• Coordinates administrative services for Veterans, family members, caregivers, and general public, administrative, and clinical staff to insure continuity of inpatient and outpatient care.
• Interprets and applies a complex body of pertinent laws, regulations, directives, and policies that relate to the administration of VA Healthcare Benefits.
• Responsible for completion of transparent spreadsheets used for tracking, as directed.
• Incumbent must be able to interpret and communicate requirements of Scheduling Directives and complete accurate scheduling responsibilities.
• Schedules appointments and utilize the VCL/EWL accurately in a timely manner. All appointments will be made with the patient's input; whether made in person or via phone. This may require a high level of coordination to avoid patients having to make multiple trips to community providers.
• S/he must adhere to mandatory annual VHA training requirements, and all mandated training as requested by the supervisor and/or Chief of HAS.
• Additional duties or tasks may be assigned by the supervisor/higher level leader to assist with backlogs and/or special projects to meet the needs of the Medical Center.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00am - 4:30pm
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
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)
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

RESUME REQUIREMENTS - Your resume MUST include the following information:

• Job Title (for each position)
• Description of duties (be as detailed as possible)
• Month and year start/end dates (e.g. June 2018 to April 2020) of employment
• Full-time or part-time status (include average hours worked per week)

• 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 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.
• Education: High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.

Certification: None required.

Foreign Education: To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs.

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).

Grandfathering Provision. All MSAs employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series, and grade held, [which] are [a] part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:

1. Such employees may be reassigned, promoted, or [changed to a lower grade] within the occupation.
2. Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
3. If an employee who was converted to [Title] 38 hybrid status under this provision leaves the occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.

Grade Determinations: Lead Medical Support Assistant GS-07:

Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-6 grade level. Examples of experience include but are not limited to: provides specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery mode, work involves specialized administrative judgment and the flexible use of a wide range of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or care in the community resources, recommends changes to existing clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelines, expertise in utilizing numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics involved in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model, coordinates with the patient care team to review clinic appointment availability to ensure that clinic schedules are closely monitored to effectively support the needs of the clinics, and makes adjustments necessary.

Assignment. The Lead MSA [is responsible for the coordination of Advanced MSA assignments and workflow found in an interdisciplinary unit. The Lead MSA is responsible for daily workload assessments, assigning work, and assuring proper staffing coverage; evaluating training records; and determining training needs of MSAs to provide support across interdisciplinary settings. The Lead assists the unit with complex and non-standard procedures, including clinical flow processes related to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or community resources. Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: ensuring accurate and timely scheduling of appointments; providing guidance to staff members, to include changes in policies and procedures; creating and maintaining employee work schedules; and acting as a liaison among Advanced MSA staff, patients, and other interdisciplinary staff to resolve day-to-day conflicts.] For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities GS-07: In addition, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following Knowledge, Skills and, Abilities (KSAs) on their Resume:

• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology and a wide range of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or community resources.
• Ability to utilize numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics in an interdisciplinary setting.
• Ability to organize work, set priorities, and delegate tasks/responsibilities in order to meet deadlines.
• Skill in communicating with individuals to obtain the desired effect and coordinating with a variety of interdisciplinary care team staff.
• Ability to provide staff development and training.
• Ability to manage staffing requirements, manage workflow priorities, and adjust the flow of work to meet team and patient needs. This includes the ability to follow-up on pending issues and demonstrate an understanding of the impact of incomplete work across multiple clinics.

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is a GS-07. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is a GS-07.

Physical Requirements: VA Directive and Handbook 5019 Work is partially sedentary, with frequent walking, standing, bending. carrying of light items such as papers and books, or small parts. Some slight physical effort may be required. Incumbent may be susceptible to eyestrain from working long hours on the computer.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Area of Consideration

1. Current permanent VA employees of the facility

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.