Clarification from the agency

This position is open to current, permanent VA employees, current, permanent federal employees, and all eligible U.S. Citizens. Areas of Consideration clarification listed in the How to Apply section below. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Videos

VA Healthcare System Serving Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan (VISN 10) advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.

Major Duties:

- Provide a wide range of technical and administrative support to physicians, nurses, physician assistants, and other clinical staff who deliver direct patient care.

- Serve as a primary source of patient care and patient flow information, offering key administrative advice and guidance to the patient care team.

- Perform clerical work that supports patient care and treatment across assigned services or clinics.

- Work primarily within an assigned service or clinic, but may provide coverage for primary care, specialty care, Call Center, Urgent Care, or interdisciplinary care teams as needed.

- Carry out scheduling duties in accordance with the National Scheduling Directive, using PC applications, VistA systems, and the Federal Electronic Health Record (EHR).

- Provide specialized administrative patient support within an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model.

- Use specialized administrative judgment and apply flexible clinical flow processes to support access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and community care resources.

- Recommend changes to clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelines.

- Utilize numerous advanced patient systems to support multiple clinics in a coordinated care delivery model.

- Coordinate with patient care teams to review clinic appointment availability and utilization, ensuring schedules are closely monitored and adjusted to meet clinic needs.

- Maintain effective and efficient communication with patients, care teams, VA medical centers, and external agencies, including:- Assisting communication during inpatient-to-outpatient discharge- Contacting non-VA facilities- Preparing correspondence to notify patients of normal lab results- Managing follow-up systems for consults, tests, and other care needs

- Process incoming Secure Messaging through MyHealtheVet and coordinate with care teams as appropriate.

- Participate in team huddles and meetings to manage, plan, problem solve, and follow up on patient care through shared information and collaboration.

- Set priorities and deadlines, adjusting workflow and task sequencing to meet team and patient needs.

- Identify incomplete encounters and communicate results to providers; assist teams in reinforcing plans of care and self-help solutions.

- Enter required information into the electronic record, monitor pre-appointment requirements, and assure patient readiness for visits and procedures.

- Manage patient systems to verify and validate information accuracy, resolving discrepancies as needed.

- Evaluate patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine if a patient requires an immediate appointment.

- Inform team members about shared patients, including those receiving care at multiple VA centers or in the community.

- Use word processing and office automation software to store and retrieve documents, format correspondence and reports, activate printers, and send/receive e-mail.

- Performs other related duties as assigned, tailored to the needs of the specific service or unit.

VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo

Work Schedule: Most tours will be Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm; few other tours may be available
Telework: Not available for most positions; few positions have have ad-hoc telework eligibility according to VA policy
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 91463-A or Other
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.
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the 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 evaluation.
• 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 may 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

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

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.
• Must be proficient in the English language.
• Experience/Education/Combination:
  • 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.

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:
To qualify for the GS-06 level, you must have one year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level. Experience at the GS-5 includes but is not limited to: scheduling, cancelling, re-scheduling patients appointments and/or monitoring both inpatient and outpatient appointments for areas of responsibility, ensuring encounter forms are completed in order to obtain appropriate workload credit, verifying and updating demographics and insurance information, processing all emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals, performing basic eligibility, co-pays and preauthorization requirements for specific coverage, etc.

Candidates must also demonstrate all of the knowledge, skills, and abilities below:

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

Preferred Experience: N/A

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-6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-6.

Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. The incumbent is required to sit for various lengths or time as well as some bending, walking, and lifting. Must be able to operate a computer terminal and be able to manage multiple activities at one time.

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.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position:

• Customer Service
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Teamwork

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.