Clarification from the agency

Open to current employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Videos

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

The Advanced MSA works collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model within Care in the community. The incumbents assist Veterans by explaining community programs, coordinating their care in the community through various avenues, and providing customer service to be the patient's liaison between the VA Medical Center and the community provider.

Incumbent performs a variety of administrative functions associated with patient care and treatment for Care in the Community services which include inpatient, outpatient, and/or GEC program services. Incumbent must acquire knowledge of internal organizational procedures, knowledge of various facility services, multiple computer software systems, VA acronyms and abbreviations.

The incumbent must have knowledge of clinic procedures and regulations; basic medical terminology, skill in operating computer systems and applications, such as VISTA, CPRS, FBCS, DOMA, and Microsoft applications to accurately enter/extract info.

Incumbent creates and issues authorizations for approved care, assists with vendor location when needed, and resolves barriers to obtain care in the community to avoid patient care delay.

Incumbent coordinates with the Care in the Community team to review consult utilization by using various reports and communication methods to effectively support the needs of the team.

Incumbent coordinates sending, receiving, and routing medical records from community vendors as needed by verifying services utilized by specialty and date of service. The incumbent(s) is responsible for ensuring the proper disposition of Care in the Community consults assigned by making comments as appropriate and placing the consultation in the proper status.

The incumbent(s) is responsible for accurate appointment management and the coordination of all administrative information between the community care vendor and the Veteran. This includes scheduling appointments, data entry, and administratively managing consultation requests.

Supports patient safety standards using the correct Veterans Affairs identification of all patients using two forms of identification, name and full Social Security Number. The patient may also present the Veterans Health Identification Card (VHIC) for identification.

Contact with patients and other staff, the incumbent(s) sets the tone for perception concerning quality of healthcare services at the VA. A high degree of tact and diplomacy is required when dealing with veterans who have multiple health problems and who may be frustrated with the administrative process associated with diagnosis and treatment.

A caring, compassionate and sensitive manner is essential when explaining procedures to veterans and their family members both in person and on the phone.

Incumbent(s) must screen/receive phone calls in a courteous and timely manner, determine the nature of requests and provide the information desired using privacy rules and established Care in the Community processes.

When records are received, the incumbent will be responsible for ensuring that all necessary health/administrative information are integrated into Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) by sending the documents utilizing established procedures to the scanning unit location.

Incumbent(s) must be able to interpret and communicate requirements of VHA Scheduling Directives and complete accurate scheduling responsibilities and assist in training others.

The Advanced MSA can 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.

Incumbent develops and maintains effective and efficient communication with the patient, interdisciplinary team, other VA medical centers, as required, and other agencies in the interest of assisting with any patient communication.

Other assignments at this level, include, but are not limited to: participating in team huddles and team meetings.

The incumbent will read and respond to work related emails both Vista and Outlook in a timely manner. Incumbent will complete all required training within established time frames.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm

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 identification 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

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.
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• 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.

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. Employees in VHA in this occupation, under a permanent, appropriate, and legal placement on the effective date of the
qualification standard, are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and/or assignment held, including positive education and
registration/certification where applicable. For employees who do not meet all the basic or assignment-specific requirements in this standard but met the
qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply:

(1) 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.

(2) Employees retained in this occupation under this provision who subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet
the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.

NOTE: This provision is not intended to regularize appointments/placements.

Grade Determinations: Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-06.
(1) Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
(a) 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.

(b) 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.

(c) Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.

(d) 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, socialworkers, clinical pharmacists, and nursing staff) to accomplish team
goal setting to ensure medical care to patients is met.

(e) Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies,
and regulations.

(f) Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively, electronically, byphone, in person, and in writing, with internal and external customers.
This may include preparing reports in various formats and presentingdata to various organizational levels, as well as resolving patient
concerns.

(3) Assignment. For all assignments above the FPL, the higher-level duties must be of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity, 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. At the
advanced level, the Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) (AMSA) performs difficult and responsible specialized and expert administrative
patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. 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. Recommend 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 (utilization) to ensure that clinic schedules are closely monitored
to effectively support the needs of the clinics, and makes adjustments as necessary. MSAs at this level develop and/or maintain effective and
efficient communication with the patient, interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies (e.g., assist
with communications during the inpatient to outpatient discharge; communicate with non-VA medical facilities; prepare correspondence to
notify patients of normal lab results; manage a system for follow-up care such as consults, tests, etc.).
Other assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: processes incoming patient secure messaging through MyHealthyVet and coordinates
with care team as appropriate; participates in team huddles and team meetings to manage, plan, problem solve, and follow-up with patient care
by sharing information and collaborating with the interdisciplinary team; setting priorities and deadlines, adjusting the flow and sequencing of the
work to meet team and patient needs; identifies incomplete encounters and communicates findings to providers; as needed; assists the team to
reinforce the plan of care and self-help solutions; enters appropriate information into the electronic record; monitors pre-appointment
information and/or requirements to assure readiness for patient visit/procedure; manages patient systems to verify and validate accuracy
and resolve issues; evaluates patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine whether the patient requires an immediate appointment;
informs team members about shared patients (i.e., those who receive their care at multiple VA centers or those who receive care in the community).

Preferred Experience: Community Care, Healthcare, de-escalating issues, consults, and telephone etiquette

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 in the range of GS-6 to GS-6.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements

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.