Clarification from the agency

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

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Duties include but are not limited to:

Education & Training

• Stays apprised of the latest national, VISN, and local policies and regulations regarding MSA and scheduling functions.
• Responds to Action Items that involve scheduling requirements and training from the facility, VISN, and national levels.
• Trains and provides expert guidance to all employees in the medical center utilizing the technical procedures related to scheduling and other MSA functions including, but not limited to: ICB insurance capture, registration, my HealtheVet, recall, consults, Vetlink kiosks, and reports.
• Makes recommendations on how to achieve compliance with training requirements and enhance training programs to meet the needs of the organization.
• Promotes upcoming training sessions and communicates deficiencies to Supervisors, Service Chiefs, Business Managers, and/or medical center leadership as necessary.
• Works closely with clinical services to ensure compliance with VHA guidance and medical center policy/procedure related to scheduler training and monitoring of technical competence.
• Organizes, chairs, or participates in multidisciplinary task forces, workgroups, and committees in support of program development and process improvements in the education and training of scheduling practices at the facility, VISN, or national levels.
• Works with supervisors to review/ensure that all schedulers have appropriate menus to promote accurate scheduling, improve technical competence and minimize potential for negative impact on Veterans caused by scheduling errors.
• Trains supervisor on how to perform scheduling audits and assists supervisors with scheduling audits when necessary.
• Performs ADPAC duties with regards to scheduling.
• Makes consistent and efficient use of Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) scheduling options as well as the current commercial software being used by the facility by ensuring adequate training and oversight scheduling practices.

Clinic Functions

• Receives telephone calls from and responds to veterans, their family members and/or legal representatives regarding a broad range of topics, including: appointment scheduling, medication refills/renewals, basic billing inquiries, and pharmacy processes and procedures.
• Schedules and reschedules patients for appointments. Processes no­ shows with appropriate documentation in RMS/DHCP and CPRS.
• Acts as a point of contact for office through fax, e-mail, phone, mail or other form of communication.
• Delegates retrieved voicemails to the appropriate person or responds to the message directly as appropriate.
• Documents telephone call activity in electronic records such that another employee can follow-up on a call at a later time with ease.
• Seeks assistance from pharmacists or supervisory staff when responding to unusual questions or when reasonable attempts to satisfy a caller have been unsuccessful.
• Collects and maintains accurate data from each patient.
• Alerts other staff members of their current appointment availability (whether full or open).
• Promotes harmonious relationships within the work environment, which supports the needs of the team and the customers.
• Reviews Encounter Reports when printed by supervisor to make sure that no patient is lost to follow up.
• Prepares new patient orientation packets.
• Prints patient appointment lists and encounter forms daily.
• Obtains missing lab results for patient's charts when necessary.
• Maintains an adequate supply of cover sheets, travel vouchers, payroll sheets, etc.
• Sends mail and packages to patients and other locations as needed.
• Assists veteran in submitting electronic travel pay request during check-in or check-out. Processes refill requests if absolutely necessary (should first attempt to refer to pharmacy triage).
• Responds to view alerts in CPRS in a timely manner.
• All other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8am - 4:30pm
Compressed/Flexible: Available at supervisor discretion.
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 91877-0
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.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• 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

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: Must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• Education: Must have a 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:

GS7:
Experience: Must have one year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to meeting the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
(a) 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.
(b) Skill in communicating with individuals to obtain the desired effect and coordinating with a variety of interdisciplinary care team staff.
(c) Ability to utilize numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics in an interdisciplinary setting.
(d) Ability to organize work, set priorities, and delegate tasks/responsibilities in order to meet deadlines.
(e) Ability to provide staff development and training.
(f) 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.

Preferred Experience: None

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS7. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS07.

Physical Requirements: The work is mostly sedentary. It typically requires sitting with sustained periods of concentration. There will be some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of relatively light objects. The position may also require stooping, reaching, lifting, pulling, and other moderate exertion or strain. Incumbent may occasionally have to walk some distance to a meeting.

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.

We encourage you to review your resume to ensure it is compliant with the requirements. You must include qualifying specialized experience employment periods in mm/yyyy to mm/yyyy format on your resume and indicate Full-Time or Part-Time (if Part-time, must include # of hours worked per week). AND, if you have held a Government position, that position's grade level MUST be listed on your resume; Failure to include all requirements in your resume will result in disqualification. Please refer to USAJOBS Help Center - What should I include in my federal resume? for additional information on resume requirements.

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.