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Supervisory Medical Support Assistant

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
VISN 12 - VA Great Lakes Health Care System

Summary

This position is within the Patient Administrative Service (PAS) Hines Mental Health Subspecialty Clinic. This position provides administrative services to Veterans residing in the Primary Service Area of the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital. The Edward Hines Jr. VA is a 1A complex facility.

The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Posted yesterday · Apply by 07/24/26
Due by 11:59 p.m. ET on July 24, 2026
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$62,470 - $81,208 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 8
Promotion potential
None
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Not required
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
Yes
Federal service type
This job is in the Excepted Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Other
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
CAZP-12999548-26-MCS
Control number
876238400

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Duties

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Supervisory Medical Support Assistants plan and direct programs at medical centers and/or satellite outpatient clinics and have full supervisory responsibility. Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to:

  • Assigning and evaluating the work of subordinate staff.
  • Resolving complex problems to ensure patient services are met.
  • Evaluating new products, equipment, and systems in order to make recommendations for improved operations.
  • Identifying educational or training needs; making final decisions on selections; evaluating performance and taking disciplinary action when necessary.
  • The employee has full administrative and professional responsibility for planning and directing the MSA's activities.
  • Responsible for extracting and analyzing data in order to provide reports in support of performance measures to senior management.
  • The incumbent is responsible for reporting backlogs, difficulties in meeting deadlines, uncooperative physicians, or difficulty in securing information from clinicians or the record.
  • Routinely communicates with physicians, case managers, and other allied health professional staff using sound interpersonal skills and is constantly aware of the sensitive information.
  • Works independently making decisions based on guidelines, precedents and regulations and performs duties in such a manner that only minimal supervision is required
Functions or Scope of Assigned Duties:
Supervisory Medical Support Assistants at this level plan and direct programs at medical centers and/or satellite outpatient clinics and have full supervisory responsibility for supervising at least one subordinate team leader or supervisor. Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: assigning and evaluating the work of subordinate staff; resolving complex problems to ensure patient services are met; evaluating new products, equipment, and systems in order to make recommendations for improved operations; identifying educational or training needs; making final decisions on selections; evaluating performance, and taking disciplinary action when necessary. The employee has full administrative and professional responsibility for planning and directing the MSA's activities. Responsible for extracting and analyzing data in order to provide reports in support of performance measures to senior management. 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.

Supervisory Controls:
Employee plans and organizes work with general assistance from the supervisor as to meet local and VA-wide time frames to complete analysis requirements, reports and special assignments and only refers to the non-routine and high technical problems to his/her supervisor. The incumbent is responsible for reporting backlogs, difficulties in meeting deadlines, uncooperative physicians, or difficulty in securing information from clinicians or the record. Is responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of information obtained to carry out required duties. Routinely communicates with physicians, case managers, and other allied health professional staff using sound interpersonal skills and is constantly aware of the .sensitive information. Otherwise, works independently making decisions based on guidelines, precedents and regulations and performs duties in such a manner that only minimal supervision is required.

Performance is judged in terms of overall effectiveness of the operation through broad general objectives, the adequacy and accuracy of the work, timeliness, and conformance to established procedures, policies and instructions.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm. Tour of duty may vary based on the needs of the service.
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position
Functional Statement #: 01768F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Requirements

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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.
  • 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.
  • This position is a hybrid title 38 occupation reported among the occupations with the largest staffing shortages and, therefore, under 38 U.S.C. § 7412 waives the requirement to apply Veterans' preference to applicants for Fiscal Year 2026.
  • This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
  • Current, Permanent Federal Employees are asked to upload a copy of the most recent 2026 SF-50 (that is not for an award), indicating current Federal employment.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements on the closing date of this announcement, 07/24/2026

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

  • Citizenship: Citizen of the United States
  • English Language Proficiency: MSAs must be proficient in spoken and written English.
  • Education: Must possess a High School Diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.
IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS LISTED ABOVE, YOU MUST MEET THE GRADE REQUIREMENTS AT THE GS-8 LEVEL TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION.

GS-8 LEVEL GRADE REQUIREMENTS:
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Must have one year of experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level, leading or supervising MSAs or equivalent administrative patient support staff in a non-VA medical inpatient, outpatient, or interdisciplinary setting. Specialized experience includes: assigning and evaluating the work of subordinate MSA staff; resolving complex problems to ensure patient services are met; evaluating new products, equipment, and systems to make recommendations for improved clinic operations; identifying educational or training needs; making final decisions on hiring selections; evaluating performance, and taking disciplinary action when necessary; 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

GS-8 KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES: You also must demonstrate the following KSAs:
  • Ability to provide the full range of administrative and supervisory duties to at least one subordinate MSA supervisor or team leader in a patient support setting which includes assignment of work, performance evaluations, selection of staff, and recommendation of awards and/or advancements.
  • Ability to collaborate, communicate, and demonstrate customer service and interpersonal skills with internal and external customers to ensure quality/continuity of care and ensure compliance with established policies and regulations.
  • Ability to provide briefings, orientations, staff development, and training in a patient support setting.
  • Ability to manage fiscal matters, forecast resource and equipment needs, and identify budget needs.
  • Advanced knowledge of managing or leading patient support staff in a clinic. This includes independently utilizing reference sources, decision making, and empowering the team to collaborate and resolve problems within a complex systems environment.

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

Physical Requirements:
The work is primarily sedentary. Physical demands do not exceed those of a typical office setting. There may be some walking, standing twisting, turning, sitting, pushing, bending, repetitive keyboarding, or carrying of light items. Some positions may require sitting for long periods of time at a computer terminal typing data while talking on a telephone headset.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your basic requirements on education.

There is no educational substitution at this GS-8 grade level.

Additional information

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

This position is a hybrid title 38 occupation reported among the occupations with the largest staffing shortages and, therefore, under 38 U.S.C. § 7412 waives the requirement to apply Veterans' preference to applicants for Fiscal Year 2026.

Current, Permanent Federal Employees are asked to upload a copy of the most recent SF-50 (that is not for an award), indicating current Federal employment.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Resume Reminder.
Your resume must include the following information for each job listed: Job Title Duties (be as detailed as possible), Month, Day, & Year Start/End Dates (e.g. June 5, 2007 to April 15, 2008), Full-time or Part-time Status (include hours worked per week), Series and Grade, if applicable, for all Federal positions you have held. If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and you may not receive consideration for this position.

If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy.

Please be aware that your answers will be verified against information provided on your resume. Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all of the questions by addressing your work experience in detail. Recommended: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to fully evaluate your qualifications. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy. We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications.

Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application. Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees).

You will not be contacted for additional information.
Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted.

For additional information see: What to include in your resume.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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:

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.

Veterans Health Administration

Agency contact information

Michael Simmons - HINES
Phone
515-699-5999 X23299
Email
Michael.Simmons8@va.gov
Address
Edward Hines Junior Hospital
5000 South 5th Avenue
Hines, IL 60141
US

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