Clarification from the agency

Please be advised this vacancy is opened to Current and Permanent Lexington VA Healthcare System employees and CBOCs that are aligned with Station # 596. VCS Employees may apply for consideration. If you are unsure of if your current duty station falls under the correct Station # to be considered for this position, you can verify your Station # by referring to Box 40 on your most recent SF-50. The first 3 alphanumeric values should read 596 in order to be considered for this position.

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The File Clerk works at a two-divisional teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Kentucky (UK) Medical Center at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, Lexington, Ky. Incumbent will normally work at Cooper Drive Division but is required to work at the other location as necessary. Position will serve as File Clerk in the Medical Record File Unit of Health Administration Section.

Major duties include but are not limited to:

1. Scans and indexes administrative and health records using Imaging Capture software.
2. Accesses medical records, computer files and the network dictate that the employee must exercise extreme caution and protect access codes according to established guidelines and policies.
3. Creates progress notes in the patient's electronic medical record (CPRS) related to attached documents.
4. Utilizes a personal computer and various application.
5. Performs extensive searches for files when there is an urgent need, and the files cannot be retrieved by routine techniques.
6. Indexes and scans health/administrative records information is integrated into the electronic patient record (CPRS) through PC scanning hardware and software.
7. Maintains all loose filing assigned in proper sequence, observing chronology.
8. Understands the diverse types of records information, correspondence, and forms for filing and scanning purposes.
9. Ensures all loose documents are properly filed in the correct patient's paper medical record or mailed to the originating location such as an another health care facility.
10. Responds to customer needs in a positive and efficient manner.
11. Maintains an extremely high standard of the protection and maintenance of confidentiality.
12. Promotes a positive image of the Medical Center with emphasis on customer service by treating patients, co-workers, and medical center personal with courtesy and respect.
13. Performs other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday; 8:00am-4:30pm
Telework: Not Eligible for Telework
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: File Clerk/PD30306A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• 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)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period 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 probationary period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/11/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

For a GS-4 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-3.

The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade.

Applicants must submit documentation verifying that they meet time-in-grade requirements in accordance with federal regulations. Human Resources will not review or access official personnel records to determine eligibility if supporting documentation is not provided. Failure to submit required documentation will result in an ineligible rating.

Permanent Employee Status: If you are unsure if you have permanent employee status to be considered for this position, you can verify your status by referring to Box 24 on your most recent SF-50. The box must have a 1 or 2 in order to be considered for this position.

Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

This position requires the skills of a qualified typist. In addition to meeting the experience requirements, you must be able to type at least 40 words per minute. All candidates MUST provide a certificate of proficiency from a school or other organization authorized to issue such certificates by the Office of Personnel Management local office, or by self-certifying their proficiency. Performance test results and certificates of proficiency are acceptable for 3 years. Agencies may verify proficiency skills of self-certified applicants by administering the appropriate performance test. All candidates must submit documentation of his/her typing proficiency with their application package to clearly indicate the amount of words typed per minute.

Example of a Self-Certifying proficiency statement:

Date: I, ______________, can type at least 40 words per minute.

Signature in pen
Print/type Name

Your resume will be used as a work sample, and it will be used in determining your generalized experience for this position.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

Creditable generalized experience is progressively responsible clerical, office, or other work that indicates ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of this position. Examples of general experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• Knowledge of computer technology and procedure regarding imaging and scanning applications, fax applications, and numerous computer and electronic patient record applications.
• Thorough knowledge of terminal digit filing by social security number and alphabetic filing in order to maintain medical, administrative, perpetual and other resource documents maintained in the file room.
• Knowledge of the confidentiality and privacy regulations pertaining to patient records.
• Knowledge of filing sequence of both administrative and medical records is necessary to properly index and scan information into electronic patient medical records.
• Knowledge of the functions performed within the units serviced to determine the subject matter of diverse types of records information, correspondence, and forms for filing and scanning purposes.
• Knowledge of record disposal procedures to identify and prepare records maintained in the file room for transfer to the Federal Records Center.

OR,

• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed two years of education above the high school level in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite is creditable This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial, or technical school.

OR,

• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond the first 60 semesters hours.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Clerical
• Computer Skills
• Customer Service
• Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Reading Comprehension
• Self-Management
• Teamwork
• Technology Application

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.



Basis for Selection: Selections for positions will be based on the objective evaluation of the candidates' total qualifications for the position. "Qualifications" means the combination of experience, training, education, skills, knowledge, abilities, personal characteristics, and merit factors deemed to be pertinent to successful performance.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Physical Requirements: The physical demands of this position involve extensive sitting, walking, standing, lifting and carrying up to 45 pounds. Boxes of records must be packaged and lifted for shipment. Physical motions involve bending, stooping, reaching, stretching, lifting and carrying records, pulling records from shelves, and filing records on the shelves. Extensive workloads, frequent interruptions, daily deadlines, backlogs, and frequent daily contact in person or by computer are factors involved which create additional mental and physical demands on this position.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

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 WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

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.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the 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.