Clarification from the agency

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
VA Careers - Lead Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/UJO_XH5uCLs

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

The Supervisory Medical Support Assistant (SMSA) maintains full supervisory responsibility for the leadership needed to meet the goals of Mental Health Service (MHS). He/she works at Veterans Affairs Northern Indiana Health Care System (VANIHCS} which is a dual campus facility with 5 Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs). The main facilities are located in Marion and Fort Wayne, Indiana. VANIHCS is a part of the Veterans Integrated Service Network 10 (VISN 10).

The SMSA will perform duties properly utilizing occupational office machines. He/she is expected to be current with on-going VA health care processes and procedures. The SMSA will perform assigned duties as directed in accordance with the various types of duty assignments. Responsibilities may include employee human resources duties such as: personnel actions via ARR, processing personnel actions (i.e. SF-52), submitting manpower requests, handling employee/union issues, time keeping approval authority, performing employee leave actions, maintenance of employee CTOP folders, making workload distribution decisions and other administrative actions as assigned.

The SMSA will serve as the primary trainer for Lead MSAs and MSAs under his/her leadership. He/she will be responsible for closely monitoring the work of new and experienced MSA staff and confer with the Health Systems Specialist, Administrative Officer, Assistant Chief and Chief of Mental Health Service in developing action plans to improve performance, processes and procedures, to promote efficient and effective clinic operations in compliance with established MHS and health care system's standard operating procedures.

The SMSA serves as the primary point-of-contact in outpatient mental health care and mental health specialized care teams/units. The incumbent in this assignment supports all Mental Health Service programs/services as assigned (Mental Health Clinic, Mental Health Intensive Case Management Clinic, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Clinic, Psychosocial Rehabilitation Recovery Center, Substance Use Disorder programs, Vocational Rehabilitation, Smoking Cessation, Military Sexual Trauma, Suicide Prevention, etc.). He/she may be assigned to Fort Wayne or Marion, Indiana. The SMSA position serves as the direct line supervisor for all Medical Support Assistant (MSAs) in Mental Health.

The SMSA is a working supervisor and will be assigned to work alongside other supervisors, leads, and medical support assistants.

Work Schedule: Typically administrative in nature, Monday - Friday. Schedule subject to change based on the needs of the Agency.
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized.
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Telework: Not Available.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 91750-0
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.
• 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.
• 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 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: Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, Paragraph 3.g.).
• Experience Six months experience of clerical, office, customer service, or other administrative work that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position;
• Education. High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State of territorial-level Board of Department of Education
• Certification. None required.
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

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).

Creditable Experience

1. ) Knowledge of MSA Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with current MSA responsibilities [or an equivalent administrative patient support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting]. Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid/non-paid employment as [an] MSA or [an equivalent position in a non-VA hospital or clinic setting].
2. Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to MSA experience [or equivalent administrative clinical support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting] at the next lower grade level. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty), and a range of [varieties] as described in this standard, at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.
3. Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience as [an MSA or equivalent administrative patient support in] a [non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting] is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, [an] MSA employed 20 hours a week, or on a 1/2-time basis, would receive [one] full-time workweek of credit for each [two] weeks of service.

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment listed above, the following education and experience criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates:

Supervisory Medical Support Assistant, GS-8
To qualify, you must possess one full 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.] [Supervisory MSAs at this level plan and direct programs at medical centers and/or satellite outpatient clinics. They have full responsibility for supervising at least one subordinate MSA team leader, supervisor, or equivalent administrative patient support staff in a non-VA medical inpatient, outpatient, or interdisciplinary setting. Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: evaluating the work of subordinate staff; resolving complex problems to ensure patient services are met; evaluating new products, equipment, and systems to make recommendations for improved operations; identifying educational or training needs; making final decisions on hiring selections; evaluating performance, and taking disciplinary action when necessary. The employee has administrative and professional responsibility for planning and directing the subordinate lead, supervisor, and MSA's activities. Responsible for extracting and analyzing data to provide reports to senior management in support of tracking measures.] 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. Note: This experience must be clearly demonstrated in your resume.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:

1. 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.]
2. 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.
3. Ability to provide briefings, orientations, staff development, and training [in a patient support setting].
4. Ability to manage fiscal matters, forecast resource and equipment needs, and identify budget needs.
5. Advanced knowledge of managing or leading patient support staff in a clinic. This includes independently utilizing reference sources, decision making, and 13 empowering the team to collaborate and resolve problems within a complex systems environment.]

Preferred Experience: Office management experience preferred.

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS8.

Physical Requirements: The majority of work is performed in an office setting, primarily while seated. The position requires some standing, ambulation, bending, and carrying of items such as training manuals. The Supervisory MSA is required to sit for long periods of time at a computer terminal typing data while having face to face contact with Veterans and answering the telephone. In addition, there can be increased stress due to the Intensity-of a patient/customer complaint or concern. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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.

Do not copy and paste duties, specialized experience, or information from the assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications. Your resume must thoroughly describe how your skills and experiences align to the criteria defined in the "Qualifications" section of this announcement and must support your responses to the assessment questionnaire. We cannot assume you have performed the necessary experience required for this position regardless of your employment history or academic career. To ensure all the essential information is in your resume, we encourage you to use the USAJOBS online Resume Builder. If you choose to use your own resume, ensure it contains all required information and organize it so we can associate the following information for each experience/position:

1. Job title
2. Name and address of employer
3. Beginning and ending dates of employment (month/day/year format)
4. Hours worked per week. Part-Time or PRN experience will be pro-rated.
5. Detailed description of job duties, accomplishments, related skills, and responsibilities to include any supervisory/managerial responsibilities and number of staff supervised, etc.
6. Series and grade or equivalent (if a federal position)

If the position has an education requirement or you are qualifying under the basis of education, list your education history including the type of degree and your major of study on your resume. If the position requires a certain number of credit hours, you are encouraged to list all relevant courses on your resume. Do not include photographs or video of yourself, sensitive information (age, date of birth, marital status, protected health information, religious affiliation, social security number, etc.) on your resume or cover letter. We will not access web pages linked on your resume or cover letter to determine your qualifications.

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.