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

The AMSA works collaboratively with the interdisciplinary team to perform work involving the collection, compilation and/or tracking of date and statistical information in support of program operations. Assists in the planning, review, and reporting of data/statistical results of the program. Establishes and organizes computerized data sets, and retrieves computerized data. Performs a basic analysis of the data and generates a variety of reports. Identifies initiates and organizes process for data collection for the program. Reviews documents and reports, and ensures data entry is complete and accurate. Enters pertinent information into an automated tracking system.

Falls Tracking and Reporting: The incumbent ensures that all HBPC patients' falls are documented using the appropriate fall assessment form and are tracked appropriately.

Infection Tracking and Reporting: The incumbent works with all staff to ensure that all HBPC patient infections are reported. All infections are tracked as to who is responsible for the infection (HBPC, VA medical center, outside facility). This data is the presented at the quarterly facility meeting regarding infection control.

Timeliness Tracking: The incumbent monitors to ensure that all disciplines are seeing patients within the time frame set by the HBPC. This monitors the HBPC initial appointment(s) of social work, nursing, kinesiotherapy/ occupational therapy, nutrition as well as care plan completion and review by clinical pharmacist.

Medication Reconciliation Monitoring: The incumbent works with nursing staff on each team to ensure that all HBPC patients discharged from the hospital receive medication reconciliation in a timely manner.

Monthly Reports: Includes monthly vesting report, average daily census, clinical visit tracking and total HBPC numbers. The monthly vesting report allows all staff to track the number of HBPC patients on their team that have reached their vesting goal each month. The total HBPC numbers report monitors numbers of admissions, discharges and deaths. Incumbent serves as a resource for program staff regarding appropriate formats for reports and correspondence. Incumbent is responsible for monthly HBPC data transmission which is an integral part of the program related to the capture of complex patient visit data in the VERA & Salesforce programs.

Consult monitoring: The incumbent will review each new consult for appropriateness for admission to HBPC program. For HBPC, this is done through a complete chart review; appointment history, patient location, and co-pay status. If is determined that patient will be admitted to HBPC, incumbent will admit patient though the HBPC VISTA package.

VERA monitoring: The incumbent will monitor the VERA status of each HBPC patient on a monthly basis to ensure that all patients are receiving appropriate reimbursement. This also leads to ensuring that all HBPC visits are coded accurately to qualify as an HBPC visit.

Monthly Vehicle Usage Report: Incumbent is responsible for compiling appropriate information to submit the GSA vehicle usage report to engineering on a monthly basis. This includes obtaining mileage sheets and receipts from each GSA car assigned to the HBPC program. These materials are submitted with a spreadsheet detailing the total mileage on each vehicle at the end of each month in the fiscal year.

Clerical/Secretarial: Incumbent ensures that a spreadsheet/notebook is created and maintained that will have information on each veteran enrolled in the HBPC program. Maintains demographic information on all active patients within VISTA and CPRS.

Collates hard copy documentation from non-VA agencies providing services and any documents with the original signature into the VAMC medical record when the veteran is discharged from the program. Ensures that essential documents are merged into VAMC hospital chart in an organized manner. Processes the correspondence and physician orders and returns forms to collaborating agencies within a timely manner. Maintains and tracks forms to monitor performance improvements.

Incumbent triages inquiries from patients, caregivers, other agencies and VA staff concerning the HBPC Program. Incumbent must be able to answer administrative questions specified technical/ medical questions, and be able to determine which medical questions are urgent and need immediate attention. Refers clinical questions to the appropriate staff person in a timely manner.

Assists in creating /updating policies for distribution to medical center. This includes researching material for policies and monitoring updates. Maintains files of all current hospital memorandums for reference by HBPC staff as needed.

Incumbent serves as timekeeper of the HBPC program.

ALL OTHER DUTIES AS ASSIGNED.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; Hours 8:00a - 4:30p
Telework: Ad-Hoc
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

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

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.
• Experience. None.
• 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).

Creditable Experience. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of 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 or non-paid employment as an MSA or an equivalent position in a non-VA hospital or clinic setting.
Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to a full-time workweek. For example, an individual employed 20 hours per week, or on a half-time basis, would receive credit for 1 full-time workweek for each 2 weeks of service.
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 3 grade level of the position being filled. For all assignments above the full performance level (FPL), the higher-level duties must consist 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.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Grade Determinations:

Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-06.
Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade, GS-05.
(a) Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients.
(b) Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution.
(c) Ability to operate computerized programs and systems in order to enter, modify, and retrieve sensitive medical and patient identifying information (PII) into or from electronic health records, scheduling systems, and/or reports.
(d) Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.
(e) Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work.
(f) Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers.

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, social workers, 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, by phone, in person, and in writing, with internal and external customers. This may include preparing reports in various formats and presenting data to various organizational levels, as well as resolving patient concerns.

Preferred Experience: Proficiency in Timekeeping, Microsoft Office Products, and Data Entry.

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-06.

Physical Requirements: 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:

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.