Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. Who should apply: All U.S. Citizens, National or those who owe allegiance to the U.S. Due to a critical staffing shortage, 38 U.S.C. § 7412 waives the requirement to apply Veterans' preference for this job announcement. Veterans are encouraged to apply and will receive full consideration.

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Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional
Some duties include but are not limited to:

• Applies comprehensive knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy & physiology, disease processes, treatment modalities, diagnostic tests, medications, procedures as well as the principles and practices of health services and the organizational structure to ensure proper code selection.
• Reviews assigned codes from the current version of several coding systems to include current versions of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), Current Procedural Terminology (CPT), and/or Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS).
• Adheres to accepted coding practices, guidelines and conventions when choosing the most appropriate diagnosis, operation, procedure, ancillary, or evaluation and management (E/M) code to ensure ethical, accurate, and complete coding.
• Applies guidelines specific to certain diagnoses, procedures, and other criteria used to classify patients
  under the Veterans Equitable Resource Allocation (VERA) program that categorizes all VA patients into
  specific classes representing their clinical conditions and resource needs.
• Monitors ever-changing regulatory and policy requirements affecting coded information for the full
  spectrum of services provided by the VAMC. Timely compliance with coding changes is crucial to the
  accuracy of the facility database as well as all cost recovery programs.
• Assists facility staff with documentation requirements to completely and accurately reflect the patient
  care provided; provides technical support in the areas of regulations and policy, coding requirements,
  resident supervision, reimbursement, workload, accepted nomenclature, and proper sequencing.
  Directly consults with the professional staff for clarification of conflicting or ambiguous clinical data.
• Expertly searches the patient record to find documentation justifying code assignment based on an
  expanded knowledge of the organization and structure of the patient health record.
• Reviews, analyzes and reports performance monitors for PTF, PCE, VERA and Non-VA Medical Care
  (purchased care) coding.
  Audit accurate and complete assignment of ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS codes, MS-DRG, POA status,
  and discharge disposition values for inpatient health records. Audit accurate and complete assignment
  of ICD-10-CM, CPT, and HCPCS codes, including appropriate E/M assignment and modifier usage for
  outpatient health records. Audit function includes evaluation of clinical documentation to support
  optimal code assignment.
• Reviews coding and assist coders in improving coding accuracy; provides coding guidance to various
  levels of staff to promote consistency in practice and compliance with coding rules and regulations;
  initiates various reports and analyze data.
• Facilitates improved overall quality, completeness and accuracy of coded data. Ensures the accuracy
  and completeness of clinical information used for measuring and reporting physician and medical
  center outcomes with continuing education to all members of the patient care team on an ongoing
  basis.
• Responsible for performing audits of coded data, developing criteria, collecting data, graphing and
  analyzing results, creating reports and communicating in writing and/or in person to appropriate
  leadership and groups.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm.
Compressed/Flexible:Not available
Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
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/Remote: Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: F04759
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): 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/examination.
• 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: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

Experience and Education.

Experience. One year of creditable experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, medical coding, and the structure and format of a health records.
OR,

Education. An associate's degree from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education with a major field of study in health information technology/health information management, or a related degree with a minimum of 12 semester hours in health information technology/health information management (e.g., courses in medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, medical coding, and introduction to health records);
OR,

Completion of an AHIMA approved coding program, or other intense coding training program of approximately one year or more that included courses in anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, basic ICD diagnostic/procedural, and basic CPT coding. The training program must have led to eligibility for coding certification/certification examination, and the sponsoring academic institution must have been accredited by a national U.S. Department of Education accreditor, or comparable international accrediting authority at the time the program was completed;
OR

Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of creditable experience and education are qualifying for meeting the basic requirements. The following educational/training substitutions are appropriate for combining education and creditable experience:(a) Six months of creditable experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology, general understanding of medical coding and the health record, and one year above high school, with a minimum of 6 semester hours of health information technology courses.(b) Successful completion of a course for medical technicians, hospital corpsmen, medical service specialists, or hospital training obtained in a training program given by the Armed Forces or the U.S. Maritime Service, under close medical and professional supervision, may be substituted on a month-for-month basis for up to six months of experience provided the training program included courses in anatomy, physiology, and health record techniques and procedures. Also, requires six additional months of creditable experience that is paid or non-paid employment equivalent to a MRT (Coder).

CERTIFICATION: Persons hired or reassigned to MRT (Coder) positions in the GS-0675 series in VHA must have either (1), (2), or (3) below:

(1) Apprentice/Associate Level Certification through AHIMA or AAPC.
(2) Must have Mastery Level Certification through AHIMA or AAPC.
(3) Clinical Documentation Improvement Certification through AHIMA or ACDIS.

NOTE: Mastery level certification is required for all positions above the journey level; however, for clinical documentation improvement specialist assignments, a clinical documentation improvement certification may be substituted for a mastery level certification.

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:

Medical Records Technician (Coder) Auditor, GS-09: The MRT (Coder) Auditor assignment is a position above the journey level. Auditor assignments can be established for any of the coder subspecialties(outpatient, inpatient, or outpatient and inpatient combined). The subspecialty will be reflected in the title, e.g., MRT (Coder) Auditor.

Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the journey grade level (GS-08) of a MRT (Coder). Certification. Employees at this level must have a mastery level certification.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

• Advanced knowledge of current coding classification systems such as ICD, CPT, and HCPCS for the subspecialty being assigned (outpatient, inpatient, outpatient and inpatient combined).
• Ability to research and solve complex questions related to coding conventions and guidelines in an accurate and timely manner.
• Ability to review coded data and supporting documentation to identify adherence to applicable standards, coding conventions and guidelines, and documentation requirements.
• Ability to format and present audit results, identify trends, and provide guidance to improve accuracy.
• Skill in interpersonal relations and conflict resolution to deal with individuals at all organizational levels.

Assignment. For all assignments above the journey level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), range of variety, and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.

• Auditors must be able to perform all duties of a MRT (Coder):
• Auditors serve as experts of current coding conventions and guidelines related to professional and facility coding. Auditors perform audits of encounters to identify areas of non-compliance in coding.
• They facilitate improved overall quality, completeness, and accuracy of coded data.
• They provide recommendations on appropriate coding and are responsible for maintaining current knowledge of the various regulatory guidelines and requirements.
• They assist facility staff with documentation requirements to completely and accurately reflect the patient care provided.
• They provide technical support in the areas of regulations and policy, coding requirements, resident supervision, reimbursement, workload, accepted nomenclature, and proper sequencing.
• They directly consult with the clinical staff for clarification of conflicting or ambiguous clinical data.
• They use computer applications with varied functions to produce a wide range of reports, to abstract records, and review assigned codes.
• They perform prospective and retrospective coding audits and utilize results to identify documentation and coding inadequacies and re-educate clinical and coding staff based on audit results.
• They act independently to plan, organize, and perform auditing with emphasis on data validation, analysis, and generation of reports.
• They assist in the development of guidelines for data quality, consistency, and monitoring for compliance to improve the quality for clinical, financial, and administrative data to ensure that all coded data is fully documented and supported.
• They maintain statistical database(s) to track the results and validate the program.
• They identify patterns and variations in coding practices with regular reports to the medical staff and management.

Preferred Experience: Previous experience in auditing in both Outpatient, inpatient and surgical settings. Previous experience in training coding and clinical staff on coding guidelines.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.
VA Handbook 5005/122 PART II APPENDIX G57
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-09. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-09.

Physical Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service.

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.

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.

Résumé Reminder: Your résumé must include the following information each job listed:
1. Job title
2. Duties (be as detailed as possible)
3. Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008)
4. Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week)

Please be aware that your answers will be verified against information provided on your résumé. Be sure that your résumé clearly supports your responses to all of the questions by addressing your work experience in detail .An incomplete application will receive a rating of IFFM (ineligible due to missing forms). Requests for reconsideration will not be considered for applicants who fail to submit a complete application package. We cannot be held responsible for incompatible software or fax transmissions.