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

Major Duties:

• Works collaboratively with staff members in the CRH to manage and plan patient care, prioritize deadlines, and adjust workflow to meet patient needs
• Supports patient safety standards through the correct identification of all patients
• Front-line contact with patients and staff
• Uses CPRS and VistA to access patient-specific information to answer patient inquiries about patient location, appointments, and/or connect veterans to appropriate medical personnel, while following all HIPAA requirements.
• Develops/maintains effective and efficient communication with the patient, interdisciplinary team, VA Medical Centers, and other agencies.
• Performs administrative duties required in the day-to-day operations of the CRH as necessary
• Monitor pre-appointment requirements to assure readiness for virtual (CVT/VVC/phone) visits.
• Use the appropriate scheduling platform for scheduling needs
• Participate and provide input in problem-solving on operational issues or procedures in team meetings, and perform administrative follow-up actions.
• Evaluate patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine whether the patient is vested.
• Educate and bring to the attention of providers about shared patients (dual care patients).
• Maintain competency and assist and coordinate in clinics and meetings requiring the use of CVT, VVC, and modalities for virtual CRH clinic care. Monitors incomplete encounters and/or telehealth orphans and communicates findings to providers to rectify and assist as needed.
• Receive and answer Veteran phone calls within 30 seconds and secure messages within 48hrs.
• Monitors pre-appointment information and/or requirements to assure readiness for patient visits/procedures/appointments.
• Relay information to appropriate team members based upon triaging of Veteran concerns.
• Work with the interdisciplinary team to schedule follow-up visits for inpatients and outpatients in the CRH Clinics with various providers and in a variety of modalities (face-to-face, VVC, and phone if needed).
• Coordinate care of Veterans at other VA facilities within the VISN.
• Ability to coordinate video or phone visits based on CRH clinic and Veteran availability.
• Obtain appropriate inpatient and outpatient records and ensure they are appropriately entered into the VA computerized system to ensure availability for patient care
• Ability to operate computerized programs and databases to enter, modify and retrieve sensitive information/data into or from electronic medical records, scheduling systems, and/or reports.
• Knowledge of basic medical terminology and more specific terminology as needed for problem solving and communication with Specialty teams
• Ability to communicate effectively and professionally with Veterans and employees at varying grade levels.
• Ability to identify concerns, perform the tasks required to resolve the issue accurately and timely, and follow up as necessary to ensure a satisfactory resolution
• Ability to make appointments in a clinical setting.
• Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties, including setting priorities and coordinating work within a complex range of Primary Care, Mental Health, and/or Specialty CRH clinics.

Work Schedule: Monday to Friday - 8:00am - 4:30pm
Telework: Available-per agency policy
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 25048F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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.
• 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

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.
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f)
• Education. High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.

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).

Grandfathering Provision.
Employees in VHA in this occupation, under a permanent, appropriate, and legal placement on the effective date of the qualification standard, are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and/or assignment held, including positive education and registration/certification where applicable. For employees who do not meet all the basic or assignment-specific requirements in this standard but met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply:
(1) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
(2) Employees retained in this occupation under this provision who subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.

Grade Determinations: Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) GS-6
Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade

AND

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.

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-6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-6.

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:

• Customer Service
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Teamwork

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.