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File Clerk

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
VA Central California Health Care System - Health Administration Service

Summary

This is the full performance level of the position. This position is in the section of Health Information Management (HIM) section, under the Health Administration Services (HAS136) at the Central California Healthcare System (VACCHCS) in Fresno, CA. The primary duties of this position are to maintain accessible records and provide efficient service for direct and indirect patient care by managing the receipt and scanning of health documents in a timely and accurate manner.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$32,598 - $42,382 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 3
Promotion potential
3
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
CBSW-13109047-27-DC
Control number
891710800

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This vacancy is open to current employees of the Fresno VA (VACCHCS) only. This includes the employees from the Community Based Outpatient Clinics that fall under the Fresno VA.

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Duties

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This position performs duties related to the receipt, intake, scanning, indexing, quality control, destruction, and transfer of medical and administrative information. File Clerk controls all information arriving and leaving the medical center from HIM section. The VACCHCS in Fresno, California has a requirement for indexing of medical and administrative active record files into Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) Imaging, an electronic medical records system. These services include accurately attaching indexed images to the appropriate electronic health record. Accuracy is extremely important to maintaining the integrity of the medical record. The File Clerk shall provide all resources necessary to accomplish the requirements described in this position description. Specifically, the File Clerk shall perform file room services, or scanning/importing and indexing of newly generated and backlogged clinical documentation for inclusion into the health record, including VACC documentation at specified VAMCs in a defined, accurate, timely, measurable, and fiscally responsible manner that protects the interests of VA.

Duties include but are not limited to:

Utilizes a computer to perform a wide variety of record keeping, correspondence, and tracking operations and performs timely filing, retrieval, and clerical duties, including the use of computerized records tracking via alphanumeric or decimal systems associated with the retention, maintenance, disposition, guardianship, and control of administrative and medical records in both terminal digit numeric and alphabetic filing systems. File Clerk will regularly leverage the use of Microsoft Office programs such as Outlook, Teams, Excel, and Word.

Other duties include the receiving, indexing, scanning, and assignment of appropriate nomenclature to health and administrative information, as assigned, for incorporation into the correct patient's record in the Computerized Patient Records System (CPRS.) File Clerk will index documents by tagging, labeling, and categorizing the record making it readily accessible and retrievable. This will include identifying and extracting key identifiers from within each record and ensuring instantaneous cross-referencing and retrieval of any file or document via text-based searches within CPRS, VistA Imaging Capture, and various linked VHA sharepoint dashboards. Careful review and attention to detail is required. This work impacts patient safety and allows all providers across the medical center clinical services and the Emergency Department to quickly review medical records because of proper indexing avoiding detrimental delays in care.

The File Clerk is responsible for electronically scanning various paper medical information documents into the VistA Imaging and assuring that the scanned documents are associated to the correct patient and note (unless it is an Administrative or Clinical type document) in the CPRS through document indexing.

The File Clerk will provide recommendations to improve filing/scanning procedures that are associated with the tasks in this position and providing statistical data related to loose filing and files previously and currently unaccounted.

Must be flexible to manage a workload that is not consistent from day-to-day to undertake a variety of other administrative duties as assigned by the Chief of HIM or File Room Supervisor.

When records are received, the File Clerk reviews all necessary medical/administrative information for appropriate scanning criteria and ensures that all necessary health/administrative information meeting the criteria is integrated into CPRS through the personal computer (PC) scanning software and hardware. File Clerk determines where to classify materials/documents and cross-references the patient chart to discern where the record is to be appropriately indexed.

The File Clerk ensures prior to scanning that all paper clips, staples, tape, and loose hanging tape are removed from the documents. The File Clerk ensures that records will be identified with Name-Date of Birth-and last 4 of SSN before scanning. The File Clerk scans loose filing by indexing the loose material to the appropriate Clinical or Administrative setup in VistA Imaging to facilitate future reference. The File Clerk also correctly indexes all documents imported from other devices or sources, including pdf, tiff, jpeg files, etc. in VistA Imaging. After completing the scanning and indexing process, confirms record integrity and reviews the image quality in the VistA Imaging display. Ensures regular quality checks are carried out according to prescribed timeframes and criteria. Must index this information using PCNistA application bridges.

Other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm or as determined by supervisor
Position Description/PD#: File Clerk/PD03614A

Requirements

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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
  • 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, 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, 11/12/2026.

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 position you must have served 52 weeks at the . 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. 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.

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

  • Experience: You must have 6 months of experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of experience would typically include, but are not limited to:
    • Knowledge of multiple systems and current computer technology regarding imaging applications, PC scanning applications, and numerous VistA applications.
    • Uses computer skills to carry out duties associated with scanning, indexing of images, errors, and other tracking data.
    • Knowledge of the content and format of medical and administrative records, including the filing sequence of documents, as well as filing systems and procedures. OR,
  • Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 1 year above high school. OR,
  • Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of experience and education beyond 1 year above high school.
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/.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

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:

  • Attention to Detail
  • Clerical
  • Computer Skills
  • Customer Service
  • Flexibility
  • Information Management
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Teamwork


Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. 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. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

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.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

Veterans Health Administration

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate whole health care to Veterans?

VA Central California Health Care System (VACCHCS), located in Fresno, California, is part of VA Sierra Pacific Network (VISN21), which includes facilities in California, Nevada, and Hawaii. VACCHCS is a 57-bed acute care, general medical and surgical center with state of the art primary, secondary and tertiary care in major diagnostic, and treatment specializations. In addition, a 54-bed Community Living Center (CLC) is located on campus and provides skilled nursing and rehabilitation care.

More History can be found here: https://www.fresno.va.gov/about/index.asp

Agency contact information

Diana Contreras
Phone
415-244-3732
Email
diana.contreras@va.gov
Address
Fresno VA Medical Center
2615 East Clinton Avenue
Fresno, CA 93703
US

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https://vacareers.va.gov/

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