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File Clerk

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Veterans Health Administration

Summary

This position is located in the Veterans Affairs (VA), Veteran's Health Administration (VHA), Butler VA Medical Center (VAMC), located in the Health Information Management Section (HIMS) of Health Administration Service (HAS). The primary duties 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
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$37,644 - $48,940 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 4
Promotion potential
None
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Not required
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
CBSZ-13113008-27-MB
Control number
892742300

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to CTAP, ICTAP and Status candidates only. Documentation required to verify eligibility.

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Duties

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Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:00am - 3:30pm
Position Description/PD#: File Clerk/PD529-07262A

Major duties Include but not limited to:
This position is responsible for carrying out a variety of health information functions. The incumbent performs duties related to the receipt, intake, scanning, indexing, quality control, destruction, and transfer of health and administrative information.

  • Electronically scan various health information documents into VistA Imaging
  • Assures that the scanned documents are associated to the correct patient and note.
  • 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.
  • Notifies the Lead File Clerk/Supervisor when images are scanned into the wrong patient's record, are indexed incorrectly or are corrupted.
  • Reviews documents for appropriate scanning criteria and ensures that all necessary health/administrative information meeting the criteria is integrated into CPRS through the PC scanning software and hardware.
  • Scans loose tiling by indexing the loose material to the appropriate Clinical or Administrative setup in VistA Imaging to facilitate future reference.
  • Correctly indexes all documents imported from other devices or sources, including pdf, tiff, jpeg files, etc. in VistA Imaging.
  • Maintains confidentiality of all electronic records and paper components of the health record;
  • Follows appropriate procedures when mailing and destroying health information in paper or electronic format; and ensures sensitive (employee-Veteran) health records are maintained in an extra-secure manner and available only to requesters in the scope of their official duties.
  • Utilizes a computer to perform a wide variety of record keeping, correspondence, and tracking operations and performs timely filing, retrieval, and clerical duties associated with the retention, maintenance, disposition, guardianship and control of health records in both terminal digit and alphabetic tiling systems.
  • Responsible for communicating/contacting daily, or as necessary, with other administrative and clinical staff members to locate/obtain health records.
  • Introduces and explains non-VA health record documents to medical center staff and assists them in understanding how to recognize which nomenclature and indexing term to use.
  • Retrieves records using a combination of computer-based patient treatment history and historical record transactions to deduce locations of hard-to-find records;
  • References VistA Imaging and patient locator cards to support Release of Information activities; and conducts extensive searches for health records when initial searches have been unsuccessful.
Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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
  • Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
  • 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, 11/27/2026.

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

  • General Experience: You must possess one (1) full year of general experience consisting of progressively responsible clerical, office, or other related work. General experience would include: working/troubleshooting with image scanning hardware and software, filing and retrieving electronic files, records retention procedures and knowledge of processes fora electronic filing systems. Communicating and maintaining confidentiality to internal and external customers through various methods including email, phone, fax, computer. Past job experience with high attention to detail and organization skills are required. OR,
  • Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must possess two (2) years of successfully completed education ABOVE high school level graduation in any field. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED). OR,
  • Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond ???t????hat required for the next lower grade. For this series/grade combination only education in excess of (1) year above high school will be computed as a percentage toward the total amount of education and experience. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED)..
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

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

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.

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

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:

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

Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator.

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?

Agency contact information

Margie Brooks
Phone
(412) 822-1090
Email
margie.brooks@va.gov
Address
VA Butler Healthcare
353 North Duffy Road
Butler, PA 16001
US

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