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Health Benefits Assistant

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Veterans Integrated Service Network 6 (VISN 6), at the Charles George VA Medical Center (CGVAMC), in Asheville, North Carolina, within the Eligibility and Enrollment Department or the Health Administration Service (HAS). The incumbent provides· a high level of administrative and data support to HAS to include the Community-Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs).

Overview

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Job canceled
Open & closing dates
01/14/2022 to 01/27/2022
Salary
$36,118 to - $46,953 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 5
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Asheville, NC
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
5
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
CBTA-11353453-22-LW
Control number
631412000

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Duties

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Duties Include but are not limited to:

  • Serves as advisor and expert to the HAS Section Chiefs and support the management information components of all health eligibility related programs.
  • Reviewing reports, records and statistical computations for accuracy and propriety.
  • Reviews Incomplete Encounter Management Module (IEMM) report to clean up any discrepancies in administrative data that would prevent the transmission of encounters.
  • Reviews, verifies, and analyzes submitted data for consistency with. financial and program objectives, and adherence to eligibility-related VA directives (i.e., Means tests, Co-Pay tests, etc.) to register Veterans for health care.
  • Reviews data provided and determines if data is usable for entry into the appropriate database and/or compiling into reports.
  • Responsible for determining the need for and assisting Veterans in completing Hardship Applications (VA Form 10-10HS).
  • Assess Veteran eligibility to determine the need for Hardships and/or Deductible Waivers and will alert Billing Technicians to assist with the process.
  • Interviewing the Veteran to obtain the required information; entering data and information into the database; using· sound judgement (utilizing VA Regulation·s) to make recommendation of Hardship. approval or denial; forwarding prepared letter of recommendation of approval/denial to Supervisor and providing follow up with Veteran.
  • Scanning appropriate documents into the Veteran's medical record (CPRS).
  • Reviewing reports, tracking Log entries, records, patient registration and appointment records and numerical computations (e.g. income totals-and periods/years of military service) for accuracy and correctness.
  • Responsible for coordinating with a multitude of Services.
  • Providing thorough customer service to Veterans while assisting with VA Forms.
  • Ability to gather extensive information associated with Veteran's military service (i.e. combat time and areas of combat, hazardous, conflict zones, environmental factors (e.g. Agent Orange, nose/throat radiation.
  • Utilize data entry programs specific to the Health Eligibility Center (HEC) to input data for registrations.
  • Ability to utilize a multitude of software platforms for verification purposes.
  • Ability to effectively communicate verbally and in writing with a variety of people from different backgrounds and different levels of understanding in order to respond to questions and inquiries in written correspondence and-face-:-to-face with Veterans.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm
Compressed/Flexible: Not Available
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Health Benefits Assistant/PD043130
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
  • All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
  • You may be required to serve a probationary period
  • Subject to background/security investigation
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
  • Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
  • Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Personnel

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/27/2022.

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 GS-05 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-04. 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:

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:
Comprehensive knowledge of pertinent eligibility and enrollment laws, regulations, policies, guidelines, and procedures to determine veterans eligibility for care: input data from documents into appropriate database; provide financial guidance to applicants based on means and co-pay test; and explain eligibility information to applicant. Ability to utilize databases to review documentation and history; review records to ensure consult are scheduled; tracking and monitoring veteran information; compile and review data for monthly reports, spreadsheets, and local documents; thorough knowledge of the organizational and interdepartmental relationship of an active acute Medical Center to gather information; to facilitate the exchange of information. Provide exceptional customer service; knowledge of the registration process, entering a means test, and updating demographics; thorough working knowledge of other computer systems necessary to manage, control, secure, coordinate, and implement computer activities. Ability to effectively communicate verbally and in writing with a variety of people from different backgrounds and different levels of understanding in order to respond to questions and inquiries in written correspondence and face-to-face with veterans.

OR,

Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed 4 years above high school (Transcript 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 successfully completed 4 years above high school (Transcript Required).

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

  • Communication
  • Computer Skills
  • Decision Support
  • Interpersonal Skills


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.

Note: 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.

Physical Requirements: This is primarily a sedentary position, but the work requires some walking, bending·; stooping and carrying of light objects such as manuals, documents, etc. Concentration and sustained performance under prolonged stress is required because of the time-factors involved in completion of work assignments within deadlines.

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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or 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.

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.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/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/.

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

As required by Executive Order 14043, Federal employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 regardless of the employee's duty location or work arrangement (e.g., telework, remote work, etc.), subject to such exceptions as required by law. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required exception from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

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 WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

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.

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.

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