Summary The purpose of the position is to serve as Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) for the Eligibility Unit of the HAS/Business Office at the NY Harbor Healthcare System, St. Albans VAMC within the Business Office. The incumbent verifies eligibility/entitlement for benefits of all applicants using various methods including income assessments, military discharge documents, computer hospital inquiry VIS and other means, such as communications with VA Regional Office or VA Records Processing Centers. Responsibilities Major Duties and responsibilities of the position: Responsible for a wide range of assignments related to the provision of medical benefits and providing administrative support to the Unit. The Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) interviews patients applying for medical benefits. Advises the veterans of their entitlement to various medical benefits and discusses copayment requirements of veterans in discretionary categories. Demonstrates an understanding of policies associated with coordinated care delivery by contacting centralized scheduling on behalf of the veteran at the time of initial registration to book an appointment for a PCP. Demonstrate the ability to facilitate communication with a wide range of medical clinicians over a variety of disciplines. This would include medical doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, clinical pharmacists, and nursing staff. Communication with providers entails information on eligibility for medical care. This communication may also involve discussion on any applicable co-payments in relation to medical care provided. Demonstrates the ability to communicate effectively through various means such as by phone, in person or electronically. Provides exceptional customer service by listening to the customer's needs, identifying their concerns, and assisting them in resolving any problems. Prepare reports and provide information based on patient inquiries. The reports pertain to lists of ineligible veterans, veterans with incorrect addresses that need to be updated, veterans that request enrollments, and need to be scheduled with a PCP, to name a few. Independently sets goals and organizes work to meet deadlines. Has an advanced knowledge of facility policies, medical terminology, and procedures as they relate to patient care. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM- 4:30 PM Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 24023-F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment 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. English Language Proficiency: MSAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.j. Experience and/or Education Experience: Six months experience of clerical, office, customer service, or other administrative work that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position; OR, Education: One year above high school; OR, Experience/Education Combination: Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable. 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). Creditable Experience Knowledge of MSA Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with current MSA responsibilities or an equivalent administrative patient support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting. Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid/non-paid employment as an MSA or an equivalent position in a non-VA hospital or clinic setting. Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to MSA experience or equivalent administrative clinical support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting at the next lower grade level. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty), and a range of varieties as described in this standard, at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience as an MSA or equivalent administrative patient support in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time work week. For example, an MSA employed 20 hours a week, or on a 1/2-time basis, would receive one full-time work week of credit for each two weeks of service. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following education and/or experience criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: Experience: Must have one (1) year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level, performing duties including but not limited to: independently perform a full range of duties related to the delivery of healthcare services in an inpatient or outpatient setting. Scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient appointments and/or consults; entering no-show information; monitoring appointment requests from multiple electronic sources; participating in huddles with other MSAs and/or clinic staff to determine the daily needs of the clinic, monitoring both inpatient and outpatient appointments in areas of responsibility; verifying and updating demographics and insurance information when patients check-in for appointments. Coordinates administrative functions relating to emergency and non-emergency transfers. AND; Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: 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. Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations. 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. 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. 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. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is a GS-06. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. Education Important: Transcripts must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. There is no education substitution for this grade level (GS-06). Education can ONLY be used to meet the qualifications for the BASIC REQUIREMENTS. 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 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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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. 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. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. This Position is listed on the FY25 HT38 Shortage - VP Waived. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. 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.
