Summary The incumbent serves as a Medical Support Assistant in the Specialty Care section of the Patient Business Office. This position serves the VA Ambulatory Care Center in Columbus Ohio. They will be assigned to work at the main Ambulatory Care Center, but may be required to work at other locations as necessary (VACC Call Center, Specialty Care and any of the community outpatient clinics.) Responsibilities Provides full supervision to the ambulatory care section consisting of one GS 7 Lead MSA, and 4 Advanced MSAs. Plans and directs the program and have full supervisory responsibility. Evaluates the work of subordinate staff, they ensure staff are well trained in health administrative activities as they relate to patient reception, data entry, scheduling, appointment management and enrollment/eligibility and patient registration. Hire, train and orient Medical Support Assistants. Reviews and evaluates work and meets with individual employees to discuss work progress. Prepares the formal appraisal for the MSAs. Develops functional statements, competencies, performance standards and training plans for employees. Responsible for recruitment and position management, ensuring that appropriate staffing levels are met to meet the needs of the veteran workload in the assigned units. Responsible for interviewing candidates and makes selections regarding appointments, promotions and reassignments. Serves as leave approving official and will ensure leave is acted upon appropriately, work schedules are coordinated and timecards are certified. Revises work schedules according to staffing and workload demand. Resolves informal/formal grievances of employee complaints, reviews and approves disciplinary action. Responsible for creating and maintain an atmosphere that is free of discrimination and harassment of any nature by ensuring compliance with the agency's EEO policies. Assigned as an approving official and will ensure appropriate funds are managed and actions taken timely to resolve any funding issues. Keeps track of control point balances and activities. Reviews requests for approval and approves requests timely resolving any issues to ensure funds are available. Communicates with budget/fiscal staff, control point clerks and management to coordinate control point process. Analyzing, reporting and reviewing budgetary costs for assigned unit. Provide monthly reports and take steps to ensure cost saving measures are implemented in the program. Assigned as control point clerk/ official and/or responsible for payment of invoices through the OLCS. Resolves complex problems to ensure patient services are met; evaluating new products, equipment, and systems to make recommendations for improved clinic operations. Identifies educational and training needs and ensure compliance with all mandatory training requirements. Responsible for extracting and analyzing data to provide reports to senior management in support of tracking measures. VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Full Time, M - F 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Ad-Hoc (Per Agency Need) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 91126-0 Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. You may be required to serve a trial period. 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 dentification 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). 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. Experience and Education. (1) 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; (2) Education. One year above high school; (3) Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable. Certification. None required. 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. Grade Determinations: Supervisory Medical Support Assistant, GS-8 Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level leading or supervising MSAs or equivalent administrative patient support staff in a non-VA medical inpatient, outpatient, or interdisciplinary setting. Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities. In addition, the applicant must meet demonstrate all of the KSAs below. Ability to provide the full range of administrative and supervisory duties to at least one subordinate MSA supervisor or team leader in a patient support setting which includes assignment of work, performance evaluations, selection of staff, and recommendation of awards and/or advancements. Ability to collaborate, communicate, and demonstrate customer service and interpersonal skills with internal and external customers to ensure quality/continuity of care and ensure compliance with established policies and regulations. Ability to provide briefings, orientations, staff development, and training in a patient support setting. Ability to manage fiscal matters, forecast resource and equipment needs, and identify budget needs. Advanced knowledge of managing or leading patient support staff in a clinic. This includes independently utilizing reference sources, decision making, and empowering the team to collaborate and resolve problems within a complex systems environment. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary, although some walking, bending and light lifting may be required. The incumbent is located at an on-site location in a typical office setting within Office of Community Care. The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. Education There is no educational substitute to qualify for this grade level of the Medical Support Assistance Series occupation. 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 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. 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.
