Supervisory Medical Support Assistant

Supervisory Medical Support Assistant

This Supervisory Medical Support Assistant (SMSA) position is in the Health Administration Service of the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center located in Houston, Texas. Responsibilities include planning and directing programs at medical centers and / or satellite outpatient clinics, having full supervisory responsibility for supervising at least one subordinate team leader or supervisor. The employee has full administrative and professional responsibility for planning and directing the MSAs' activities. Responsible for extracting and analyzing data in order to provide reports in support of performance measures to senior management. Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to :

• Assigning and evaluating the work of subordinate staff
• Resolving complex problems to ensure patient services are met
• Evaluating new products, equipment, and systems in order to make recommendations for improved operations
• Identifying educational or training needs
• Making final decisions on selections
• Evaluating performance, and taking disciplinary action when necessary
• Must be able to train staff on the requirements of VHA Scheduling Directives and complete accurate scheduling responsibilities
• Responsible for assuring accurate appointment management and the coordination of all administrative information between the professional staff and the patient
• Promotes veteran registration for and utilization of MyHealtheVet (MHV)

Work Schedule : Monday - Friday; 07 : 30 am - 4 : 00 pm

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus) : Not authorized

Pay : Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).

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 : Not available

Functional Statement # : 00010-F

Permanent Change of Station (PCS) : Not authorized

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. 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.

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.

Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.

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.

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; OR, (2) Education. One year above high school; OR, (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. Medical Support Assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Policy.

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).

Grade Determinations :

To qualify for the GS-08 level, your resume must demonstrate you possess the required experience necessary to possess the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) required for the grade. Be specific when describing the job duties that demonstrate you possess the KSAs listed. Resume must include hours per week for work experience credit.

Supervisory Medical Support Assistant, GS-08 : (a) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level leading or supervising MSAs or equivalent administrative patient support staff in a non-VA medical inpatient, outpatient, or interdisciplinary setting. Experience includes : Utilizing patient systems to provide interdisciplinary support to multiple clinics, providing staff training, managing staff workload, following up on pending issues OR Performing supervisory duties including work assignments, performance evaluations, selection of staff, delegating authority, providing staff development, and overseeing people and programs in a patient support setting.

(b) Assignment. Supervisory MSAs at this level plan and direct programs at medical centers and / or satellite outpatient clinics. They have full responsibility for supervising at least one subordinate MSA team leader, supervisor, or equivalent administrative patient support staff in a non-VA medical inpatient, outpatient, or interdisciplinary setting. Assignments at this level include but are not limited to : evaluating the work of subordinate staff; resolving complex problems to ensure patient services are met; evaluating new products, equipment, and systems to make recommendations for improved operations; identifying educational or training needs; making final decisions on hiring selections; evaluating performance, and taking disciplinary action when necessary. The employee has administrative and professional responsibility for planning and directing the subordinate lead, supervisor, and MSA's activities. Responsible for extracting and analyzing data to provide reports to senior management in support of tracking measures.

(c) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below :

Reference : For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https : / / www.va.gov / ohrm / QualificationStandards /

The full performance level of this vacancy is the GS-08. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is the GS-08.

Physical Requirements : Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, puling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.

Work Environment : Work is performed in an office / clinic setting with minimal risks that requires