Medical Support Assistant

Medical Support Assistant Position

Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial Va Medical Center is looking to fill a Medical Support Assistant position at the main facility in Walla Walla, WA. The list generated from this announcement can be used up to 90 days to fill any additional vacancies that may arise. Medical Support Assistants provide administrative support to our clinical colleagues in the care of our Nation's Veterans. Our mission is to provide efficient and effective healthcare services by promoting and enabling the delivery of timely, accurate, accessible health care. Va is committed to cultivating a dedicated workforce of highly skilled employees who understand, believe in and take pride in Va's mission. Msas are essential to the success of this mission and may be assigned to many areas (service lines) of the medical center that have a need.

Duties :

• Scheduling appointments in accordance with national scheduling guidelines, including interpreting and verifying provider orders.
• Scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient's appointments and / or consults; entering no-show information; monitoring the electronic wait list; preparing for clinic visits; monitoring both inpatient and outpatient appointments for areas of responsibility; ensuring encounter forms are completed in order to obtain appropriate workload credit; verifying and updating demographics and insurance information; processing all emergency and non-emergency transfers to other Va facilities or private hospitals; performing basic eligibility, co-pays and pre-authorization requirements for specific coverage.

Work Schedule : Typical tour of duty is Monday-Friday 8am-4 : 30pm. Available tours will be discussed during the interview process.

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus) : Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance) : Not Authorized

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 : Not Available

Functional Statement # : 000000

Permanent Change of Station (PCS) : Not Authorized

Requirements :

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 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).

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 :

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

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 3j

Grade Determinations :

Gs-5 Msa (Full Performance Level) Experience or Education. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (experience working in a medical or clinic setting, scheduling appointments, referring patients to specialty clinics, collecting insurance documentation, documentation in electronic health records, and advanced medical terminology) or 4 years of education above high school (must provide Transcripts if using Education to qualify)

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate the Ksas below :

Ability to operate computerized programs and systems in order to enter, modify, and retrieve sensitive [medical and patient identifying] information (pii) into or from electronic health records, scheduling systems, and / or reports.

Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients.

Ability to [schedule medical] appointments in a clinical setting.

Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work.

Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and / or by telephone, with internal and external customers.

Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution.

Preferred Experience :

One-year experience working in a medical or clinic setting, scheduling appointments, referring patients to specialty clinics, collecting insurance documentation, documentation in electronic health records, and advanced medical terminology.

Reference : Va Handbook 5005 / 117, Medical Support Assistant Qualification Standard, Gs-679. Published August 1, 2019

The full performance level of this vacancy is Gs-5.

Physical Requirements :

The work is mostly sedentary but may require periods of standing or walking however, there are no physical requirements for the 0679 Medical Support Assistant occupation.

Education :

Important : 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 :

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.

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.

Veterans' Preference : Does not pertain to this announcement per the OCHCO bulletin, Annual Determination of Staffing Shortages. This bulletin is in effect through September 30, 2026.