Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Summary

These positions are part of the Office of Community Care at the Hampton VAMC in Hampton, Virginia. The incumbent performs work that impacts the timely administrative aspect of patient care including administrative coordination of patient care and appointments and logistical factors associated with direct patient care, inpatient & outpatient, related to the coordination of care between Hampton VA Medical Center and outside facilities.

Duties

Help

VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant :

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

The AMSA works collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model within the Office of Community Care. Duties can include but are not limited to :

• Assist Veterans by explaining community programs, coordinating their care in the community through various avenues and provide customer service to be the patient's liaison between the VA Medical Center and the community provider.
• Receive, review and process requests for non-VA care from healthcare providers, ensuring compliance with local purchased care policy, duplication, VHA national scheduling guidelines and other identified expectations.
• Use judgment to interpret guidelines, adapt procedures, decide approaches and resolve specific problems. The work involves the execution of specific rules, regulations, or procedures and typically comprises a complete segment of an assignment or project of broader scope. The work product or service affects the accuracy, reliability, or acceptability of further processes or services.
• Perform a variety of administrative functions associated with patient care and treatment for Community Care services which includes inpatient, outpatient, and / or GEC program services. The incumbent must acquire knowledge of internal organizational procedures, knowledge of various facility services, multiple computer software systems, VA acronyms and abbreviations.
• Create and issue authorizations for approved care, assist with vendor location when needed, and resolves barrier to obtain Community Care to avoid patient care delay.
• Coordinate with Community Care team(s) to review consult utilization by using various reports and communication methods to effectively support the needs of the team.
• Ensure timely clinical response to patients that potentially have an emergent or urgent care need and to serve as liaison between patients and the Office of Community Care staff and management.
• Obtain medical information from patients, transcribes this information accurately in the appropriate system, and communicates effectively and timely to community partners and within the service to clinicians and nurses within the Office of Community Care.
• Schedule, cancel, or reschedule appointments in accordance with VHA national scheduling and VA MISSION Act guidelines. Verify and update demographics and insurance information.
• Retrieve and respond to data generated from Audio Care system.
• Answer phone calls in a courteous and timely manner, determine the nature of requests and utilize the information to meet patient needs and comply with privacy rules and OCC processes.
• Conduct outbound phone calls in response to Veterans' requests to reschedule cancelled appointments or continuation of services as necessary.

Work Schedule : 8am-4 : 30pm (Monday thru Friday)

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus) : Not authorized.

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance) : 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)

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.

Virtual : This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 000000

Permanent Change of Station (PCS) : Not authorized.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

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. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider :

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements :

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 : For Advanced Medical Support Assistant, GS-6 : One year of experience at or equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-5. In addition to the Basic Requirements defined above, the incumbent must demonstrate the following KSAs :

Preferred Experience : Office of Community Care

Reference : For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6.

Physical Requirements : The work performed is mostly sedentary.

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 : 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 :

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.

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.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Help

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.