### JOB SUMMARY:
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) needs employees who possess the energy, compassion, and commitment to serve those who served our Country. Whatever the job title, every position in VA will give will give you a chance to make a meaningful and personal contribution to the lives of truly special and deserving people - our Veterans.
Identification Number (VIN) 1610012
**This is an External Announcement open to current federal employees of other agencies and U.S. Citizen.**
**Current permanent Dayton VA and VISN 10 employees should apply under job announcement: KO-16-CBu-1609862-BU**
**OUR MISSION:**To fulfill President Lincoln's promise – "To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan" – by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans.
As a VA professional, your opportunities are endless. With many openings in the multiple functions of VA, you will have a wide range of opportunities and leadership positions at your fingertips. Not only is it the largest, most technologically advanced integrated health care system in the Nation, but we also provide many other services to Veterans through the Benefits Administration and National Cemeteries.
VA offers generous paid time off and a variety of predictable and flexible scheduling opportunities. For more information on the Department of Veterans Affairs, go to http://www.vacareers.va.gov
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.**
### TRAVEL REQUIRED
* Not Required
### RELOCATION AUTHORIZED
* No
### KEY REQUIREMENTS
* Must pass pre-employment examination
* Must be proficient in written and spoken English
* Designated and-or Random Drug Testing required
* Background and-or Security Investigation required
* Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
* * *
### DUTIES:
The Medical Support Assistant is located at the Dayton VA Medical Center, Patient Business Service. The Medical Support Assistant is assigned to the Emergency Department (ED) and is responsible for administrative and clerical duties in support of patient care.
(1). The incumbent provides outstanding customer service on a routine basis by actively listening to customers with respect and concern; pays attention to details of the customer’s needs and helps the customer arrive at a satisfactory solution in a timely manner. The incumbent responds to inquiries from Veterans, Medical Center staff and other agencies regarding Veteran’s entitlement to care. Incumbent utilizes his/her knowledge of ED procedures and processes in order to accurately enter visits in VISTA in accordance with existing procedures and guidelines.
(2). The incumbent serves as a point of contact for patients, medical center staff and other community agencies in a dynamic and fast-paced environment. Employs organization and quick-thinking kills in order to complete daily tasks. Incumbent demonstrates proper telephone etiquette: answers phones with name, and provides location where call is answered; determines priority of inquiries and either responds to and/or routes calls to appropriate individual(s) for resolution. Incumbent will meet customers’ needs while operating within VA, VHA and local operating policies and guidelines. Customers include Veterans, family members, physicians, nurses, peers/co-workers, and all other medical center staff; visitors to the medical center. Maintains professional working relationship with all staff within the workplace.
(3). The incumbent develops and manages a system for tracking needed follow up care (consults, test, etc), and communicating with the patient and team as necessary; fully participates in team meetings where patient care planning and management occur; uses considerable independent judgment and critical thinking skills in order to render the appropriate administrative assistance for the functioning of the Emergency Department. The medical support assistant provides training for medical staff, including new administrative staff to the basic administrative policies and procedures dealing with the functioning of the ED. He.he uses appropriate VA applications to perform check in of ED patients (VISTA, ICB, Pre-registration, Registration, etc.); follows current procedures for notification of ED staff of patient’s arrival/check-in; develops working knowledge of policies, regulations and procedures regarding Veterans healthcare programs, patient eligibility, and primary care processes; provide instructions to other employees, instruct Veterans, and is relied upon to solve unusual issues independently; serves as a patient advocate and facilitates the Service Recovery process; identifies process improvement opportunities and make adjustments as needed for the benefit of the customer; all without violating operating guidelines.
(4.) The MSA is able to independently manage position responsibilities and meet deadlines; set priorities and deadlines, and adjusts the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs; demonstrates technical competency in the use of the VISTA and CPRS systems in order to enter and.r retrieve data for patient care, i.e., lab and x-ray orders; utilizes the Pre-Registration Menu option to validate the accuracy of enrolled patient database with each encounter: by telephone and/or in person; validates data which includes patient demographics, health insurance information, income assessments for the Means Test and Pharmacy Co-pay Exemption Programs as mandated by law. Failure to correctly and frequently update customer database may result in inaccurate billing of patients and result in missed opportunities to fully capture productivity in human and financial resource.
**Work Schedule: **3:30 p.m. - Midnight
* * *
### QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:
**BASIC REQUIREMENTS.
** **a.** Citizenship.** Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g.)
** **b.** Experience and Education
** **(1)** Experience. **Six months experience of clerical, office or other 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.
c.** Certification. **None required.
d.**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 REQUIREMENTS: **The following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.
**GS-5 MSA (Full Performance Level)
(a) **Experience or Education. **One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level or 4 years of education above high school.
(b) **Assignment. **This is the full performance level for MSAs. At this level, the MSA performs a full range of duties. The MSA is responsible for scheduling appointments, including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines. Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: 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 preauthorization requirements for specific coverage (i.e., TRICARE, sharing agreements, etc.).
(c) **Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. **Candidates must demonstrate the KSAs below:
*1*. Ability to operate computerized programs and databases in order to enter, modify and retrieve sensitive information/data into or from electronic medical records, scheduling systems and/or reports.
*2*. Knowledge of basic medical terminology.
*3*. Ability to make appointments in a clinical setting.
*4*. Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties, including setting priorities and coordinating work.
*5*. Ability to communicate effectively and professionally with employees at varying grade levels.
6. Ability to identify customer's concerns, perform the tasks required to resolve the issue accuratley and timely, and follow-up as necessary to ensure a satisfactory resolution.
**PLEASE NOTE: ** Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement.) Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. 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.
**Physical Requirements:******Work is mostly sedentary. There will be some periods of walking, bending, lifting or carrying of work related items. Normal safety precautions and practices are required of working in a healthcare environment. This position requires emotional ability to deal effectively with multi-tasking and high volume of patient flow and competing demands.
**Veterans' Preference:** When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference on the Occupational Questionnaire in the section provided and provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) and/or documentation related to your active duty service which shows dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), or dates of impending separation.
Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veterans Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. For more information, please review the information for disabled Veterans in the application checklist or visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx.
### HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.
Your application, résumé and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.
**NOTE:**The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-05.
The Professional Standards Board (a peer-review group) will recommend the grade and salary at which the candidate will be placed. For internal selectees eligible for promotion, the board will determine grade and HR will determine step in accordance with policy. ****
* * *
### BENEFITS:
VA offers a comprehensive benefits package. This link provides is an overview of the benefits currently offered:http://www.vacareers.va.gov/why-choose-va/benefits/index.asp.**
Receiving Service Credit for 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.
### OTHER INFORMATION:
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.
* * *
### HOW TO APPLY:
**All applicants are encouraged to apply online.**
**To apply for this position**, you must complete the View Occupational Questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on Tuesday, February 16, 2016 to receive consideration.
1. To begin, click **Apply Online** to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click **Submit My Answers** to submit your application package.
*NOTE*: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
### REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:
All applicants are _**required**_ to submit the following supporting document type(s):
* Other (Other 10-2850 C application and or other documents in checklist)
* Resume
Applicants may also submit the following supporting document type(s),which may not be required for all applicants:
* Cover Letter
* DD-214
* OF-306
* Other Veterans Document
* SF-15
* SF-50
* Transcript
******VA Form 10-2850c** - Application for Associated Health Occupations (Available at http://www.va.gov/vaforms/medical/pdf/vha-10-2850c-fill.pdf) **(required)**.
Please use this checklist__to make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify),documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.
**Faxing Applications or Supporting Documents:**
You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. If you are unable to apply online or unable to upload your supporting documents to your online application, follow the directions located at the following site: Fax Options. The Vacancy ID of the job opportunity announcement is 1610012.
*NOTE*: If you applied online and your application is complete, do not fax the paper application (1203-FX) as this will overwrite your prior online responses and may result in you being found ineligible.__
### AGENCY CONTACT INFO:
Cheryl Bush
Phone: (937)268-6511x2499
Email: CHERYL.BUSH2@VA.GOV
Agency Information:
VHA Dayton VAMC
Department of Veteran Affairs
4100 West Third Street
HRM Service
Dayton, OH
45428
### WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT:
After we receive your complete application package (including all required documents), your qualifications will be reviewed and assigned an initial rating.
We will also review your application to make sure that your résumé supports the answers given in the questionnaire. If your résumé does not support your questionnaire answers, we will adjust your rating accordingly. Based on your ranking or numerical score, you may be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. You will be notified when your rating is determined.
*Job Title:* Medical Support Assistant -BU
*Department:* Department Of Veterans Affairs
*Agency:* Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration
*Control Number:* 427675500
*Job Announcement Number:* KO-16-CBu-1610012-BU