United States Citizens Excepted Service Permanent Full Time
**Vacancy Identification Number (VIN): 1277551**** **
* **THIS IS AN EXTERNAL ANNOUNCEMENT. CURRENT VA AND/OR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES SHOULD APPLY UNDER ANNOUNCEMENT VK-15-DF-1272009-BU.**
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* **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.
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* _** YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE**_
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* As a VA professional, your opportunities are endless. 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 professionals feel good about their careers and their ability to balance work and home life. 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/
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* **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.**
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* VA employee's must submit a copy of their last or most recent non-award SF-50 to indicate current federal status as a VA employee. Examples of SF-50's include: Appointment, Conversion, Transfer, Promotion, Reassignment, and/or Change to Lower Grade.
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* *****NOTE: Declining to be interviewed, failure to respond/accept interview attempts, or failure to report for a scheduled interview will be considered as a declination for further consideration for employment against this vacancy.*****
Must pass pre-employment examination English Language Proficiency required Designated and-or Random Drug Testing required Background and-or Security Investigation required Position is not suitable for telework. Selected Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
WORK SCHEDULE: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM TO 4:30 PM
The Lead Medical Support Assistant (MSA) coordinates workflow and assignments of staff and contract MSAs in the Telephone Care Program (TCP), while performing regular MSA duties such as gathering demographic data and the reason for calls, determining urgency of a call, and referring calls to the appropriate team member or other clinical and/or administrative staff as needed. He/she ensures the work assignments of all MSAs are efficiently and effectively completed. The Lead MSA is instrumental in coordinating work, assuring appropriate staffing, solving routine problems, and elevating concerns to the Nurse Manager when necessary. Duties include but may not be limited to:
* Provide on the spot guidance and leads the daily administrative activities.
* Insures that all clinic administrative requirements are completed accurately, in a timely manner and are meeting established standards.
* Provides on the job orientation and training to new employees and assures that current employees are up to date on all procedural requirements and changes.
* Continually monitors the TCP telephone system activity to ensure timely response to incoming calls. Notifies the Nurse Manager if waiting times or calls holding exceed the standard, and when aware of other significant problems.
* Actively participates in TCP planning, problem identification and problem resolution through multi-disciplinary program meetings..
* Works with the Nurse Manager to assure all URAC accreditation standards are met.
* Monitor calls in progress and review completed work to see that Nurse Manager's instruction of work sequence, procedures, methods and scheduling requirements have been met.
* Design training materials and spreadsheets necessary for tracking work progress in the unit.
* Resolves day-to-day problems relating to his/her programs and keeps the supervisor informed of situations that cannot be easily resolved. or those that may be impact or interest beyond the immediate office.
**BASIC REQUIREMENTS:**
* U.S. citizenship. Non-citizens may 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.
* 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
* Education - One year above high school; or
* Experience/Education Combination - Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable.
*Foreign Education* - To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U. S. programs.
**GRADE DETERMINATIONS**:
In addition to meeting the basic requirements, the applicant must have one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-6). This experience includes, but is not limited to: assuring coverage of all areas of responsibility; conducting ongoing reviews to ensure quality of work; ensuring accurate and timely scheduling of appointments; providing guidance to staff members to include changes in policies and procedures; distributing and balancing workload; creating and maintaining employee work schedules; orienting and providing on-the-job training for new and current employees; ensuring all training requirements are met; organizing the work structure of his/her assigned areas and acting as liaison between MSA and staff in order to resolve day to day conflicts.
In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and Abilities:
1. Ability to organize work, set priorities, and delegate tasks/responsibilities n order to meet deadlines.
2. Skill in communicating with individuals in order to obtain the desired effect, ensuring compliance with established policies and regulations.
3. Ability to provide staff development and training.
4. Ability to manage staffing requirements, manage priorities, and coordinate work in order to complete duties in an accurate and timely manner. This includes the ability to follow-up on pending issues and demonstrating an understanding of the impact of incomplete work.
5. Ability to review and monitor data to ensure all reports are complete and accurate.
Qualifying Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, Americorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
**IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE**
**References :****VA Handbook 5005/53, Part II, Appendix G45, MEDICAL SUPPORT ASSISTANT**QUALIFICATION STANDARD, dated June 7, 2012.****
**REQUIRED INFORMATION:**
**Physical Requirements:** This position requires light lifting and carrying under 15 pounds; reaching above shoulders; use of fingers, and both hands and legs; walking and standing up to 4 hours daily; repeated bending up to 3 hours; hearing with aid permitted; working closely with others and/or alone; protracted or irregular hours; and unusual emotional strain.
**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.
**Physical Requirements:** This position requires: heavy lifting, 45 pounds and over; moderate lifting, 15-44 pounds; heavy carrying, 45 pounds and over; pushing (2 hours); use of fingers; both hands required; walking (8 hours); kneeling (.25 hours); climbing, legs only (.25 hours); both legs required; near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; ability distinguish shades of colors; hearing (aid permitted). Environmental Factors: outside and inside; excessive heat; excessive noise, intermittent; dust; working closely with others; protracted or irregular hours of work; unusual emotional strain.
**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.
**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 Monday, December 29, 2014 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.
All applicants are _**required**_ to submit the following supporting document type(s):
Applicants may also submit the following supporting document type(s),which may not be required for all applicants:
* DD-214
* OF-306
* Other
* Other Veterans Document
* Resume
* SF-15
* SF-50
* Transcript
All applicants are required to submit the following supporting document(s):
* VA Form 10-2850c - Application for Associated Health Occupations (Available at http://www.va.gov/vaforms/medical/pdf/vha-10-2850c-fill.pdf)
* Resume
Applicants are not required, but highly encouraged to submit the following document:
* OF-306:http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/of0306.pdf
Applicants may also submit the following supporting document type(s), which may not be required for all applicants:
* **Cover Letter**
* **DD-214 Other**
* **Veterans Documents**
* **SF-15**
* **(Non-award) SF-50**
* **Transcripts**
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.
**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.
**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 VK-15-DF-127751-BU.
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. Working for the Department of Veterans Affairs offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, life insurance, health benefits, thrift savings plan, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. In addition to traditional "dollars and cents" benefits, we offer a range of benefits to help balance work and life. For more information please visit us at http://www4.va.gov/JOBS/Job_Benefits/benefits.asp .
This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.
**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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employees credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave.
**Reasonable Accommodation:**This office provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If requested and appropriate, and you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify this office either orally or in writing. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis.
Information about Reasonable Accommodation is on OPM’s Reasonable Accommodation website at:
http://www.opm.gov/Disability/ReasonableAccommodation.asp
**The Department of Veterans Affairs supports a drug-free environment.**
**The Department of Veterans Affairs is an Equal Opportunity Employer.**
VA employees, applicants for employment, and former employees shall not be discriminated against based on race, color, religion, gender (sex), national origin, age, physical or mental disability, and/or reprisal for filling a charge of discrimination, participating in an investigation, or having opposed prohibited discrimination. Sexual and non-sexual harassment based on the above categories is also prohibited.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.