Supervisory Medical Support Assistant

This position is in the Care in the Community Service at VA Central Texas Health Care System (CTVHCS), Temple, Texas. The Supervisory Medical Support Assistant (MSA) is a highly, specialized position and performs multiple duties. The incumbent collaborates with various Service Chiefs, Service Administrative Officers (AO) and Supervisors across the health care system and interfaces with VA and Community providers, hospitals, diagnostic and treating facilities, and community-based programs.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional
Major duties included but not limited to:

• Plans, assigns, prioritizes, directs, and evaluates the work of subordinate staff to ensure efficient daily operations and timely completion of Community Care administrative functions.
• Performs supervisory personnel responsibilities, including interviewing and recommending candidates for selection, establishing performance standards, conducting performance evaluations, initiating personnel actions, and addressing employee performance and conduct issues.
• Develops and adjusts staff schedules, manages tours of duty and overtime, approves and certifies timecards, and ensures appropriate staffing and workload distribution to meet operational needs.
• Oversees Community Care administrative processes, including consults, referrals, notifications, authorizations, and documentation activities, to support timely and accurate coordination of Veterans' healthcare services.
• Monitors workload, referral processing timeliness, initial appointment timeliness, and other performance measures; analyzes operational data and prepares reports to identify trends and areas requiring improvement.
• Identifies staff training needs, coordinates employee orientation, provides technical guidance, and ensures staff competency in Community Care processes, administrative procedures, and customer service requirements.
• Develops and updates standard operating procedures, identifies workflow deficiencies, implements process improvements, and ensures adherence to applicable VA policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
• Resolves complex administrative and customer service concerns, addresses workplace conflicts, and promotes effective communication and positive experiences for Veterans, employees, and community healthcare partners.
• Collaborates with clinical and administrative leadership, conducts staff meetings and huddles, establishes operational priorities, and coordinates with internal and external stakeholders to support organizational goals.

Work Schedule: Full-Time, Monday through Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm or 8:00am - 4:30pm
Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (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)
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: This position may be authorized for ad hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 53373F
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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.
• Education. High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.
• Licensure/Certification/Registration. None.

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: Supervisory Medical Support Assistant, GS-08.

Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Advanced knowledge of managing or leading patient support staff in a clinic. This includes independently utilizing reference sources, decision making, and 13 empowering the team to collaborate and resolve problems within a complex systems environment.
• Ability to provide the full range of administrative and supervisory duties to at least one subordinate MSA supervisor or team leader in a patient support setting which includes assignment of work, performance evaluations, selection of staff, and recommendation of awards and/or advancements.
• Ability to collaborate, communicate, and demonstrate customer service and interpersonal skills with internal and external customers to ensure quality/continuity of care and ensure compliance with established policies and regulations.
• Ability to provide briefings, orientations, staff development, and training in a patient support setting.
• Ability to manage fiscal matters, forecast resource and equipment needs, and identify budget needs.

Assignment. For all supervisory assignments the Supervisory MSA must spend 25% or more of their time providing administrative and technical supervision and perform major duties above those at the FPL that consist of significant scope, complexity, difficulty, and variety. 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 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.

Preferred Experience:

• Responsible full administrative and professional responsibility for planning and directing the MSA's activities. Assigning and evaluating the work of subordinate staff.
• Administratively responsible for the day-to-day operations, evaluating performance and taking disciplinary action when necessary.
• Resolving complex problems to ensure patient services are met; evaluating new products, equipment, and systems in order to make recommendations for improved operations.
• Considered Subject Matter Expert for Call Center or Team operations, developing standard works, updating Standard Operating Procedures and ensure consistent compliance with Directives.
• Responsible for providing current information regarding various regulation and new software for Call Center operations, and advise/recommend changes to maximize efficiency, and provide better customer service.
• Assists in computer training of new employees and resolves day-to-day conflicts/problems or requests by team member.
• Responsible for extracting and analyzing data in order to provide reports in support of performance measures to management.

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-08.

Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds.

NOTE: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.

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/.

• 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). 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. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

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.