Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) position serves as administrative support and is a foundational role within the Community Care Service. This position serves as the liaison between patients, nursing staff, medical staff, outside agencies, community providers, and other VA Health Care Systems in their assigned area.

VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo

The Advanced MSA was established to ensure assistance to Veterans providing a smooth process for the management of Veteran's outpatient appointments as well as support work of the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT). The Advanced MSA coordinates with the Clinical Team to review the clinic utilization by using various reports (i.e. Clinic Utilization Statistical Summary), ensure that the clinic setup is closely monitored to effectively support the needs of the clinic, and make any necessary adjustments. The Advanced MSA develop/maintain effective and efficient communication with the patient, interdisciplinary team, VA Medical Centers, and other agencies (e.g. assist with communications during the inpatient to outpatient discharge; communicate with non-VA medical facilities by fax; facilitate/process secure messaging with the patient and team; develop and manage a tracking system for follow up care as such consults, tests, etc.)

Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient appointments and/or consults.
• Entering no-show information.
• Monitoring appointment requests from multiple electronic sources.
• Participating in team huddles and team meetings to manage and plan patient care.
• Setting priorities and deadlines.
• Adjusting the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs.
• Monitoring pre-appointment requirements to assure readiness for patient visit/procedure (e.g. X-Ray, Lab Work).
• Participating and providing input in problem solving on operational issues or procedures in team meetings.
• Performing administrative follow up actions.
• Evaluating patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine whether patient is vested.
• Educating providers about shared patients (those who receive their care at multiple VAs or those who have care in the community and bringing to the attention of the provider.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm or 8:00am-4:30pm
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)
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
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

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 3.j.
• Experience and Education: No experience required. Must have high school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education. - Higher that high school education will meet this requirement. High school is the minimum required.

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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met for this position.

Advanced Medical Support Assistant GS-6:

Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-5)

***KSA Requirement*** - All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package. We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications. Failure to demonstrate your experience and knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) in your application may result in disqualification. It is strongly recommended that you write each KSA (found below) to demonstrate how you have gained each one in your application package or on a supplemental document.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following technical KSAs:

• Advanced knowledge of the technical health care process (including, but not limited to, scheduling across interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community models and patient health care portals) as it relates to access to care.
• Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures associated with interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community operational activities that affect patient flow, and patient support care administrative functions to include, but not limited to appointment cycles, outside patient referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, provider availability, etc.
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.
• Ability to collaborate and communicate with a wide range of medical clinicians across multiple disciplines (e.g., medical doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, clinical pharmacists, and nursing staff) to accomplish team goal setting to ensure medical care to patients is met.
• Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.
• Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively, electronically, by phone, in person, and in writing, with internal and external customers. This may include preparing reports in various formats and presenting data to various organizational levels, as well as resolving patient concerns.

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-06.

Physical Requirements: Work is generally sedentary in nature with some walking, standing and bending. Occasionally requires moderate physical activity, e.g., carrying light items such as books and papers or lifting stacks of boxes or records. Work is typically performed in an office setting; adequately lighted, quiet, and controlled atmosphere.

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.