Medical Support Assistant

• 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 ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers 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 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.

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: Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens according to 38 U.S.C. 7407(a).
• Experience. No experience required.
• 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
• Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).

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:

GS-3 Grade Level

Experience or Education. None beyond the basic Requirement.

GS-4 Grade Level

Experience or Education.

(a) Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.; OR

(b) Education. One year of education above high school.

AND

Demonstrate the Knowledge Skills and Abilities (KSAs) in addition to the experience or education above:

(a) Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients.
(b) Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics.
(c) Ability to meet communicate and interact with individuals from varying backgrounds and other health care team members in a courteous and helpful manner in order to facilitate medical care for patients.
(d) Ability to use and navigate between various types of office automation equipment and software (i.e. computer systems web based scheduling programs; insurance collection system; scanning software multiple line phone systems; electronic faxing programs) to support patient care.

GS-5 Grade Level

Experience or Education.

(a) Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.; OR
(b) Education. Two years of education above high school.

AND

Demonstrate the Knowledge Skills and Abilities (KSAs) in addition to the experience or education above:
(a) Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients.
(b) Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns and refer to the appropriate staff as necessary to ensure a satisfactory resolution.
(c) Ability to operate computerized programs and systems in order to enter modify and retrieve sensitive medical and patient identifying information (PII) into or from electronic health records scheduling systems and/or reports.
(d) Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.
(e) Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work.
(f) Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person electronically and/or by telephone with internal and external customers.

Preferred Experience: Call center and ACD line experience. Knowledge of community care. Experience using all Microsoft programs (work excel One Note)

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard please visit full performance level of this vacancy is GS-5. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-3 to GS-5.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.