Lead Medical Support Assistant

Summary

Portland VA Medical Center is looking to fill a Lead Medical Support Assistant position in the Geriatric and Extended Care Service Line at their campus at Vancouver, WA.

The list generated from this announcement can be used up to 90 days to fill any additional vacancies that may arise.

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Duties

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Lead Medical Support Assistants (LMSA) provide administrative support to our clinical colleagues in the care of our Nation's Veterans. Our mission is to provide efficient and effective healthcare services by promoting and enabling the delivery of timely, accurate, accessible health care. VA is committed to cultivating a dedicated workforce of highly skilled employees who understand, believe in and take pride in VA's mission. LMSAs are essential to the success of this mission and may be assigned to many areas (service lines) of the medical center that have a need. The LMSA is responsible for the coordination of MSA assignments and workflow, especially in an interdisciplinary unit. The LMSA is responsible for daily workload assessments, assigning work, and assuring proper staffing coverage; evaluating training records; and determining training needs of MSAs to provide support across interdisciplinary settings. The LMSA assists the unit with complex and non-standard procedures, including clinical flow processes related to access to care across multiple clinics, inpatient/outpatient, specialties, and/or community resources.

The duties of this position include but are not limited to the following:

• Advises clinical staff on current administrative processes.
• Uses Electronic Health Record (EHR) in conjunction with approved scheduling software to view, process and schedule orders.
• Recommends changes to existing clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelines.
• Enters/updates or verify insurance information per VHA policies and directives.
• Assist and train other Medical Support Assistants as needed.
• Provides specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model.
• Coordinates with the patient care team to review clinic appointment availability and utilization to ensure that schedules are closely monitored to effectively support the needs of the clinics.
• Communicates with other agencies, departments, and non-VA medical facilities; prepare correspondence, manage follow-up care such as consults, tests, etc.
• Processes incoming secure messaging, coordinate with care team, participate in team huddles, and team meetings.
• Sets priorities and deadlines, identify incomplete encounters, and communicate findings, reinforce the plan of care, enter appropriate information into the electronic records.
• Monitors pre-appointment information and/or requirements, verifies and validates accuracy in patient systems.
• Provides guidance to staff members, to include changes in policies and procedures, creating and maintaining employee work schedules.
• Acts as a liaison among MSA staff, patients, and other interdisciplinary staff to resolve day to day conflicts.

Work Schedule : Typical tour of duty is Monday-Friday 7:30am-4:00pm or Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm. Work schedules will be discussed during the interview.

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized

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 federal 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

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• 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, 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.
• 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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the announcement closing date 07/22/2026.

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 Proficient.
• Education: High school diploma OR high school transcript (unofficial or official) OR GED Certificate OR homeschooling completion OR proficiency certificate issued by a State or Territorial Board or Department of Education OR college transcript (official)
  • If selected, to meet the basic requirement of high school education or equivalent and prior to a firm job offer being extended, applicants must provide one of the following as verification of the education requirement if not covered under the grandfathering provision:

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).

Specialized Experience must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-6 grade level collaborating with medical clinicians across multiple disciplines, scheduling interdisciplinary appointments, and possessing an advanced knowledge of policies and procedures associated with interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community. **Resume must include hours per week for work experience credit. **

At the GS -7 grade level education cannot be used as a substitution for the above specialized experience.

Candidates must demonstrate the KSAs below :

1. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology and a wide range of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or community resources.

2. Ability to utilize numerous advanced patient care systems in support of multiple clinics in an interdisciplinary setting.

3. Ability to organize work, set priorities, and delegate tasks/responsibilities to meet deadlines.

4. Skill in communicating with individuals to obtain the desires effect and coordinating with a variety of interdisciplinary care team staff.

5. Ability to provide staff development and training.

6. Ability to manage staffing requirements, manage workflow priorities, and adjust the flow of work to meet team and patient needs. This includes the ability to follow-up on pending issues and demonstrate an understanding of the impact if incomplete work across multiple clinics.

References: VA Handbook 5005/117, Medical Support Assistant Qualification Standard, GS-679.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS 7.

Physical Requirements: The work is mostly sedentary but may require periods of standing or walking however, there are no physical requirements for the 0679 Medical Support Assistant occupation.

Education

High School Completion or higher

If selected, to meet the basic requirement of high school education or equivalent and prior to a firm job offer being extended, applicants must provide one of the following as verification of the education requirement if not covered under the grandfathering provision:

• Copy of high school diploma OR high school transcript (unofficial or official) OR GED Certificate OR homeschooling completion OR proficiency certificate issued by a State or Territorial Board or Department of Education OR college transcript (official)

Additional information

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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

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.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.