Lead Medical Support Assistant

Summary

The Incumbent serves as a Lead Medical Support Assistant (LMSA) in CCS and will be involved in administrative aspects of patient access, consults and scheduling for the service. Their work has a direct effect on patient care, the patient flow, and processes within CCS. The Lead Medical Support Assistant (LMSA) is a highly, specialized position and performs multiple duties.

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Duties

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VA Careers - Lead Medical Support Assistant:

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Duties are but not limited to:

The Lead Medical Support Assistant (LMSA) in Community Care is responsible for coordinating and managing all administrative actions related to Community Care (CC) requests. Their scope of practice includes:

A. Workload and Workflow Management - Reviewing, managing, and balancing consults, notifications, authorizations, and uploads.- Assigning workload and ensuring coverage across functional areas.- Managing phones/ACD lines and resolving daily workflow issues.- Providing on-the-job training, reviewing work quality, and serving as a knowledge resource.- Participating in performance improvement and systems redesign projects.

B. Coordinated Care Administration - Collaborating within interdisciplinary teams to support coordinated care delivery.- Managing administrative tasks across multiple programs (Choice Act, PC3, DoD, Non-VA care).- Independently setting priorities, adjusting workflow, and fully participating in staff huddles and team planning.

C. Authorization Responsibilities - Authorizing each Community Care episode through several software systems.- Ensuring authorizations reach the correct CC provider.

D. Consult Packet Preparation and Subject Matter Expertise - Preparing complete information packets for each consult for tracking purposes.- Educating CC staff, VA clinical and nonclinical staff, and external vendors about program requirements, documentation needs, eligibility, timelines, and problem resolution.- Supporting clinicians by ensuring accuracy and timeliness of required supporting documents.

E. Additional Administrative Functions - Scheduling CC appointments in HSRM and meeting all required scheduling training standards.- Ensuring proper release and confidentiality of patient information and resolving related issues with vendors.- Receiving, documenting, and uploading consult results; assisting providers when results are urgently needed.- Participating in meetings to resolve continuity-of-care issues.- Identifying and participating in process improvement initiatives.- Using and troubleshooting a wide range of software systems and assisting peers with system issues.

Work Schedule : Monday- Friday, 8am- 4:30pm

Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): 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 : Ad-Hoc only

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 50503-F

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

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.
• 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-0679-07 Lead Medical Support Assistant

Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-06).

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

(a) 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.

(b) Skill in communicating with individuals to obtain the desired effect and coordinating with a variety of interdisciplinary care team staff.(c) Ability to utilize numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics in an interdisciplinary setting.

(d) Ability to organize work, set priorities, and delegate tasks/responsibilities in order to meet deadlines.

(e) Ability to provide staff development and training.

(f) 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 of incomplete work across multiple clinics.

Preferred Experience:

• Preferred Experience- Must have extensive experience working within HSRM, CTM, EPS, Ref Doc, CPRS, Vista Capture, Vista Imaging, Microsoft Teams Channels, PPMS. Must have the National Onboarding Scheduling Keys in order to Receive, Schedule and Complete Consults.
• Experience completing working deadlines within time frame allotted.
• Previous experience resolving moderate issues concerning: Patients, Co-workers.
• Previous experience working independently, and in a team, to meet measures.
• Experience in understanding and implementing procedure, policies and standards.
• Experience working closely with management

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-07.

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.

Education

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: 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:

Additional information

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.