Supervisory Medical Support Assistant

Summary

The position is in the Veterans Administration (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Mid-Atlantic Care Network (VISN 6), at the Charles George VA Medical Center (VAMC) in Community Care Service. The Incumbent is responsible for supervising all aspects of Community Care administration support.

Learn more about this agency

Duties

Help

VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant:

The duties include, but are not limited too:

• Establishes guidelines and performance expectations for staff, which are clearly communicated through the formal employee performance management system
• Provides training and encourages staff development
• Administers new employee orientation and conducts staff meetings
• Monitor productivity and ensure accountability with telework requirements
• Observes workers' performance; demonstrates and conducts work performance critiques
• Provides informal feedback and periodically evaluates employee performance. Resolves informal complaints and grievances
• Develops work improvement plans, recommending personnel actions
• Effects disciplinary measure as appropriate to the authority delegated in this area
• Reviews and approves or denies leave requests
• Assures that subordinates are trained and full comply with the provisions of the safety regulations
• Initiates nondiscriminatory practices and affirmative action for the area under his/her supervision in the following: (1) merit promotion of employees and recruitment and hiring of applicants; (2) fair treatment of all employees; (3) encouragement and recognition of employee achievements; (4) career development of employees; and (5) full utilization of their skills. Keeps informed of, supports, and communicates to employees EEO policies, plans, and programs
• Analyses results and recommends corrections to improve system operations or data consistency
• Manages medical administrative functions associated with Community Care programs for the facility
• Administrates coordination of Community Care processing activities
• Establishes liaison between the medical facility and patients for consulting, advising, and assisting on Community Care needs
• Assist in overseeing the fund control point (FCP) for section and report annually on budgetary needs
• Performs a variety of duties to carry out work concerned with assuring quality of work transactions to carry out health care programs and functions
• Provide briefings or other duties as assigned

Work Schedule : 8:00am-4:30pm

Telework : Ad-Hoc

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 00000

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the 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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• 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 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 2-year trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

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: Six months experience of clerical, office, customer service, or other administrative work that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position; OR ; One year above high school OR ; Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable.

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-8

Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level. Some specialized experience of GS-6 are as follows, but not limited too: Plan and direct programs at medical centers and/or satellite outpatient clinics and have full supervisory responsibility. Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: assigning and evaluating the work of subordinate MSA staff; resolving complex problems to ensure patient services are met; evaluating new products, equipment, and systems to make recommendations for improved clinic operations; identifying educational or training needs; making final decisions on hiring selections; evaluating performance, and taking disciplinary action when necessary. The employee has full administrative and professional responsibility for planning and directing the MSA's activities.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:

i. 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

ii. 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

iii. Ability to provide briefings, orientations, staff development, and training in a patient support setting

iv. Ability to manage fiscal matters, forecast resource and equipment needs, and identify budget needs

v. Advanced knowledge of managing or leading patient support staff in a clinic. This includes independently utilizing reference sources, decision making, and empowering the team to collaborate and resolve problems within a complex systems environment

Preferred Experience:

• Assists in planning and directing VA Community Care Programs at the Asheville VAMC.
• Full responsibility for supervising subordinate MSA, MSA team lead, administrative patient support staff in VA Community Care
• 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 education or training needs
• Making final decisions on hiring selections
• Evaluating performance, and taking disciplinary action when necessary
• 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
• Ensures quality collaboration and communication with the VA Community Care Chief, Administrative and Clinical Manager
• Responsible for assisting in the direction of administrative department flow, workload capture, and other administrative support functions associated with the day-to-day department operation
• Responsible for directing and organizing administrative work as to meet local and VA-wide time frames to complete analysis requirements, reports and special assignments
• The incumbent is responsible for reporting backlogs, difficulties in meeting deadlines, or difficulty in securing information from clinicians or the medical record.
• He/she is responsible for maintaining the confidentiality

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-8.

Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Typically, the employee sits comfortably to do the work. However, there may

be some walking; standing; bending; carrying of light items such as papers, books, small parts; or driving an automobile, etc. Some positions may involve more frequent walking to various locations of the medical facility (e.g., those located in medical facilities without escort service and without automated information systems) but these positions require no unusual physical demands to perform the work.

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

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.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

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.

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.

Help

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.

Review our benefits

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.