Medical Support Assistant

Summary This position is located at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the Medical Information System Divisions. Responsibilities VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: Major Duties: Works collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model and assists the clinical providers in coordinating certain administrative details, appointment schedules and clinic consult services. Customer service and other duties assigned for the proper and timely treatment of patients and maintaining appointment schedules for multiple Non-VA Care clinics. Supports patient safety standards using the correct Veterans Affairs identification of all patients through the use of two forms of identification, name and full Social Security Number. Must use each interaction with the patient to validate and update patient demographic information, to decrease the incidence of returned mail due to incorrect addresses and inability to contact patient by phone due to incorrect number. Explains the VA's mandate to collect insurance information to veterans, their families, and other eligible patients. Contributes to the revenue collection process by identifying patients with third party insurance. Promotes veteran registration for and utilization of My HealtheVet (MHV). Schedule appointments accurately and timely. All appointments will be made with the patient's input. This may require a high level of coordination to avoid patients having to make multiple trips to the medical center or clinic whenever possible. Notifies his/her supervisor if an individual patient cannot be scheduled within mandated clinic timeframes. Timely review of active/pending consults for accuracy and disposition. Additional duties or tasks may be assigned by the supervisor to ensure efficient daily operations. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Available. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized. 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 #: 00926F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized. Requirements 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 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: Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with the VA policy. English: Must be proficient in basic written and spoken English Education/experience: Experience. No experience required. Education. Must possess a High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education. IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS LISTED ABOVE, YOU MUST MEET THE GRADE REQUIREMENTS AT THE GS-5 LEVEL TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION. GS-5 Grade Requirements: One (1) year experience that is directly related to the duties of a MSA and that equips you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. To be creditable, this experience must be equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-4, and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with current MSA responsibilities. Experience at this level includes, but is not limited to: scheduling and rescheduling patients for treatment; interviewing for appointment: referring patients to other medical specialty clinics; providing information to patients necessary to resolve complaints; interacting with both internal customers; reviewing and documenting medical outpatient and inpatient electronic health records, as well as administrative records; verifying third party insurance and updating information in the Insurance Capture Buffer (ICB) system, obtaining medical information from patients; coordinating information and actions related to patient care and services; and scheduling appointment in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines. OR, Education: Two years of education above high school. AND, Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the above basic requirements and experience, candidates must also demonstrate all of the KSAs below: KSA- 1 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. KSA-2 Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients. KSA-3 Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting. KSA-4 Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with [internal and external customers. KSA-5 Skill in customer service with the ability] to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution. KSA- 6 Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-5. Physical Requirements: The employee must be able to travel to spoke sites for training and program implementation. The incumbent must be able to bend, walk, lift to 15 pounds, drive a motor vehicle, and stand. 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 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.