Lead Medical Support Assistant

Summary

The Lead Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) in Care in the Community (CITC) at the Martinsburg VA Medical Center impacts the administrative aspect of patient care, including access, scheduling/coordinating appointments, collecting and updating demographic/insurance information, patient processing and customer service. The Incumbent is responsible for ensuring that staffing, training, compliance, reporting, quality assurance, and budgetary initiatives are met.

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Duties

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Duties:

• The Lead Advanced Medical Support Assistant ( AMSA) is responsible for the coordination of AMSA assignments and workflow found in the Care in the Community Unit.
• The lead assists the unit with complex and non-standard, procedures, including clinical flow processes related to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or community resources.
• Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to:
  • Assures coverage of all areas of responsibility;
  • Conducts ongoing reviews to ensure quality of work;
  • Ensures accurate and timely scheduling of appointments;
  • Provides guidance to staff members to includes changes in policies and procedures;
  • Distributes and balances workload
  • Creates and maintains employee work schedules;
  • Orients and provides on the job training for new and current employees, ensures training requirements are met; and
  • Acts as a liaison between AMSA staff, patients, and other interdisciplinary staff in order to resolve day to day conflicts.
• Incumbent intervenes to resolve difficult problems and diffuses potential dissatisfaction with VA services.
• Serves as technical advisor and liaison with contacts at all levels.
• Incumbent must be thoroughly versed in and be able to explain complex regulations and eligibility criteria concerning veteran entitlements and VA benefits, priorities for care, access to care and advanced clinic access.
• The work requires the ability to work in a busy environment, multi-task, lead, and organize a large group of staff in various work areas to produce results,
• Ensure compliance, as well as efficient processes and follow-up on a very high volume of phone calls or written requests from patients inquiring about appointments.
• The work requires a high degree of judgement, fact-finding and coordination with people at various levels (patients, management and vendors primarily).
• Additional duties or tasks may be assigned by the supervisor to ensure efficient daily operations.

VA Careers - Lead Medical Support Assistant:

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Work Schedule : Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): 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)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 # : 613-25379-F

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Available

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

RESUME REQUIREMENTS:

Your resume MUST include the following information:

1. Job Title (for each position)
2. Description of duties (be as detailed as possible)
3. Month and year start/end dates (e.g. June 2018 to April 2020) of employment
4. Full-time or Part-time status and include average hours worked per week

• 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.
• 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 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 :

To qualify for appointment to this position, all applicants must possess the following:

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).

Education:

Do you possess one of the following:

• High school diploma or transcript (including homeschooling)
• General Education Development (GED) certificate
• Proficiency certificate issued by a State or Territorial Board or Department of Education
• Post-high school education
• You do not have one of the education levels listed above, but you were in the Medical Support Assistant occupation (GS-0679) on a permanent appointment with the Department of Veterans Affairs as of February 5, 2026, meeting all qualification requirements as part of 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).

Grandfathering Provision:

Employees in VHA in this occupation, under a permanent, appropriate, and legal placement on the effective date of the qualification standard, are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and/or assignment held, including positive education and registration/certification where applicable. For employees who do not meet all the basic or assignment-specific requirements in this standard but met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply:

(1) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.

(2) Employees retained in this occupation under this provision who subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation.

NOTE: This provision is not intended to regularize appointments/ placements.

GRADE DETERMINATIONS :

In addition to the basic requirements for employment, candidates MUST meet the following grade-determining criteria for placement at grade levels specified.

Lead Medical Support Assistant, GS-07

Experience:

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

Assignment:

For all Lead assignments the Lead MSA must spend at least 25% or more of their time performing lead duties. The Lead MSA is responsible for the coordination of Advanced MSA assignments and workflow found in an interdisciplinary unit. The Lead MSA 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 Lead assists the unit with complex and non-standard procedures, including clinical flow processes related to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or community resources. Assignments at this level include but are not limited to ensuring accurate and timely scheduling of appointments; providing guidance to staff members, to include changes in policies and procedures; creating and maintaining employee work schedules; and acting as a liaison among Advanced MSA staff, patients, and other interdisciplinary staff to resolve day-to-day conflicts.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):

In addition to meeting the experience above, the candidate MUST demonstrate the following KSAs:

• 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.
• Skill in communicating with individuals to obtain the desired effect and coordinating with a variety of interdisciplinary care team staff.
• Ability to utilize numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics in an interdisciplinary setting.
• Ability to organize work, set priorities, and delegate tasks/responsibilities in order to meet deadlines.
• Ability to provide staff development and training.
• 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:

Experience supervising and scheduling outpatient appointments

Has had at least 1 year of office experience performing administrative duties, working with billing and financial processes

Reading and interpreting invoices for reconciliation and resolution of billing issues, critical thinking, showing advanced knowledge of community care software including:

CTM

CPRS

PPMS

HSRM

VISTA blue

REF DOC

VISTA CAPTURE

EPSI

TEAMS

Demonstrates knowledge and proficiency working in Microsoft Office

Demonstrates customer service interaction with community vendors and contractors and Veterans

Has work experience managing multiple competing responsibilities in a fast paced environment with deadlines

Demonstrates knowledge of compiling data from multiple sources and compilation of data, for meetings and agendas

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-07. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-07.

Physical Requirements: VA Directive and Handbook 5019 Work is partially sedentary, with frequent walking, standing, bending. carrying of light items such as papers and books, or small parts. Some slight physical effort may be required. Incumbent may be susceptible to eyestrain from working long hours on the computer.

Education

Education:

• High school diploma or transcript (including homeschooling)
• General Education Development (GED) certificate
• Proficiency certificate issued by a State or Territorial Board or Department of Education
• Post-high school education
• You do not have one of the education levels listed above, but you were in the Medical Support Assistant occupation (GS-0679) on a permanent appointment with the Department of Veterans Affairs as of February 5, 2026, meeting all qualification requirements as part of the grandfathering provision

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:

Documentation Requirements for Proof of High School Completion or higher

If using post-high school education to substitute for experience at the GS-04 or GS-05, you must submit a copy of your unofficial or official college transcript with your application.

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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