Lead Medical Support Assistant

Summary

The Lead Medical Support Assistant (MSA) position serves as the liaison for all Advanced MSAs who are assigned to perform general MSA duties as a member of a Referral Coordination Team (RCT). The incumbent will support and provide day to day guidance for scheduling of VA or community care appointments based on Veteran eligibility and preference in a timely manner, and also serve in an assistive leadership role within the RCT service.

Learn more about this agency

Duties

Help

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

The Lead Medical Support Assistant (MSA) is responsible for ensuring that all administrative and scheduling processes comply with national VHA directives, local policies, and Joint Commission standards. This position requires knowledge of VA scheduling procedures, community care regulations, consult management, and patient flow optimization. The incumbent plays a vital role in managing workflow, resolving complex administrative

challenges, and fostering an environment of continuous improvement and sets the tone for perception concerning quality of healthcare services at the VA. A high degree of tact and diplomacy is required when dealing with veterans who have multiple health problems and who may be frustrated with the administrative process associated with diagnosis and treatment. A caring, compassionate, and sensitive manner is essential when explaining

procedures to veterans and family members both in person and on the phone.

The incumbent completes coordination of care encompassing both traditional VA outpatient and key community care scheduling activities to facilitate timely appointment scheduling and an enhanced Veteran experience that support patient flow, patient support functions to include, but not limited to appointment cycles, outside patient referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, and provider availability.

• Plans work to be accomplished by AMSAs in the RCT. Sets and adjusts short-term priorities and prepares schedules for completion of work
• Assign work to AMSAs based on priorities, consideration of the difficulty and requirements of the assignments and the capabilities of employees
• Provides input to the Administrative Supervisor on the performance of AMSA
• Maintains access to and proficiency in complex scheduling clinic appointments and procedures
• Gives instruction to AMSAs on work and administrative matters
• Identify developmental and training needs of employees; providing or arranging for needed development and training
• Recommend ways to improve production or increase the quality of the work directed
• Independently utilize reference sources in decision-making and empowering the team to collaborate and resolve problems within a complex systems environment
• Provide administrative support for medical staff, ensure that clinics effectively support the needs of the service, and work closely with providers offering feedback and solutions to clinic access and address patient issues
• Coverage for AMSA staff who are absent

Work Schedule : Monday-Friday, hours set by the needs of the service; days

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 [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 : Ad-hoc only

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 63362F

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized

Requirements

Help

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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation.
• 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.

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 : For GS-7 (Lead Medical Support Assistant) - In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must have the following:

Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-6).

Examples of experience include, but are not limited to the following: Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to addressing customer service issues, assuring coverage of all areas of responsibility, conducting ongoing reviews to ensure quality of work; ensuring accurate and timely scheduling of appointments; providing guidance to staff members to include changes in policies and procedures; distributing and balancing workload; orienting and providing on-the-job training for new and current employees; ensuring all training requirements are met; organizing the work structure of his/her assigned areas; creation of authorizations; addressing customer service issues and delegating as appropriate; and acting as liaison between MSA and staff to resolve day-to-day conflicts.

The Lead MSA must also demonstrate the following set of Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):

• Ability to provide the full range of administrative and supervisory duties in a patient support setting, which includes assignment of 12 work, performance evaluations, selection of staff, and recommendation of awards and/or advancements.
• 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.
• Ability to provide briefings, orientations, staff development, and training related to administrative functions in a patient support setting.
• Ability to delegate authority, evaluate and oversee people and programs, accomplish program goals, and adapt to changing priorities.

Preferred Experience: VA Scheduling Experience and Consult Management

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-7. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is the GS-7.

Physical Requirements: The work of the positions is primarily sedentary; however, some walking, standing, bending stooping and carrying of small items such as files may be required.

Education

IMPORTANT: Education may not be substituted for experience for this position.

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.

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.