Summary

The incumbent performs as an Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) within the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC), Resources Directorate, GPM Department. The FHCC is larger than just a single facility, but rather a system of facilities throughout northeastern Illinois and southern Wisconsin which provide medical and dental services to U.S. Military Veterans, Recruits, Active Duty, and eligible beneficiaries.

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Overview

* Accepting applications

* Open & closing dates

03/12/2024 to 06/14/2024

* Salary

$49,249 - $64,026 per year

* Pay scale & grade

GS 6

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Location

many vacancies in the following location:

* North Chicago, IL

* Remote job

* Telework eligible

* Travel Required

Not required

* Relocation expenses reimbursed

* Appointment type

Permanent -

* Work schedule

Full-time -

* Service

Excepted

* Promotion potential

None

* Job family (Series)

0679 Medical Support Assistance

* Supervisory status

* Security clearance

Other

* Drug test

* Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

* Trust determination process

Suitability/Fitness

National security

* Announcement number

CAZP-12348273-24-AH

* Control number

781191500

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This job is open to

* Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of this agency.

Clarification from the agency

This announcement to all current, permanent, VA and Federal employees. First consideration will be given to current GPM employees.

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Duties

VISN 12 is committed to fostering and sustaining an environment which celebrates diversity, provides equitable opportunities for employment and promotion, and supports inclusiveness in our culture. Together, we strive to create and maintain working and learning environments that promote professional growth and teamwork, and are inclusive, equitable and welcoming. We embrace our differences as individuals and unite as a team toward a common goal: to serve our nation's Veterans.

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Duties include, but are not limited to:

* Schedule, cancel and reschedule appointments/or consults for the Veterans Affair and Department of Defense.

* Provide medical documents in preparation for appointments for patients and staff.

* Coordinate with administrative services such as active duty members, veterans, family members and caregivers for clinical support.

* Assist with registration within the VA for new/transfer patients as well as My Healthy Vet.

* Providing administrative support to assigned clinical area in participation of team huddles/meetings to manage and plan patient care, setting priorities to meet the required needs of the patient needs.

* Incumbent will help provide care in person and over the phone to patients and family members in regards to procedures and care while also resolving problems.

* Use of different types of computerized programs and databases in order to enter, modify and retrieve sensitive information and data such as electronic medical records scheduling systems, VISTA, CHCS, CPRS, AHLTA, and Microsoft Office.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday; 7:30 am-4:00 pm

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 #: 00000

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

This is an open continuous announcement that will remain open until June 14, 2024. Qualified applicants will be considered and referred as vacancies become available. First review of applicants will be 8 days after the opening date.

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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.

* You may be required to serve a probationary period.

* Subject to background/security investigation.

* Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.

* 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).

* Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

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.

* Experience and Education -(1) Experience - 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, (2) Education - One year above high school. OR, (3) Experience/Education Combination - Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable.

* Certification - None required.

* 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).

* Foreign Education - To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs.

* 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.

* Physical Requirements -The work is primarily sedentary. Physical demands do not exceed those of a typical office setting. There may be some walking, standing twisting, turning, sitting, pushing, bending, repetitive keyboarding, or carrying of light items. Some positions may require sitting for long periods of time at a computer terminal typing data while talking on a telephone headset. In addition, there can be increased stress due to the intensity of a patient/customer complaint or concern. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

Preferred Experience: Must have at least one (1) full year of 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-5, and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with current MSA responsibilities. Experience at this level includes but is not limited to: Advising clinical staff on current administrative processes. Answering phones, greeting patients, relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unit, scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient appointments and/or consults including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines. Entering no-show information; monitoring appointment requests from multiple electronic sources; participating in huddles with other MSAs and/or clinic staff to determine the daily needs of the clinic, monitoring both inpatient and outpatient appointments in areas of responsibility; verifying and updating demographics and insurance information when patient's check-in for appointments. Coordinates administrative functions relating to emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals and determines appointment type based on the patient's eligibility status (i.e., TRICARE, sharing agreements, collaterals, research patient, VA employee, etc.).

AND

In addition, candidates must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

* Ability to collaborate and communicate with a wide range of medical clinicians across multiple disciplines to accomplish team goal setting to ensure medical care to patients is met.

* Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.

* Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively, electronically, by phone, in person, and in writing. This may include preparing reports in various formats and presenting data to various organizational levels, as well as resolving patient concerns.

* Advanced knowledge of the technical health care process (including, but not limited to: scheduling across interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community models and patient health care portals) as it relates to access to care.

* Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures associated with interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community operational activities that affect the patient flow, and patient support care to include, but not limited to appointment cycles, outside patient referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, provider availability, etc.

* Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.

References: VA Handbook 5005/117, Part II, Appendix G45, Medical Support Assistant Qualification Standards, dated August 1, 2019.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-06.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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 or 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.

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.

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

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.

* Benefits

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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.

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.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.