Medical Support Assistant; Advanced - Community Care

Summary

A recruitment/relocation incentive may be authorized for highly qualified candidates. The Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) serves in the VA Community Care team and performs clerical and administrative support in the coordination of care and treatment provided to veterans through the VA Community Care referral processing procedures at the Fargo VA Health Care System, which includes the Community Based Outreach Clinics.

• 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).
• Experience:
  
  No experience required. One year of experience equivalent to the GS‑5 grade level is required for the GS‑6 level.
• Education:
  
  High school diploma, GED, or equivalent.
• Licensure/Certification/Registration:
  None.
• Physical Requirements:
  
  See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 – Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.
• English Language Proficiency:
  Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).
• Foreign
  
  Education:
  
  Education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to U.S. programs by a recognized evaluation organization.
• Knowledge,
  
  Skills and Abilities
  
  (KSAs):
  • Collaborate and communicate with a wide range of medical clinicians across multiple disciplines to accomplish team goal setting.
  • Independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.
  • Communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and by telephone with internal and external customers.
  • Prepare reports, present data, and resolve patient concerns.
  • Advanced knowledge of the technical health‑care process and policies related to coordination of care delivery.
  • Advanced knowledge of medical terminology.

• Work closely with clinical personnel to ensure veterans receive timely referred and scheduled care in their local community.
• Apply specialized administrative judgment and flexible use of clinical flow processes related to access to care across all disciplines and specialties via community care.
• Recommend changes to clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelines.
• Utilize advanced patient systems involved in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model.
• Coordinate veteran appointments through community vendors, ensuring appointments are scheduled accurately, efficiently, and within requested clinical needs.
• Maintain effective communication with veterans, veterans’ representatives, interdisciplinary care teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies.
• Administer and triage phone calls related to community care requests, assisting VA teams in understanding eligibility and the Mission Act of 2018.
• Follow up with community vendors to ensure appointment completion and obtain medical records.
• Process incoming veteran messages and care requests through Patient Manager and My Healthy Vet , coordinating with the care team as appropriate.
• Participate in team huddles and meetings to manage, plan, problem‑solve, and follow up with patient care.
• Set priorities and deadlines, adjusting workflow to meet team and patient needs.

• Work Schedule:
  
  Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm.
• Recruitment incentive (sign‑on bonus):
  May be authorized for highly qualified applicants.
• Pay:
  Competitive salary with regular increases; higher step rates may be considered for unique qualifications.
• Paid Time Off: 37–50 days per year (13–26 days annual leave, 13 days sick leave, 11 paid federal holidays); credit toward annual leave accrual may be granted based on prior work or military service.
• Parental Leave:
  Up to 12 weeks paid after 12 months of employment.
• Child Care Subsidy:
  After 60 days of employment, full‑time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a subsidy up to 25% of eligible childcare costs, up to $416.66 per month.
• Retirement:
  Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401(k) with up to 5% VA contribution.
• Insurance:
  Federal health, vision, dental, term life, long‑term care (many federal insurance programs may be carried into retirement).
• Telework:
  Not available.
• Functional Statement: 000000 – This is an open continuous announcement.
• Applicants may be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur until positions are filled.