Clarification from the agency

First area of consideration will be given to current, permanent, John J Pershing VA employees. Current, permanent VA employees must submit their most recent, NON-AWARD SF-50 to be considered. IT IS HIGHLY SUGGESTED THAT YOU CLEARLY DOCUMENT THE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES LISTED IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. Other Federal Employees, Veterans and the PUBLIC should apply to announcement CBSS-12829662-26-TMC

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Provides administrative support for the Medical Center Health Information Program.
• Conducts searches for files when medical records are delinquent, misfiled or unaccounted for and ensures all paperwork pertinent to the patient's medical care is electronically filed into the medical record.
• Receives, identifies, sorts and files various medical reports and other documents related to patient care received from patients or non-VA facilities.
• Reviews and researches numerous medical reports from VAMC and non-VA facilities to determine which documents need to be added to a patients' electronic medical record.
• Utilizes basic knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, and research and collect information for various medical studies and research projects.
• Advises the clinical treatment team on issues related to record completion and documentation requirements.
• Reviews health records to ensure that all records contain sufficient information to meet medical/legal requirements, to ensure continuity of patient care, and to support education and research needs.
• Prepares complex weekly and monthly reports noting the status of all incomplete/delinquent records and compliance reports and submits the reports to the appropriate administrative and clinical staff.
• Works with interdisciplinary staff to solve problems regarding proper health record documentation and completion.
• Expedites the completion of a health record when a patient is transferred for care at another medical center, for legal requests, regulatory agencies review, and reimbursement purposes.

SALARY:
GS-04: $36,825 to $46,868
GS-05: $40,332 to $52,426
GS-06: $44,959 to $58,445
GS-07: $49,960 to $64,952


Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm.
Telework: ADHOC Only as Needed.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification 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

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. One year of creditable experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, and a general understanding of health records. Six months of the required one year of creditable experience must have provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) needed to perform MRT HIT work. OR,
• (2) Education. An associate's degree from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, with a major field of study in health information technology/health information management, or a related degree with a minimum of 12 semester hours in health information technology/health information management (e.g., courses in medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, legal aspects of health care, and introduction to health records). TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED OR,
• (3) Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of creditable experience and education are qualifying towards meeting basic experience requirements. The following educational/training substitutions are appropriate for combining education and creditable experience:
• (a) Six months of creditable experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology, privacy and release of information, the health record, and one year above high school with a minimum of six semester hours of health information technology/health information management.
• (b) Six months of creditable experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology, privacy and release of information, the health record, and successful completion of a course for medical technicians, hospital corpsmen, medical service specialists, or hospital training obtained in a training program given by the U.S. Armed Forces or the U.S. Maritime Service, under close medical and professional supervision, may be substituted on a month-for-month basis for up to six months of experience, provided the training program included courses in anatomy, physiology, and health record techniques and procedures. DOCUMENTATION/TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED

DEFINITIONS.
a. Journey Level. The full performance level for the MRT HIT assignment is GS-7.
b. Creditable Experience. Experience is only creditable if it is paid or non-paid employment directly related to the position to be filled, or in a related field, such as medical support assistants, clinic/ward clerks, health record file room/scanning technicians, medical coding, or other positions that include knowledge of the content and uses of health records. To be creditable, the candidate's experience must have demonstrated the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with current MRT HIT practice.
c. Quality of Experience. To be creditable, experience must be documented on the application or resume and verified in an employment reference, or through other independent means.

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:
Medical Records Technician (HIT), GS-4 (Entry Level)
Experience or Education. None beyond basic requirements.

Medical Records Technician (HIT), GS-5 (Developmental Level 1)(1) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower level. OR,(2) Education. A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education with a major field of study in health information management, or a related degree with a minimum of 24 semester hours in health technology/health information management (e.g., courses in medical terminology, anatomy &physiology, legal aspects of health care, and introduction to health records). TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED(3) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:(a) Ability to communicate effectively with internal and external customers.(b) Ability to utilize health information technology and various office software products used in health information management positions (e.g., Microsoft Excel, electronic health records, and delinquency tracking software).(c) Knowledge of health record documentation guidelines and industry standards.(d) Ability to manage priorities and coordinate work to complete duties within required timeframes.(e) Ability to apply knowledge of medical terminology and human anatomy to fully understand the content of a health record.
Medical Records Technician (HIT), GS-6(1) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.(2) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:(a) Ability to navigate efficiently through the health record to locate needed information.(b) Ability to analyze health record documentation to ensure compliance with guidelines and industry standards.(c) Skill in investigating potential health record errors and making corrections, when appropriate.(d) Skill in interpreting and applying health information guidelines and using judgment to complete assignments.(e) Ability to follow up on incomplete health record documentation.
Medical Records Technician (HIT), GS-7 (Full Performance Level)(1) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.(2) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:(a) Ability to judge whether health records contain sufficient information for regulatory requirements, are acceptable as legal documents, are adequate for continuity of patient care, and support education and research needs.(b) Ability to take appropriate actions if health record content is not adequate, accurate, timely, and/or reliable.(c) Ability to communicate both orally and in writing with individuals or groups, to facilitate compliance with established policies and regulations.(d) Skill in using appropriate software and computer applications to analyze and record documentation trends.(e) Ability to apply qualitative and/or quantitative methods for assessment and improvement of health records.(f) Ability to work independently and utilize problem-solving techniques in the accomplishment of work.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-7. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-4 to GS-7.

Physical Requirements: Light Lifting, under 15 pounds; Light carrying, under 15 pounds; Reaching above shoulder; Use of fingers; Both hands required; Walking (up .5 hours); Standing (up .5 hours); Sitting for up to 7 hours per day.

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.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.

Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• HIGHLY SUGGESTED THAT YOU CLEARLY DOCUMENT THE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES (KSA's) LISTED FOR THE POSITION.
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Next steps