Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to current permanent employees of the Iowa City VA Healthcare System and current permanent VA employees nationwide.

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

The MSA is responsible for scheduling appointments, including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines.

Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to:

• scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient's appointments and/or consults
• Entering no-show information; monitoring the electronic wait list
• Preparing for clinic visits
• Monitoring both inpatient and outpatient appointments for areas of responsibility
• Ensuring encounter forms are completed in order to obtain appropriate workload credit
• Verifying and updating demographics and insurance information
• Processing all emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals
• Performing basic eligibility, co-pays and preauthorization requirements for specific coverage

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 7:30am - 4:00 or 8:00am - 4:30pm
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 00000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the 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 (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.
• 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:
a. Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens
b. Experience. None.
c. Education. High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.
d. Licensure/Certification/Registration. None.
e. 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 reentry to the occupation.

f. Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S.
program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials.
g. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.
h. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Grade Determinations:

Medical Support Assistant, GS-03.
Experience or Education. None beyond the basic requirements.

Assignment. This is an entry level MSA position. It is expected that MSAs at this level will receive guidance from more experienced staff members and require frequent and direct supervision.

Medical Support Assistant, GS-04.

Experience or Education.
Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.; OR
Education. One year of education above high school.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs).

In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
(a) Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients.
(b) Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external
clinics.
(c) Ability to meet, communicate, and interact with individuals from varying backgrounds and other health care team members in a
courteous and helpful manner in order to facilitate medical care for patients.
(d) Ability to use, and navigate between, various types of office automation equipment and software (i.e., computer systems, web-based
scheduling programs; insurance collection system; scanning software, multiple line phone systems; electronic faxing programs) to
support patient care.

Assignment. This is a developmental level MSA position. It is expected that MSAs at this level will receive minor and less frequent guidance from higher experienced staff members for more difficult tasks. Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: scheduling and rescheduling
patients for treatment; interviewing patients for appointments; referring patients to other medical specialty clinics; providing information to patients
necessary to resolve VA Handbook complaints; interacting with both internal and external customers; reviewing and documenting medical
outpatient and inpatient electronic health records, as well as administrative records

Medical Support Assistant, GS-05.

Experience or Education.
(a) Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next
lower grade; OR
(b) Education. Two years of education above high school.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs).

In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
(a) Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical
staff instructions to patients.
(b) Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a
satisfactory resolution.
(c) Ability to operate computerized programs and systems in order to enter, modify, and retrieve sensitive medical and patient identifying
information (PII) into or from electronic health records, scheduling systems, and/or reports.
(d) Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.
(e) Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work.
(f) Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external
customers.

Assignment. This is the full performance level for MSAs. At this level, the MSA independently performs a full range of duties related to the delivery of
health care services in an inpatient or outpatient setting. Advises clinical staff on current administrative processes. The MSA is responsible for
answering phones, greeting patients, relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unit, and scheduling appointments, including
interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines.

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-5. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-3 to GS-5.

How you will be evaluated

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

Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:
1. Current permanent VA employees of the Iowa City VA Healthcare System.
2. All other VA employees.

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.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position:

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
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• Clinical resume/CV (Can be longer than 2 pages)
• Knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs)
• Resume
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.

Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.

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