Clarification from the agency

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

The Supervisory Medical Support Assistant plans and directs administrative programs at medical centers and satellite outpatient clinics, overseeing a team of Medical Support Assistants (MSAs), including at least one subordinate team leader, supervisor, or equivalent administrative patient support staff in a non-VA medical inpatient, outpatient, or interdisciplinary setting. Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to:

• Supervise the activities of MSAs across multiple areas, including Primary Care, Specialty Care, Mental Health, and Community Care, ensuring that patient care services are delivered efficiently.
• Manage the performance of at least one subordinate MSA team leader, supervisor, or equivalent administrative patient support staff.
• Evaluate the work of subordinate staff, providing feedback, coaching, and corrective action as needed.
• Develop performance standards and evaluate staff performance regularly.
• Make final decisions on hiring, promotion, disciplinary actions, and resolving staff complaints.
• Plan and prioritize work assignments, supervise technical and administrative functions, and provide leadership in resolving complex administrative problems.
• Maintain staff schedules, ensure adequate staffing levels for clinic operations, and adjust workload distribution to meet clinic needs.
• Oversee the scheduling program for the medical center and satellite clinics, ensuring compliance with VA policies and guidelines.
• Ensure the accurate and timely scheduling of patient appointments, monitor clinic availability, and make necessary adjustments to maximize patient access to care.
• Evaluate new products, equipment, and systems to make recommendations for improving clinic operations and enhancing efficiency.
• Provide ongoing training and mentorship to staff, ensuring they have the necessary skills and knowledge to perform their duties effectively.
• Lead training sessions on administrative processes, scheduling policies, and patient management systems, and track training compliance for all staff.
• Collaborate with other supervisors and department heads to ensure staff development is aligned with the organization's goals and priorities.
• Extract and analyze data to track key performance measures, including scheduling efficiency, patient access, and clinic utilization.
• Monitor key scheduling metrics, such as return-to-clinic orders (RTC), consults, and urgent scheduling needs, ensuring that all patient care requirements are met.
• Implement corrective actions based on data analysis to address discrepancies and improve operational efficiency.
• Meet the needs of customers (veterans, representatives, visitors, and VA staff) while supporting VA missions.
• Communicate courteously, tactfully, and respectfully with veterans, representatives, visitors, and staff.
• Provide veteran-centered care by emotionally supporting patients and their families and respecting their values and preferences.
• Respond to patient inquiries concerning medical, personal, and administrative matters, referring medical questions to clinical staff.
• Resolve complex patient service issues, ensuring that patients receive the care they need promptly and efficiently.
• Act as a liaison between MSAs, patients, and interdisciplinary teams to resolve conflicts, address administrative issues, and improve patient flow. Collaborate with clinical staff to ensure follow-up care is properly scheduled and completed, addressing any gaps or delays in the process.
• Ensure the smooth operation of clinic functions by overseeing the coordination of clinical flow processes related to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and community resources.
• Ensure compliance with policies for the security of sensitive data, including the Privacy Act of 1974.
• Maintain confidentiality and ensure access to sensitive information is limited to authorized staff.
• Use various office automation software (e.g., VISTA, CPRS, ICBWeb, ISS, CTM) to manage patient care.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday; 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
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
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 51653A
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.
• 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

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of this announcement closing date

Basic Requirements:

• United States 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).
• Education. High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment listed above, the following education and experience criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates:

Supervisory Medical Support Assistant- GS-8:

Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level leading or supervising MSAs or equivalent administrative patient support staff in a non-VA medical inpatient, outpatient, or interdisciplinary setting.

Assignment. Supervisory MSAs at this level plan and direct programs at medical centers and/or satellite outpatient clinics. They have full responsibility for supervising at least one subordinate MSA team leader, supervisor, or equivalent administrative patient support staff in a non-VA medical inpatient, outpatient, or interdisciplinary setting. Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: evaluating the work of subordinate staff; resolving complex problems to ensure patient services are met; evaluating new products, equipment, and systems to make recommendations for improved operations; identifying educational or training needs; making final decisions on hiring selections; evaluating performance, and taking disciplinary action when necessary. The employee has administrative and professional responsibility for planning and directing the subordinate lead, supervisor, and MSA's activities. Responsible for extracting and analyzing data to provide reports to senior management in support of tracking measures.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:
i. Ability to provide the full range of administrative and supervisory duties to at least one subordinate MSA supervisor or team leader in a patient support setting which includes assignment of work, performance evaluations, selection of staff, and recommendation of awards and/or advancements
.ii. 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.
iii. Ability to provide briefings, orientations, staff development, and training in a patient support setting.
iv. Ability to manage fiscal matters, forecast resource and equipment needs, and identify budget needs.
v. Advanced knowledge of managing or leading patient support staff in a clinic. This includes independently utilizing reference sources, decision making, and empowering the team to collaborate and resolve problems within a complex systems environment.

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-8.

Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. While working in the clinic, physical demands include walking, getting up and down from sitting to retrieve various items and carrying items such as papers, folders, belongings, etc. Crouching and bending are required to file documents and attend to supply needs. Although constant demands, such as continually ringing telephones and continual work interruptions by staff and patients, sometimes make it very difficult for the medical support assistant to leave the work area for even a short period of time. No special physical demands are required to perform the work.

VETERANS PREFERENCE IS WAIVED FOR THIS OCCUPATIONAL SERIES IAW Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO) BULLETIN "FY26 Staffing Shortage Determinations" dated: 09/25/25

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.

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

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.

Resume Requirement: Your resume must include the following information: Job title, description of duties, beginning and ending date (month/year) of employment, and average hours worked per week.SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Eligibility):

• Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee

Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:

• Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
• Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
• SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old

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.

• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Next steps