Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) - Health Benefits

Veterans Health Administration • Columbia, SC

3d • Onsite

About The Position

The incumbents are assigned to the Enrollment & Eligibility and related Business Office section at the Columbia VA Healthcare System at the following locations: Columbia, Greenville, Sumter, Orangeburg, Spartanburg, Rock Hill, Anderson, and Florence County. The goal of these positions is to perform a variety of administrative duties that facilitate an effective workflow for the clinical staff.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Must complete all required steps in the process, including an online assessment.
• 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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation/examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement.
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
• Will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period.
• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency: Proficient in basic written and spoken English.
• High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.
• One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-05), such as scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient appointments and/or consults; 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 patients check-in for appointments.
• 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 patient flow, and patient support care administrative functions 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.
• Ability to collaborate and communicate with a wide range of medical clinicians across multiple disciplines (e.g., medical doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, clinical pharmacists, and nursing staff) 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, with internal and external customers. This may include preparing reports in various formats and presenting data to various organizational levels, as well as resolving patient concerns.

Nice To Haves

• Preferred Experience: None

Responsibilities

• Conducts comprehensive VA health benefits application reviews.
• Verifies eligibility through HEC, VIS, MPI Toolkit, and related systems.
• Processes enrollment applications and updates eligibility status.
• Performs follow-up on pending or unverified eligibility data.
• Reviews and resolves enrollment discrepancies, including HEC alerts.
• Registers and enroll patients per VHA guidelines.
• Updates demographics, insurance, military service, and income information.
• Assists Veterans with VHIC identity verification and card issuance.
• Coordinates information with Beneficiary Travel, Community Care, My HealtheVet, and VBA.
• Schedules, cancels, and manages patient appointments using VHA directives.
• Manages consults, recall lists, and ISS workflows.
• Performs mandated contact attempts for consults.
• Cancel consults when appropriate and ensures documentation for consults older than 90days.
• Educates Veterans regarding VA versus community care wait times.
• Executes same-day consult actions using DST and consult toolbox.
• Screens inbound calls and determines required actions.
• Provides routine administrative assistance and resolves issues.
• Elevates complex concerns to supervisors or appropriate service lines.
• Communicates clearly, respectfully, and promptly with Veterans and staff.
• Coordinates transportation and travel concerns with Veterans Transportation Service.
• Enters, reviews, and verifies health eligibility and demographic data.
• Resolves discrepancies using IEMM and other reporting modules.
• Extracts medical information for patient education while following HIPAA.
• Ensure proper route of documents to HIMS for scanning.
• Generate or assist with required administrative data reports.

Benefits

• 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.
• Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: High school or GED