Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Veterans Health Administration • Lexington, KY

4d • Onsite

About The Position

The incumbent serves as an Advanced Medical Support Assistant in the Health Benefits Section of Health Administration Service at a two-divisional teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Kentucky Medical Center and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The role serves as an advisor and subject matter expert on certain VHA benefits, including verifying veterans’ eligibility, processing enrollment applications, handling related correspondence, addressing eligibility issues through financial assessments, updating veteran information, and managing correspondence and data.

The position involves interviewing veterans in person or by telephone and reviewing supporting documentation for authenticity, clarity, and completeness to maintain accurate VA patient and eligibility databases. The incumbent registers patients and enters financial and means-testing information, clarifies ambiguous information, and ensures Veterans Health Administration Plan and manually added Carve-out plan information is accurately recorded in the Veterans Enrollment System. The role also advises veterans about medical benefits and co-payment requirements, orients facility staff on enrollment and eligibility policies and procedures, and refers veterans with complex non-medical benefit questions to appropriate information sources.

The incumbent manages Vista GuiMail and the daily New Enrollee/Appointment Requested (NEAR) list, including scheduling, follow-ups, cancellations, and rescheduling. The full performance level is GS-06. The work schedule is 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Telework and virtual work are not available. The work is generally sedentary, but may involve walking, standing, bending, and carrying light items. Work may be stressful during peak clinic hours or periods of high clinic activity.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception for appointments when qualified U.S. citizens cannot be recruited under 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).
• High school diploma, GED equivalency certificate, or state or territorial proficiency certificate.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• One year of experience equivalent to GS-5 for qualification at the GS-6 level.
• Advanced knowledge of technical health care processes related to access to care, including scheduling across interdisciplinary coordinated care and/or care-in-the-community models and patient health care portals.
• Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures affecting interdisciplinary coordinated care or care-in-the-community operations, patient flow, and administrative support functions such as appointment cycles, referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, and provider availability.
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology.
• Ability to collaborate and communicate with medical clinicians across multiple disciplines to support team goals and patient care.
• Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines while complying 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, presenting data, and resolving patient concerns.
• Provide detailed resume documentation of experience, including job title, duties, start and end month/year, and hours worked per week.
• Meet physical requirements, including ability to operate a computer terminal and manage multiple activities at once.
• Meet applicable background and security requirements, complete onboarding and required application steps, and participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Serve a 1- or 2-year trial period, as applicable.

Responsibilities

• Advise veterans on certain VHA benefits and serve as a subject matter expert in enrollment and eligibility.
• Verify veterans’ eligibility status and process enrollment applications and related written correspondence.
• Conduct financial assessments and address eligibility issues; perform online updates to veteran information and manage related correspondence and data.
• Interview veterans in person or by telephone and review supporting documentation for authenticity, clarity, and completeness.
• Register patients and accurately enter financial and means-testing information for new and existing patients.
• Initiate appropriate actions to clarify vague or ambiguous information.
• Ensure Veterans Health Administration Plan and manually added Carve-out plan information is accurately entered in the Veterans Enrollment System for patients, collaterals, and employees.
• Advise veterans about entitlement to medical benefits and counsel applicants about pharmacy and inpatient or outpatient care co-payments.
• Orient facility staff to administrative rules, regulations, procedures, and policies related to enrollment and eligibility.
• Advise veterans on routine non-medical benefits and refer complex benefit questions to appropriate information sources.
• Manage Vista GuiMail and the daily NEAR list, including appointment scheduling, follow-ups, cancellations, and rescheduling.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, consisting of 13–26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays.
• Eligible employees may receive credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service experience, subject to approval.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment in connection with birth, adoption, or foster care placement.
• Eligible full-time employees may qualify for a childcare subsidy after 60 days of employment, subject to family income and other eligibility conditions.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and federal 401(k) with up to 5% in VA contributions.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs may be carried into retirement.

What This Job Offers

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