Advanced Medical Support Assistant

Summary

The Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) serves in the Care in the Community Service at the VHA Western New York Healthcare System. The incumbent provides advanced administrative and clerical support for the coordination, scheduling, tracking, and documentation of authorized community care services for Veterans. The position supports the administrative components of the Care in the Community.

Duties

Duties but not limited to: Community Care Referral and Consult Coordination Provides advanced administrative support for Care in the Community referrals, consults, authorizations, appointments, procedures, diagnostic services, and related follow-up activities. Documents referral-related actions, communications, scheduling activity, records requests, and outstanding issues in the appropriate electronic system. Assists Care in the Community clinical and administrative staff with the administrative coordination and tracking of referrals. Reviews assigned referral information, coordinates required follow-up actions, documents the status of pending actions, and escalate unresolved or non-routine issues to the appropriate staff member Scheduling and Appointment Coordination: Coordinates community care appointments and additional administrative requests for authorized care with community providers and authorized vendors. Accurately schedules the full spectrum of authorized medical care, including appointments, procedures, surgery, imaging, diagnostic testing, specialty care, rehabilitation, and follow-up services, in accordance with documented instructions and established scheduling procedures. Community Provider and Records Coordination: Follows up with community providers and authorized vendors to confirm appointment completion, identify cancellations or no-shows, address scheduling barriers, and obtain outstanding medical records and other required documentation. Requests, receives, tracks, and appropriately routes medical records, consultation reports, diagnostic results, operative reports, and other documentation from community providers in accordance with applicable VA policy. Follows up on missing, incomplete, illegible, or delayed records and documents the status of outstanding requests. Administrative Review and Electronic Documentation Reviews information entered in approved referral, scheduling, or screening tools for administrative completeness; documents missing or conflicting information; and escalate clinical, eligibility, authorization, or risk-related questions to the appropriate clinical or administrative staff. Enters, updates, verifies, and validates appropriate referral, consult, appointment, provider, authorization, and records information in the electronic record and applicable VA systems, including CPRS, HSRM, PPMS, and other approved applications. Veteran and Customer Communication Performs telephone, electronic, written, and face-to-face receptionist and customer-service duties with internal and external customers. Obtains and documents administrative information necessary to process or route the request. Provides timely assistance within the scope of the position and refers clinical concerns, symptoms, medical questions, or other clinical matters to the appropriate clinical team member. Documents of customer contacts, messages, actions taken, and follow-up requirements in the appropriate electronic record or approved communication system. Team Participation and Workload Management Participate in team huddles, staff meetings, interdisciplinary discussions, and process-improvement activities. Sets priorities and adjusts the sequence of work to meet Veteran needs, referral requirements, established timeframes, service priorities, and changing workload demands. Reviews assigned information to identify administrative barriers, monitor pre-appointment requirements, follow-up actions, and escalate clinical or unresolved issues to the appropriate staff member. Monitors assigned worklists and reports backlogs, unresolved referrals, records delays, scheduling barriers, system problems, vendor concerns, or other conditions that may affect timely coordination of care. Performs other duties as assigned that are appropriate to the Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) position and consistent with Care in the Community requirements, VA policy, established procedures, and the employee's training and scope of responsibility. Work Schedule: 8am - 4:30pm (M-F) Telework: Ad- hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 21 Q78-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this 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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation 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 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 and evaluation

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.

Education

There is no education substitution.

How to apply

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 10/21/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13091293. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

Required documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes: Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV) 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 (Schedule A) Disability Letter (VA) License Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV) Other (1) Separation Notice (RIF) SF-15 SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Transcript SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility): Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee An SF-50 showing your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade. 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. 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.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.