The Lead MSA is responsible for answering questions for lower graded staff relating to healthcare services in an inpatient or outpatient setting. The Lead MSA monitors and makes work assignments, provides input on performance, resolves daily workplace issues, maintains efficient workflow and creates a positive work environment.

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Responsible for daily workload assessments, assigning work, and assuring proper staffing coverage.
• Evaluating training records and determining training needs of MSAs to provide support across interdisciplinary settings.
• Assists the unit with complex and non-standard procedures, including clinical flow processes related to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or community resources.
• Assignments at this level include but are not limited to ensuring accurate and timely scheduling of appointments; providing guidance to staff members, to include changes in policies and procedures, creating and maintaining employee work schedules; and acting as a liaison among Advanced MSA staff, MSA staff, patients and other interdisciplinary staff to resolve day to day conflicts.
• Provides comprehensive, detailed job training to all new clinic personnel in the clinic unit area.
• Monitors and typically schedules, cancels, and re-schedules patients' appointments and/or consults, enters no-show information, monitors the electronic wait list, prepares for clinic visits, monitors both inpatient and outpatient appointments for areas of responsibility, ensures that encounter forms are completed in order to obtain appropriate workload credit, verifies and updates demographics and insurance information, processes all emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or to private hospitals (where applicable), and performs/facilitates basic eligibility.
• Demonstrates courtesy and Professionalism.
• Identifies Customers' Concerns.
• Operates Computerized Programs. Utilizes computerized programs and databases to enter, modify, and retrieve sensitive information and various data into or from electronic medical records, scheduling systems, and/or reporting formats. Utilizes such programs and databases to make appointments in a clinical setting. Maintains patient confidentiality with written and verbal information, per HIPAA requirements.
• Applies knowledge of Medical Terminology. In the particular clinical service area supported, demonstrates basic knowledge of the associated medical terminology sufficient to be able to communicate effectively with both professional and non- professional employees in a variety of occupations and at various levels of responsibility.
• Works Independently. Works in a proficient and self-directed manner in order to accomplish a wide variety of tasks, to include setting priorities and coordinating work.
• Complies with Employee Education requirements by completing mandatory annual assignments through the TMS and complying with any other training or education requirements as determined by the supervisor.

Work Schedule: Full-time Monday-Friday 7:00 a.m. -3:30 p.m., 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.n., or 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Compressed/Flexible:Not Authorized
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 595-04319-F
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 identification 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:

Citizenship: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

Experience and Education:

• Experience. None
• 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: Medical Support Assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English.

Certification: None required

Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs.

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

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.

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

Lead Medical Support Assistant, GS-7

Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-6) which includes, assuring coverage of all areas of responsibility; conducting ongoing reviews to ensure quality of work; ensuring accurate and timely scheduling of appointments; providing guidance to staff members, to include changes in policies and procedures; distributing and balancing workload; creating and maintaining employee work schedules; orienting and providing on-the-job training for new and current employees; ensuring all training requirements are met; organizing the work structure of his/her assigned areas; and acting as a liaison between MSA and staff to resolve day to day conflicts.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:

• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology and a wide range of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or community.
• Ability to utilize numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics in an interdisciplinary setting.
• Ability to organize work, set priorities, and delegate tasks/responsibilities in order to meet deadlines.
• Skill in communicating with individuals to obtain the desired effect and coordinating with a variety of interdisciplinary care team staff.
• Ability to provide staff development and training.
• Ability to manage staffing requirements, manage workflow priorities, and adjust the flow of work to meet team and patient needs. This includes the ability to follow-up on pending issues and demonstrate an understanding of the impact of incomplete work across multiple clinics.

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-7.

Physical Requirements: Work is performed in an office setting and is primarily sedentary. May require lifting and carrying of light loads (e.g. files, records, etc.)