Medical Support Assistant - Physical Medicine And Rehabilitation

Medical Support Assistant

The incumbent is an integral part of a large Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department within the Minneapolis VAHCS. The PM&R Department houses the National Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center, Regional Amputation Center, Polytrauma Network Site, Comprehensive Pain Center, Visual Impairment Services Outpatient Rehabilitation, Program and Center for Integrative Health and Healing as well as multiple medical provider clinics.

Duties of this position are, but not limited to:

• The incumbent independently performs a full range of duties related to the delivery of healthcare services in an inpatient or outpatient setting.
• Advises clinical staff on current administrative processes.
• The MSA is responsible for answering phones, greeting patients, relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unit, scheduling appointments, including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines.

Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to:

• 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.
• Coordinates administrative functions relating to emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals and determines appointment type based on the patient's eligibility status (i.e., TRICARE, sharing agreements, collaterals, research patient, VA employee).

The incumbent may serve on assigned committees, work groups and other efforts to meet standards of care as identified by CARF and/or Joint Commission on Accreditation. The incumbent will interface with personal computer (PC) applications as well as numerous VistA and other VA applications.

Work Schedule: Administrative Days

Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases

Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year

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

Requirements

Conditions of Employment:

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.

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.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

Citizenship. Citizen of the United States.

Experience and Education. Experience. Six months experience of clerical, office, or other administrative work that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position; OR Education. One year above high school; OR Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable

Certification. None required.

Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

English Language Proficiency. MSAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.j.

Grade Determinations:

Medical Support Assistant, GS-3

Experience or Education. None beyond the basic requirements.

Assignment. This is an entry level MSA position.

Medical Support Assistant, GS-4

Experience. One year of experience in clerical, office, customer service, or other administrative work that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position; OR, Education. Two years of education above high school.

Assignment. This is a developmental level MSA position.

Medical Support Assistant, GS-5

Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-4 grade level; OR, Education. Four years of education above high school.

Assignment. This is the full performance level for MSAs.

Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position.

Education Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment.