This position is located in the Health Administration Service at VA Walla Walla Health Care - Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center in Walla Walla, WA. The Health Benefits Assistant is responsible for a wide range of assignments and providing administrative support to Member Services Unit and the clinical staff recovery.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Major duties and responsibilities include but not limited to: Interviewing patients applying for medical benefits via in person, by telephone, by mail, on-line or referrals from another VA. Entering demographic, insurance, and income information into the Vista System. Verifying eligibility/entitlement for benefits of all applicants using various methods including income assessments, military discharge documents, computer hospital inquiry (HINQ) and other means. Greeting and receiving applicants and determining the status in the VA system including identifying critical facts and any special eligibility status. Providing the veteran with "New Patient Orientation" including the scheduling of initial appointment with primary care provider at the medical center. Providing counseling regarding patients' financial obligations relative to care they will receive. Apprising Veterans regarding non-VA health care, purchased care, Choice, Choice First benefits and how to access. Supporting the clerical and medical staff by serving as a contact for veterans and beneficiaries seeking medical treatment, experiencing problems, and requesting information. Generating patient data cards for veterans applying for care using the Veterans Health Identification Card (VHIC) system. Traveling to areas in the catchment area to assist in outreach programs assisting with counseling veterans, their dependents, and their beneficiaries. Providing training and information to VA staff, other federal agencies, and community agencies regarding the VA Health Care System services. Work Schedule: Monday to Friday; 08:00 a.m. to 04:30 p.m. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates. Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Qualifications

The following are minimum requirements for appointment as a Health Benefits Assistant in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), which all applicants must met. Specialized Experience (GS-05): You must have one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (i.e., GS-04). Qualifying specialized experience is performing administrative duties in a healthcare setting, which would typically include but are not limited to: providing administrative support to a work unit; verifying eligibility/entitlement for benefits; entering, reviewing, verifying, and analyzing computerized data for accuracy and consistency; assisting patients with eligibility forms and processes. (CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Your resume must show complete information for each job entry, such as beginning and ending dates of employment, duties performed, and/or total hours worked per week.) OR, Education (GS-05): Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have four (4) years of successfully completed education above the high school level in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. NOTE: One year of full-time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business or technical school. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.) OR, Combination (GS-05): Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond two (2) years of successfully completed education above the high school level in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.) You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Client OrientationComputer SkillsCustomer ServiceTechnical Credibility IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such 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; religious; 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. Physical Requirements: The work normally involves mental rather than physical exertion. The work is generally sedentary, but requires some bending, walking, standing, lifting and carrying patient records and various reports to various areas throughout the medical center campus. Reading from CRT for long periods of time and accessing information from various computer systems as necessary. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov).

Contacts

• Address Jonathan M Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center 77 Wainwright Drive Walla Walla, WA 99362 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]