This Medical Support Assistant (MSA) position is within the Health Administration Service (HAS) and is primarily responsible for providing administrative support to the professional staff in health care delivery in a diversified ambulatory care setting, utilizing working knowledge of all medical center programs and services.

Duties

Duties may include but are not limited to: The MSA/Decedent Affairs position provides a variety of administrative and clerical services to patients, their families, and beneficiaries. The incumbent serves as the Patient Funds Back-up Coordinator and Decedent Affairs Coordinator within Medical Administration Service. The incumbent is responsible for the administrative processing of all patient's funds requests, i.e., deposits, withdrawals, account balancing, etc., and the administrative processing of all death cases. The Patient Funds Back-up Coordinator maintains and controls all patient funds accounts and performs necessary funds and services action. Regular duties include receipt of deposits for individual accounts, analysis of receipts as to the source, i.e.. , whether gratuitous or private, posting of deposits to individual accounts, examination of requests for withdrawals, advising the Chief, MAS or his designee as to whether the withdrawal is of a nature to warrant approval, determining and posting the withdrawal authority to requests for expenditure, posting of withdrawals to individual accounts, determining maximum and minimum balances to be maintained, examination of all possible sources of income to meet needs, the taking of action to replenish accounts, the taking of action to stop payments when the maximum balance is reached, maintaining control balances, reconciling individual accounts with control balances and the maintenance of various administrative documents supporting actions taken. The Patient Funds Back-up Coordinator maintains a comprehensive knowledge of the state laws and regulations pertinent to the disposition of funds of competent and incompetent deceased patients. The incumbent applies knowledge of state laws and regulations to accurately determine if the person(s) legally designated to inherit the funds of the recipient. included are technical aspects such as authorization for transfers of funds in cases where no legal heir exists. The Decedent Affairs Coordinator is responsible for the administrative processing of all matters related to deaths occurring in this VA Medical Center Transitional Care Unit (TCU). This requires interviewing and advising the families of deceased patients of all benefits to which they are entitled. The Decedent Affairs Coordinator are responsible for the preparation of the State of Texas Death Certificate. This requires the thorough review of pertinent documents of information. As a medico-legal document the verifications, validation and accuracy of the Death Certificate is of paramount importance to the medical center. Decedent Affairs Coordinator is responsible for reviewing all medical and administrative records of deceased patients and ensuring their accuracy. All discrepancies identified will be brought to the immediate attention of the supervisor and the Chief, Medical Administration Service. The incumbent is responsible for the preparation of all forms required in the processing of death cases. The incumbent ensures that sympathy letters are promptly and accurately typed, for the signature of the Medical Center Director, and forwarded to the next of kin within two weeks of patient demise. In cases where patients have expired at places other than this medical center, and their remains are taken to the Medical Examiner's Office, the Medical Examiner may contact the incumbent for information contained in the patient's records. The incumbent must ensure that the provisions continued within the Privacy Act of 1974, and other relevant VA Regulations and guidelines, concerning the release of patient information are strictly adhered to. Decedent Affairs Coordinator must use sound judgment and ensure follow-up in locating the proper person(s) to complete the funeral arrangements and, if appropriate, grant consent for autopsy. The incumbent is responsible for contacting Nursing and Chaplain Service and requesting that the families be accompanied to view the patient's remains. The incumbent is responsible for an accurate monthly death report and other reports as required. The incumbent must be able to function independently with minimal supervisory intervention. The incumbent must be capable of analyzing and interpreting written directives; is expected to take independent action in routine situations; must be resourceful in obtaining information required to assure expeditious service to patients and their beneficiaries. The incumbent exercises independent judgment and operates at a high level of responsibility. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:30pm Recruitment/Relocation Incentive: May be authorized for a Highly Qualified Individual. Telework: Not Available Functional Statement #: 0000 Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Medical Support Assistant: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-MSA-VA-Career-Flyer.pdf

Requirements

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational, or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. 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. Experience: Six (6) months experience of 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: One (1) 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. (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). 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). Grade Determinations: GS-3 In addition to the basic requirements you must demonstrate all of the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA's). Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: Ability to meet, communicate, and interact with individuals in a courteous and helpful manner in order to give instructions and arrange appointments. Ability to utilize computer systems to enter administrative data in patient systems. Ability to learn and utilize basic medical terminology to record patient messages and physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care. GS-4 You must have 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 have two years of education above high school. You must also demonstrate all of the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA')s listed below: Ability to meet, communicate, and interact with individuals from varying backgrounds and other health care team members in a courteous and helpful manner in order to [facilitate medical care for patients. Ability to use, and navigate between, various types of office automation equipment and software (i.e. computer systems, web based scheduling programs; insurance collection system; scanning software, multiple line phone systems; electronic faxing programs) to support patient care. Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients. Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics. GS-5 You must have one year of experience equivalent to the GS-4 grade level; OR Four years of education above high school. You must also demonstrate all of the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA')s listed below: Ability to operate computerized programs and systems in order to enter, modify, and retrieve sensitive medical and patient identifying information (PII) into or from electronic health records, scheduling systems, and/or reports. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients. Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting. Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work. Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers. Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution. Preferred Experience: Previous Clerical or Administrative type work. One year of experience operating computer programs, applications, and systems (i.e., email, Word, excel, Vista, CPRS) One year of good customer service experience. Previous experience receiving and making telephone calls. Experience working independently to accomplish duties or tasks. Experience resolving informal/formal complaints from customers. References: VA Handbook 5005/117, Part II, Appendix G45 MEDICAL SUPPORT ASSISTANT QUALIFICATION STANDARD GS-0679. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-5. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-3 to GS-5. Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Dallas VA Medical Center 4500 South Lancaster Road Dallas, TX 75216 US
• Name: VISN 17 SSU USAS Group
• Email: [email protected]