This position is located within the Minneapolis VA Health Care System within the Health Administrative Service. The employee works under the general supervision of the Eligibility and Enrollment Supervisor and is often the first contact a patient has with the VA. The employee works with Veterans, Veteran's families, staff, outside organizations, contract companies and others.

Duties

Major duties listed but not limited to: Interpret all eligibility to make initial determinations whether Veterans or non-Veterans meet legal/contractual requirements for medical care Generate patient data cards for Veterans applying for care using the Veterans Health Identification Card (VHIC) system Update patient demographic information, either in person during check-in or over the phone Provide on-the-job training to new Health Benefits Advisors Help develop functional processes and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) Provide claims development for all types of eligibility requests for inpatient and outpatient treatment and other special programs Facilitate referrals and transfers to and from community hospitals and other VA medical Centers Determine eligibility for VA health care benefits, obtain application, process registration Counsels Veterans and outside facilities regarding eligibility status and financial obligations Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (work hours may be further discussed during the interview) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Benefits Assistant/PD60662A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/12/2024. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: enter and update data such as demographics, employment, insurance, and income into computerized databases; apply regulations, public laws, directives, policies and procedures; perform administrative tasks such as answering telephones, scheduling appointments, composing memos and checking patients in and out; and interact with a wide range of individuals to provide customer service, counseling and teamwork. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed four years of education above the high school level. This education can be in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite and must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. One year of full-time academic 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, secretarial, or technical school. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Computer SkillsCustomer ServiceInterpersonal SkillsOrganizational Awareness 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. 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. 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. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. Work is performed in an area responsible for treating patients with a wide variety of medical problems including psychiatric or substance abuse. Occasionally Veterans may be angry and potentially violent. The employee is frequently exposed to communicable diseases. Safety precautions are sometimes necessary. The work requires no special physical demands, but will require some physical effort such as standing, walking, bending, and sitting. Work Environment: The work is normally performed in an office setting with occasional visits to clinic areas and other services. The work area typically is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated although the area can be congested. Must be able to work under adverse situations and function at an optimum level of concentration in an environment with frequent interruptions and many activities in progress simultaneously. The employee works directly with the public, clerical and professional staff of the Medical Center. The employee observes established safety standards and practices as defined in the current Medical Center policy. Employee occasionally will attend meetings and obligations at other locations. 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

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

Contacts

• Address Minneapolis VA Medical Center One Veterans Drive Minneapolis, MN 55417 US
• Name: Kara Grieser
• Phone: (320) 252-1670 X7151
• Email: [email protected]