The position is located at the Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center, Walla Walla, Washington (VAWW), servicing Veterans residing in a 42,000 square mile primary service area within VISN 20 Northwest Network. The incumbent is responsible for a wide range of assignments and provides administrative support to Member Services Unit and the clinical staff recovery aspects of this position have a direct impact of the facility.

Duties

Responsible for interviewing patients applying for medical benefits. Applications may be received in person, by telephone, by mail, on-line or referral from another VA. Incumbent is responsible for entering demographic, insurance, and income information into the VistA system. This information serves as a base for determining entitlement to medical care as well as bill preparation and collections on all billable episodes of inpatient and outpatient care. Accurate and complete data collection is essential to proper processing of third party collection requirements as mandated by law. Verifies eligibility/entitlement for benefits of all applicants using various methods including income assessments, military discharge documents, computer hospital inquiry (HINQ) and other means, such as communications with VA Regional Office or VA Records Processing Centers. The process of verifying eligibility is complicated and criteria differ for each type of benefit applied for. Incumbent advises the veterans of their entitlement to various medical benefits and discusses co-payment requirements of veterans in discretionary categories. Extreme tact and diplomacy is required to explain complicated laws in this area. Functions as the single administrative contact for a client during any one visit to the VA Walla Walla. Incumbent is the initial contact point for Veteran accessing the VA system for the first time, or re-accessing the system after an absence from VA Care. The incumbent receives, determines needs, entitlements, and coordinates a client's visit from arrival to departure, ensuring all administrative and clinical details have been completed before an applicant leaves the facility. When necessary, the incumbent will make telephonic contacts with the client to follow-up and complete details from a previous visit. Greets and receives applicants and determines his/her status in the VA system. In the case of a new patient, the incumbent must determine eligibility based on the correct application of current regulations, directives and CBO guidance governing entitlement to medical benefits. This also includes reviewing all available documentation and data bases, such as, HINQ, DD-214, VIS, etc. Advises the veteran of his/her eligibility status and enrollment Priority Group for VA health care, explaining his/her billing co-payment status, including how his/her private insurance may affect his/her VA billing co-payments. The incumbent also will advise the veteran if he/she is determined to be ineligible of their appeals rights and procedures in writing and assist them to submit a notice of disagreement. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm, with occasional PM, weekend and Holidays shifts Position Description Title/PD#: Health Benefits Assistant/PD80270A Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position 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.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation
• May serve a probationary period
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• General restriction on movement after competitive appointment 5 CFR 330.502
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. GS-05 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-04 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: knowledge of all aspects of Business Office/Health Administration Service programs and knowledge of how they interrelate to all other medical center services and programs. Knowledge of medical and administrative record system, Privacy Act and Freedom of Information Act, as they relate to the release of information on patients. Ability to interpret and apply rules, regulations, policies, and procedures and to make sound decisions, using good judgment. Ability to deal with variety of individuals with tact and diplomacy. Knowledge of using a personal computer Word, Excel, and various VISTA packages such as Integrated Billing, Registration, Appointment Management, Enrollment, and Patient Demographics software applications. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 4 years above high school graduation or equivalent (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED). OR Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-05 level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond 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 (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED). You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Client OrientationComputer SkillsCustomer ServiceTechnical Credibility 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.

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.

Contacts

• Address Jonathan M Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center 77 Wainwright Drive Walla Walla, WA 99362 US
• Name: Athena Houck
• Phone: 361-277-9613
• Email: [email protected]