Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) - Specialty Care
Veterans Health Administration
Posted: February 3, 2026 (5 days ago)
Added to FreshGovJobs: February 5, 2026 (2 days ago)
Posted recently. We are still expanding our coverage, so we added it a bit late. Still worth applying!
Veterans Health Administration
Department of Veterans Affairs
Location
Lyons, New Jersey
Salary
$53,512 - $69,565
per year
Type
Full Time
More Healthcare & Medical jobs →Closes
Base salary range: $37,764 - $49,094
Typical requirements: 1 year specialized experience at GS-5. Bachelor's degree + some experience.
Note: Actual salary includes locality pay (15-40%+ depending on location).
This job involves working in a hospital's admissions and discharge area to schedule appointments, manage patient records, and coordinate care between doctors, nurses, and other staff at a VA medical center.
It supports veterans by ensuring smooth patient flow and handling administrative tasks like tracking records and resolving issues.
A good fit would be someone with customer service experience who is organized, communicates well, and can handle sensitive health information in a fast-paced team environment.
The VA NJ Healthcare system is currently recruiting for an Advanced Medical Support Assistant for the Lyons VA Medical Center.
The position is located within the Admissions and Discharge area of the hospital.
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.
Experience and Education: Experience.
Six 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 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.
Grade Determinations (Advanced Medical Support Assistant GS 6) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level. AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.
Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: Ability to collaborate and communicate with a wide range of medical clinicians across multiple disciplines (e.g.
medical doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, clinical pharmacists, and nursing staff) to accomplish team goal setting to ensure medical care to patients is met.
Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.
Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively, electronically, by phone, in person], and in writing, with internal and external customers].
This may include preparing reports in various formats and presenting data to various organizational levels, as well as resolving patient concerns.
Advanced knowledge of the technical health care process [(including, but not limited to, scheduling across interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community models and patient health care portals)] as it relates to access to care.
Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures associated with interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community operational activities that affect patient flow, and patient support care [administrative functions] to include, but not limited to appointment cycles, outside patient referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, provider availability, etc Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.
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).
Preferred Experience: Medical Record Management (Scanning/Indexing): Receiving, reviewing, and indexing health documentation from non-VA providers and other VA locations into the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) and VistA Imaging software.
Documentation & Accuracy: Ensuring all necessary medical and administrative information is correctly uploaded into the patient's record, including creating progress notes and attaching documents to the correct patient.
Logistics & Tracking: Managing the tracking, retrieval, and transfer of medical records, including sending and receiving records to other facilities and conducting follow-ups when information is not received promptly.
Eligibility Determination: Assisting in determining patient eligibility for transfers, including navigating complex rules regarding TRICARE, sharing agreements, or research patients.
Communication Liaison: Serving as a primary point of contact between clinical staff & outside facilities to coordinate care, answer questions, and resolve issues.
Information Security & Compliance: Protecting sensitive patient data in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, HIPAA, and VHA Systems Knowledge: Proficiency in VA computer systems, specifically Vista and CPRS.
Interpersonal Skills: Ability to work with a diverse team of clinicians and communicate tactfully with veterans and their families.
Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: See VA Handbook 5019 Major Duties:
Duties include, but are not limited to: Coordinates with team members to review clinic utilization and ensures that the clinic setup is closely monitored to effectively support the needs of the clinic, making necessary adjustments as needed.
Develops and maintains effective and efficient communication with the patients, interdisciplinary team, VA medical centers, and other agencies.
Communicate with staff inside and outside the facility to include Non-VA Medical facilities. Process secure messaging requests from the patient to the team.
Develop and manage a tracking system for follow up care such as consults, tests, etc. Participate in team huddles and team meetings to manage and plan patient care.
This will include providing input in problem solving on operational issues or procedures. Adjust the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs.
Monitoring pre-appointment requirements to assure readiness for patient visit/procedure (e.g., X-ray, lab work). Managing electronic wait list to verify and validate accuracy and resolve issues.
Share information by collaborating with the medical team to assure continuity of care; evaluating patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine whether patient is vested; educating providers about share patients (those who receive their care at multiple VAs or those who have care in the community) and bringing to the attention of the provider.
VA Careers - Lead Medical Support Assistant: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/UJO_XH5uCLs Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30AM-4:00PM Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience.
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 (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 21W72-A
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