File Clerk (OA)

Full Job Description

The position is located within the Health Information Management Section (HIMS) at the El Paso VA Health Care System.

The primary duties of this position are to maintain accessible records and provide efficient service for direct and indirect patient care by managing the receipt and scanning of health documents in a timely and accurate manner.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/17/2026.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: General Experience: You must have one year of general experience.

Examples of general experience would typically include, but are not limited to: knowledgeable of multiple systems and current computer technology regarding imaging and scanning applications, knowledge of medical record file systems, procedures, record retention, and procedures relating to the transfer and other disposition of hard copy records, basic knowledge of regulations governing the release of information, knowledge of the flow of health information and the retrieval of health information both within its section and throughout outpatient facilities, and knowledge of the functions performed within the units services to determine the subject matter of diverse types of records information, correspondence, and forms for filing and scanning purposes.

OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 2 years above high school. Transcripts Required.

OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of general experience and education beyond high school.

Transcripts Required.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Clerical Attention to Detail Information Management Computer Skills Communications 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: The work is mostly sedentary; however until records have been automated, work may involve considerable walking, standing and bending in the search for health records.

There is lifting and carrying of bulky records and boxes, usually not to exceed 50 pounds. Pushing carts is routine for retiring records.

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/.

Major Duties:

Major Duties: This position is responsible for carrying out a variety of health information functions.

The incumbent performs duties related to the receipt, intake, scanning, indexing, quality control, destruction, and transfer of health and administrative information.

The incumbent is responsible for electronically scanning various health information documents into VistA Imaging and assuring that the scanned documents are associated to the correct patient and note (unless it is an Administrative or Clinical type document) in the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS).

The incumbent must follow scanning procedures established by the CPRS Committee.

After completing the scanning and indexing process, confirms record integrity and reviews the image quality in the VistA Imaging display.

Ensures regular quality checks are carried out according to prescribed timeframes and criteria.

The incumbent notifies the Supervisor when images are scanned into the wrong patient's record, are indexed incorrectly or are corrupted.

When records are received, the incumbent reviews documents for appropriate scanning criteria and ensures that all necessary health/administrative information meeting the criteria is integrated into CPRS through the PC scanning software and hardware.

The incumbent ensures prior to scanning that all paper clips, staples, tape, and loose hanging tape are removed from the documents.

The incumbent scans loose filing by indexing the loose material to the appropriate Clinical or Administrative setup in VistA Imaging to facilitate future reference.

The incumbent also correctly indexes all documents imported from other devices or sources, including pdf, tiff, jpeg files, etc. in VistA Imaging.

Maintains confidentiality of all electronic records and paper components of the health record; follows appropriate procedures when mailing and destroying health information in paper or electronic format; and ensures sensitive (employee-Veteran) health records are maintained in an extra-secure manner and available only to requestors in the scope of their official duties.

Utilizes a computer to perform a wide variety of record keeping, correspondence, and tracking operations and performs timely filing, retrieval, and clerical duties associated with the retention, maintenance, disposition, guardianship and control of health records in both terminal digit and alphabetic filing systems.

The incumbent is responsible for communicating/contacting daily, or as often as necessary, with other administrative and clinical staff members in order to locate/obtain health records.

Also introduces and explains non-VA health record documents to medical center staff and assists them in understanding how to recognize which nomenclature and indexing term to use.

Retrieves records using a combination of computer-based patient treatment history and historical record transactions to deduce locations of hard-to-find records; references VistA Imaging and patient locator cards to support Release of Information activities; and conducts extensive searches for health records when initial searches have been unsuccessful.

Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:45pm Telework: This position may be authorized for telework.

Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: File Clerk (OA)/PD01209A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized