Health Benefits Assisstant

Full Job Description

This position is within the Health Administration Service at the Truman VA Medical Center in Columbia, MO.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/10/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

For a GS-5 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-4. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service.

An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials.

If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement.

In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade.

Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

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-4 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: providing clerical support in a hospital ward, knowledge of patient admissions (determining eligibility) and outpatient processing procedures.

Typical positions that would lead to this experience include, but are not limited to medical clerk, eligibility clerk, and travel clerk.

OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience.

To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a bachelor's degree or four years of successfully completed college study leading to a bachelor's degree.

(Copy of Transcript Required). OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level.

You must have an 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.

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:

The primary duties of the Health Benefits Assistant include but are not limited to: Interview Veterans, or their designated representative, in order to collect demographic information relative to their finances, insurance, address, work history, etc.

Contacts may be in person, by telephone, or by mail, and require timely and accurate input into the VA data base system. Maintain workload reports relative to these duties.

Advise Veterans of their entitlement to various medical benefits and discuss copayment requirements of Veterans in discretionary categories.

Responsible for researching and handling complex questions relative to their area of expertise referred by the supervisor.

Expected to have extensive knowledge of the hospital admitting procedures and policies, entering in patients information into VISTA for hospital admissions, and gathering information for said admission into the facility.

Provide exceptional customer service by exceeding the customer's expectations with respect and concern; focusing on the details of the customer's needs and helps the customer arrive at a satisfactory solution to the problem.

Participate in the facility's Outreach events, promoting the VA.

Give on-the-job training to new employees in accordance with established procedures and practices, instruct employees on changes in work procedures, provide written instructions/documentation of changes.

May serve on various hospital committees and/or VISN or national work groups relative to his/her position, or at the request of the supervisor.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Health Benefits Assisstant/PD03943A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized