Medical Administration Specialist

Full Job Description

The incumbent serves as a Medical Administrative Specialist located in the Office of the Chief, Health Administration Service (HAS), or Business Office (BO), or Medical Administration Service (MAS), or similarly named and organized service; the position has both the authority and responsibility to represent both the Medical Center Director and the Chief, HAS on all administrative matters occurring when assigned to other than a normal tour of duty.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/27/2026.

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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07.

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-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: knowledge of medical organizations and their functions, specialties, and programs; experience with various Microsoft Office products; experience interpreting rules, regulations, policies, and procedures; ability to identify and analyze complex problems or situations with a range of variables; and knowledge of analytical tools and methods to be able to interpret information;.

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

To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have one (1) full year of graduate level education or (b) superior academic achievement (Transcripts 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. Preferred Experience: CPRS, VISTA, ISS, MICROSOFT, Inpatient Experience.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and Management Analytical Reasoning Customer Service Legal, Government and Jurisprudence 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 requires significant movement throughout the Healthcare System with the occasional requirement to lift objects such as suitcases, clothing, or medical charts.

Work is typically performed in an adequately lighted and climate controlled office. May require occasional travel. Work is accomplished in a busy, generally congested office area.

The AOD routinely goes to most sections and buildings, including offices, clinics, wards, laboratories and the morgue.

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 Health Administrative Specialist on Duty (HOD) is a facility-wide position, located in the Office of the Chief, Health Administration Service (HAS), or Business Office (BO), or Medical Administration Service (MAS), or similarly named and organized service; the position has both the authority and responsibility to represent both the Medical Center Director and the Chief, HAS on all administrative matters occurring when assigned to other than a normal tour of duty.

Typical work assignments include, but are not limited to: Interprets VA rules and regulations, determining if presenting Veterans meet established criteria to warrant entitlement to benefits associated with hospital admission or outpatient care, nursing home care, dental treatment, domiciliary, distant patient lodging, non-VA care, prosthetic appliances, patient transfers, and beneficiary travel.

Authorized as certifying officer for documents pertaining to the administration of laws concerning VA.

Coordinates the resolution of medical-administrative-operational problems concerning the Healthcare System after normal working hours.

Delegated authority to act on behalf of the HCS Director to initiate actions dealing with any disaster situation, in accordance with the hospital disaster plan.

Serves as a resource to the Medical Officer of the Day (MOD), hospitalist, all other providers and clinical staff, and clerical staff concerning administrative matters necessary to support the operation of the Healthcare System during other than normal hours.

Provides Healthcare System staff advice on administrative procedures and requirements, many of which are based on law/statute or regulation, utilizing practical knowledge and ample experience in such day to day matters, including involuntary commitments, conservatorship, orders of protective custody, and management of disruptive or severely disturbed patients.

Maintains current bed inventory utilizing BMS (Bed Management System) software and ensures the accuracy of the program for national reporting purposes; obtains bed availability for treatment needs and provides daily report/log of all activities occurring during tour of duty.

Briefs on-coming shift of pending events or the current status of any administrative issues.

After regular hours responsible for initiating prearranged call tree, or for calling in all necessary employees on an overtime basis for emergent needs such as attending to patient care needs or emergency repairs.

Coordinates with VA Crisis Line and VISN or regional Nurse Advice Line in assisting Veterans in emergent or crises situations.

Records operative permits, when appropriate, and assists physician in administrative matters. Provides compassionate and sympathetic explanation of death and burial benefits to family and next­-of-kin.

Records procedural, operative, autopsy, organ donation permits when appropriate.

Provides sympathetic answers to family's concerns of how autopsy affects appearance of remains; assists with procedures on organ donation.

Work Schedule: Full-Time, 40 Hours per week; Rotating Shifts to include days, evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays, EST. Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Medical Administration Specialist/PD99368-S, 99385-S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.

Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met.

Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. NOTE: This position is not a Bargaining Unit Position. This position is in the Competitive Service.

Veterans' Preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees. This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay.

Current Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action).

The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted).

In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held.

Interchange Agreements with Other Merit System: Employees who occupy medical or medical-related positions and were appointed under 38 U.S.C. 4701

or

[formerly 38 U.S.C. 4104

and

] must be serving in a full-time position without time limit and have served continuously for at least one year in this other merit system to be eligible to convert to the Title 5 System. Some exceptions to this rule may apply if you have previously acquired tenure under a Title 5 appointment.