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Posted: January 30, 2026 (3 days ago)

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Medical Support Assistant (Adv

Veterans Health Administration

Department of Veterans Affairs

Fresh

Salary

$47,488 - $61,734

per year

Closes

February 9, 2026

GS-6 Pay Grade

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).

Job Description

Summary

This job involves working as an advanced administrative assistant in a VA hospital's emergency department team, handling tasks like scheduling patient appointments, updating records, and coordinating care to ensure smooth operations and good patient service.

It's ideal for someone with customer service or office experience who is organized, communicates well, and wants to support healthcare delivery for veterans.

The role focuses on teamwork with medical staff to meet deadlines and follow VA policies without direct patient treatment.

Key Requirements

  • U.S. citizenship
  • Proficiency in spoken and written English
  • One year of experience equivalent to GS-5 level in medical support or administrative roles, including scheduling appointments and managing patient records
  • Ability to collaborate and communicate effectively with medical clinicians across disciplines
  • Skill in independently setting priorities and organizing work to meet deadlines and comply with policies
  • Advanced knowledge of healthcare processes, including scheduling, patient portals, and coordinated care delivery
  • Advanced knowledge of medical terminology and VA policies for patient flow and support

Full Job Description

This position is located at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the Medical Information Systems Division.

This position supports operations with the ED patient care delivery team. The team provides the majority of the healthcare needs for an assigned panel of patients.

The Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) plays a key role in the VHA Network Performance Measures, including Customer Service, Access to Care, and overall quality of healthcare delivery by VA.

Basic Requirements: CITIZENSHIP: Must be a United States Citizen. ENGLISH: Must be proficient in basic written and spoken English.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE: Must possess six (6) months experience of clerical, office, customer service or other administrative work that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skill necessary to perform the duties of the Medical Support Assistant.

OR Must have successfully completed one (1) year above high school. This education must have been obtained in an accredited technical school, junior college, college or university.

One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university.

(TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) OR Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying for entry level.

(TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS LISTED ABOVE, YOU MUST MEET THE GRADE REQUIREMENTS AT THE GS-6 LEVEL TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION.

Grade Determinations:GS-6 level Must possess one (1) year of experience that is directly related to the duties of an MSA.

To be creditable, this experience must be equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-5, and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with current MSA responsibilities.

Experience at this level includes assignments such as advising clinical staff on current administrative processes; answering phones, greeting patients, relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unit; scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient appointments and/or consults in a computerized scheduling system to include interpreting and verifying provider orders; entering no-show information; monitoring appointment requests from multiple electronic sources; participating in huddles with other MSAs and/or clinic staff to determine the daily needs of the clinic, monitoring both inpatient and outpatient appointments in areas of responsibility; verifying and updating demographics and insurance information when patients check-in for appointments; and coordinating administrative functions relating to emergency and non-emergency transfers to other facilities.

AND Demonstrate Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Candidates Must Demonstrate: Ability to collaborate and communicate with a wide range of medical clinicians across multiple disciplines 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.

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 the patient flow, and patient support care 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.

References: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this position is GS-6 Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. Physical demands do not exceed those of a typical office setting.

There may be some walking, standing twisting, turning, sitting, pushing, bending, repetitive keyboarding, or carrying of light items.

Some positions may require sitting for long periods of time at a computer terminal typing data while talking on a telephone headset. Major Duties:

The Advanced MSA is responsible for checking-in/checking-out patients through the Emergency Department.

This requires interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national guidelines.

Assignments include but are not limited to the following: Daily review and management of EDIS program including monitoring of lab and imaging requests, assignment of rooms, and updating of EDIS board upon disposition of ED patients by ED providers.

Use of EDIS board information to keep track of patients to call them to the ER or Fast Track when it is time for them to be seen/treated by providers.

- - Assist with ED 24/7 access to patients by entering bed requests for patients and updating BMS when patients are admitted to the floor.

Generate patient workload reports that have to do with schedules/scheduling for validation and monitors activity to assure consistent and accurate reporting.

Play an integral role in identifying and developing ways to resolve problems with administrative and clinical staff on access, customer service, patient flow, revenue, and data validation issues.

Conduct patient/employee interviews, observes workflow, guides patients through hospital system, inputs referrals, documents complaints, provides follow-up, assesses operational risks and suggests resolutions to supervisor.

Interpret and apply a complex body of pertinent laws, regulations, directives, and policies that relate to the administration of VA Healthcare Benefits.

Maintain effective communication with patient, interdisciplinary team, and VITA and outside providers.

Participate in huddles or meeting with ED Annex, Mental Health and other interdisciplinary members to manage and plan patient care/flow.

Refer patients in the Medical Care Cost Recovery Program so that data can be identified for potential third party health insurance and refers to appropriate site for the scanning of medical insurance cards using ICB.

Assist in coordination of request for appropriate transportation of patients for medical appointments or for other medical facilities.

Interpret and communicate requirements of VHA Scheduling Directives and complete accurate scheduling responsibilities.

Schedule appointments and utilize the Electronic Waiting List accurately in a timely manner.

Coordinate administrative services for veterans, family members, caregivers, and general public, administrative and clinical staff to insure continuity of inpatient and outpatient care.

Get full and complete ED patients check-in input in person.

This may require a high level of coordination to avoid patients having to make multiple trips to the medical center or clinic whenever possible.

Work Schedule: Saturday & Sunday 12:00am - 8:00am Telework: Not Authorized. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 00918F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized.

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Posted on USAJOBS: 1/30/2026 | Added to FreshGovJobs: 1/30/2026

Source: USAJOBS | ID: CAZP-12875859-26-SC