Advanced Medical Support Assistant (VACC)

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Largo (FL); On-site; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs seeks a Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) at the Bay Pines VA Medical Center to support access to care. This GS-06 position emphasizes coordination of appointments, adherence to VA directives, and patient communication in a multidisciplinary team.

Candidates must meet basic requirements, including U.S. citizenship, a high school diploma or equivalent, and English proficiency; advanced knowledge of clinical workflows and data entry into the Electronic

Qualifications

• Must have US citizenship.
• High school diploma or GED or state/provincial equivalency.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• One year of creditable experience for GS-06 language (see KSAs) or equivalent.
• Knowledge of VA clinical workflows and patient access processes.

Responsibilities

• Schedule appointments and coordinate care across multidisciplinary teams.
• Enter and monitor pre-appointment requirements to ensure patient readiness.
• Communicate with patients and care teams to resolve concerns and improve flow.
• Apply VA regulations and directives to daily tasks and patient records.

Skills

Scheduling and care coordination

VA regulations & directives

Patient communication

Medical terminology

Team collaboration

Prioritization & organization

Education

High school diploma or GED

Job description

This position is directly responsible to the office of the VA Community Care service and falls under the C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center, Bay Pines office of the Chief of staff. The strategic alignment for the position and the immediate goal for the incumbent supports the mission, vision, and values of the VA Healthcare System.

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: None.
• Education: High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.
• Licensure/Certification/Registration. None
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• Grandfathering Provision: All Medical Support Assistants (MSAs) employed in Veterans Health Administration (VHA) in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard (February 20, 2026) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series, and grade held, which are a part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: (1) Such employees may be reassigned, promoted, or changed to a lower grade within the occupation. (2) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. (3) If an employee who was converted to Title 38 hybrid status under this provision leaves the occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.

Grade Determinations

In addition to the basic requirements for employment, candidates must meet the following grade-determining criteria for placement at grade levels specified.

Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-06.

Experience.

One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade with experience in work that has been performed independently, or under minimal general supervision, and includes experience related to the position being filled or performing such tasks as scheduling appointments for Veterans, applying VA regulations and directives; completing annual means test; coordinate with patients care team; adjusting the patient flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs; enters appropriate information into the electronic record; monitoring pre-appointment requirements to assure readiness for patient visit.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs).

• 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.
• 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.

Reference:

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-06.

Physical Requirements:

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant work is mostly sedentary; however, some walking; standing, and carrying light items are required. Light filing, sometimes involving working close to the floor, is involved. Wrist and back protection can be provided to minimize the risks associated with prolonged use of automated data processing equipment.