Medical Administration Specialist

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Fort Meade (SD); On-site; USD 42,000 - 68,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking a Medical Administrative Specialist - Health Administrative Specialist on Duty (HOD).

The incumbent represents the Medical Center Director on administrative matters and ensures continuity of essential clinical and administrative support outside normal tours. The role requires handling complex administrative duties, interpreting regulations, and coordinating with clinical and administrative staff across sections and buildings.

Qualifications

• Time-In-Grade requirements apply to current federal employees; documentation must show eligibility.
• GS-07: at least one year at GS-05 or equivalent; education may substitute per guidance.

Responsibilities

• Delegated authority to exercise the Medical Center Director's prerogative in medical administrative matters.
• Represent management in administrative matters and in the care and treatment of patients.
• Maintain continuity of functions and provide full medical administrative support during nonstandard tours.
• Provide technical guidance to meet procedural, legal, and administrative requirements.
• Address administrative issues such as beneficiary events, emergencies, and facility incidents.
• Assist with responding to emergencies and prioritize actions; support non-business hour IT needs.
• Maintain public and media relations as directed by the Public Affairs Officer.
• Conduct analytical studies on operations and recommend improvements.

Job description

Summary

The incumbent serves as a Medical Administrative Specialist- Health Administrative Specialist on Duty (HOD) 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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 10/16/2026. 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: To qualify for this position at the GS-07 level - you must meet one of the following: Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-5) in the Federal Service - that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge - skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties as a Medical Administrative Specialist - HOD. Qualifying specialized experience includes Basic knowledge of medical center organization - functions - specialties - and programs - i.e. - Social Work - Nursing - Laboratory - Radiology - etc.; experience locating and interpreting regulations from a wide range of sources; reviewing data and information for trends - problem areas - and makes recommendations to management to resolve issues; ability to cope with wide variety of problems and to resolve them quickly and decisively; and explain and organize complex issues in writing. ~OR~ Education: One (1) full year of successfully completed graduate level education or superior academic achievement - that demonstrates the knowledge - skills - and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation.Superior Academic Achievement (SAA): SAA at the baccalaureate level in the coursework detailed above is fully qualifying. Applicants who wish to apply under this provision must submit proof from their educational institution that they meet one of the criteria listed below. To qualify for SAA - applicants must have completed all the requirements for a bachelor's degree in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled and meet one of the following: Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college - university or major subdivision. A grade-point average of "B" (a GPA of 2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all completed undergraduate courses - or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study. A grade point average of "B+" (a GPA of 3.45 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all courses in your major field of study - or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of undergraduate study. Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. For a list of recognized honor societies please visit http://www.achsnatl.org/quick_link.asp. For more information regarding SAA please visit http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/SEC-II/s2-e5.asp#e4f.~OR Combination: Equivalent combination of successfully completed education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the position as outlined above that meets the requirements of the position. Only education beyond a bachelor's degree may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-07 level. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify - a copy of your transcript is required. To qualify for this position at the GS-09 level - you must meet one of the following: Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-7) in the Federal Service - that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge - skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties as a Medical Administrative Specialist - HOD. Qualifying specialized experience includes knowledge of a wide range of medical center administrative concepts - principles - and practices; provides technical guidance necessary to meet procedural - legal - and administrative requirements relating to the care and treatment of patients; reviewing data and information for trends - problem areas - and makes recommendations to management to resolve issues; interpreting rules - regulations - policies - and procedures to make sound decisions; and identify and analyze complex problems or situations with a range of variables. ~OR~ Education: Successfully completed two (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education or masters or equivalent graduate degree or LL.B. or J.D. - in a related field of the position to be filled. Education at the graduate level must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge - skills - and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~OR~ Combination: Equivalent combination of successfully completed education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the position as outlined above that meets the requirements of the position. Only education in excess of the first year (18 semester hours) may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-09 level. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify - a copy of your transcript is required. 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/. Physical Requirements and Work Environment: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. The work requires much walking through the medical center with occasionally the requirement to lift objects such as suitcases - clothing - or medical charts. Work is accomplished in a busy - generally congested office area. The HOD routinely goes to most sections and buildings - including offices - clinics - wards - laboratories and the morgue.

Duties

• Duties include - but may not be limited to the following: Delegated full authority and responsibility to exercise the Medical Center Director's prerogative in medical administrative matters and issues that may arise
• Represents management in (non-policy making) administrative matters
• Represents management in matters pertaining to the lawful retention of veterans in the VAMC
• Maintains continuity of functions and provides full medical administrative support during other than normal tours of duty to clinical and administrative medical center staff
• Responsible for achieving management objectives and supporting the decision of management in carrying out duties
• Provides technical guidance necessary to meet procedural - legal - and administrative requirements relating to the care and treatment of patients to achieve optimum use of available resources
• Processes administrative issues surrounding beneficiary death - seriously ill cases - elopements - suicides - assaults - deaths on arrival (DOAs) - homicides - code blue - cost recovery matters - and facility or community disasters - etc
• Assists in responding to emergencies - determines priorities and nature of action to be taken
• Assists with computer issues during non-business hours
• Maintains good public and media relations as instructed and trained by the Public Affairs Officer until the designated employee arrives
• Conducts analytical studies on operational processes - issue topics - or related special projects as assigned
• Reviews data and information for trends - problem areas - and makes recommendations to management to resolve issues
• Performs other duties as assigned
• Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level - GS-09 - 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
• Work Schedule: Rotating 12-hour shifts - Weekends - Holidays - Evenings - Nights - and Day Shifts
• Telework: This is not a telework position
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Position Description/PD#: Medical Administration Specialist/PD99385S and PD99368S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers
• This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest
• As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care - you will operate in a model with three core elements - seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran
• This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community
• This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.