Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

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

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking an Advanced Medical Support Assistant assigned to CAMS and the Toledo CBOC Call Center Team. This role supports patient access, scheduling, and clerical duties in a fast-paced clinical setting.

There is no experience required; candidates may be referred while meeting education requirements. The position emphasizes phone etiquette, patient greeting, message routing, and ensuring smooth workflow across care teams.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED or equivalent; transcripts may be required.
• Proficiency in English (spoken and written) is required.
• Experience not required for entry to GS-5/6 level under grandfathering provision.

Responsibilities

• Answer phones and greet patients in a timely, courteous manner.
• Relay messages and coordinate with staff inside and outside the unit.
• Schedule appointments and verify provider orders within guidelines.
• Assist with documentation and support patient access to care.

Skills

Communication

Prioritization

Organization

Customer service

Team collaboration

Education

High school diploma or GED

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

The incumbent serves as an Advanced Medical Support Assistant assigned to CAMS and the Toledo CBOC Call Center Team.

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens according to 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).
• Experience. No experience required.
• Education. High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education however, if you were in the Medical Support Assistant occupation (GS-0679) on a permanent appointment with the Department of Veterans Affairs as of February 5, 2026, meeting all qualification requirements as part of the grandfathering provision" (A Transcript or proof of High School Diploma/Equivalent is required if basing any or all qualifications on education).
• Licensure/Certification/Registration. None
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations:

In addition to the basic requirements above, applicants must meet the following experience:

Experience:

One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-5 Medical Support Assistant grade level. Duties at this level include, but are not limited to: performing a full range of duties related to the delivery of healthcare services in an inpatient or outpatient setting; answering phones; greeting patients; relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unit; scheduling appointments; including interpreting and verifying provider orders to schedule within scheduling guidelines.

AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

1. 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.
2. Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.

Note: Quality of Experience.

Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to MSA experience or equivalent administrative clinical support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting at the next lower grade level. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity/difficulty and a range of varieties.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-06. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-06.

Reference: https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/

Physical Requirements: Typically, the Advanced Medical Support Assistant must be able to operate a computer terminal and be able to manage multiple activities at one time. Work is generally sedentary; however, there may be some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light items. Work Environment: The work may be stressful due to the accelerated pace for several hours at a time during peak clinic hours or on days that have a large volume of clinic activity.