Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Tuscaloosa (AL); On-site; USD 42,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

The Medical Support Assistant (MSA) at the US Department of Veterans Affairs serves as the Consult Coordinator for Non VA Care, working with PACT, specialty care, and Non VA Care providers to support integrated care delivery.

Applicants may be referred while meeting requirements; the position emphasizes scheduling, patient check-in, and coordination of referrals, with advanced knowledge of scheduling processes and patient portals.

Qualifications

• High school diploma, GED, or state proficiency certificate.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• US citizenship; eligible for federal employment.

Responsibilities

• Answer phones, greet patients, and relay messages to staff.
• Schedule and coordinate medical appointments and consults.
• Assist in coordinating interdisciplinary care with PACT, specialty care, and community providers.

Skills

Interpersonal communication

Scheduling coordination

Team collaboration

Written English

Education

High school diploma / GED equivalency

Tools

VA Scheduling system

MyHealtheVet

Electronic health records

Job description

The Medical Support Assistant (MSA) position serves as a Consult Coordinator for Non VA Care. The MSA works collaboratively with other members of expanded health care teams (i.e. PACT, specialty care) including Non VA Care providers, pharmacists, social workers, dieticians, behavioral health staff, etc. to provide a robust interdisciplinary approach to care. 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

• United States 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: None.
• Education: You must possess one of the following: 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
• 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

Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) GS-06:

Experience

One (1) year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level in Federal service (GS-05). Experience includes: independently performs a full range of duties related to the delivery of healthcare services in an inpatient or outpatient setting. Advises clinical staff on current administrative processes. The MSA is responsible for answering phones, greeting patients, relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unit, scheduling appointments, including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines. Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient appointments and/or consults; 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. Coordinates administrative functions relating to emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals and determines appointment type based on the patient's eligibility status (i.e., TRICARE, sharing agreements, collaterals, research patient, VA employee, etc.).

Preferred Experience

Consult Management, VA Scheduling, Appointment Management, Community Care, Health Share Referral Management (HSRM), RefDoc, External Provider Scheduling (EPS). MyHealtheVet, and scanning medical records.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA)

1. Advanced knowledge of the technical health care process, including scheduling across interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or community care models, and patient health care portals as they relate to access to care.
2. Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures associated with interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or community operational activities that affect patient flow, as well as patient support administrative functions (e.g., appointment cycles, outside referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, provider availability).
3. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical language used by clinicians.
4. Ability to collaborate and communicate effectively 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 support team goal-setting and ensure medical care needs are met.
5. Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines while ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.
6. Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively, both verbally and in writing, with internal and external customers.

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

See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.