Medical Support Assistant - Community Care

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Fargo (ND); On-site; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking a Medical Support Assistant (MSA) to join the Fargo VA Health Care System.

The role supports the VA Community Care team by handling clerical duties, scheduling appointments, and coordinating care for patients across CBOCs and facilities. The position requires adherence to VA procedures, proficiency with scheduling systems, and strong communication with patients and health care staff.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• English proficiency in speaking and writing.
• Ability to operate office automation and scheduling systems.
• Knowledge of medical terminology.

Responsibilities

• Answer phones, greet patients, relay messages to appropriate staff.
• Schedule appointments following VA Community Care guidelines.
• Enter, verify and retrieve provider orders and patient information.
• Maintain accurate patient demographics and insurance data for community care.
• Coordinate administrative transfers and ensure data integrity across systems.

Skills

Medical terminology

Customer service

Communication skills

Scheduling

Office software

Education

High School Diploma / GED

Tools

CPRS

VAOS

REFDOCS

ROI

Vista

PPMS

HSRM

Job description

Summary

The incumbent serves as a Medical Support Assistant (MSA) in the VA Community care team. Performs clerical and administrative support in the coordination - care - and treatment provided to patients throughout the VA Community Care processes in the Fargo VA Health Care System (VAHCS) - including all Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs).

Summary

The incumbent serves as a Medical Support Assistant (MSA) in the VA Community care team. Performs clerical and administrative support in the coordination - care - and treatment provided to patients throughout the VA Community Care processes in the Fargo VA Health Care System (VAHCS) - including all Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs).

Qualifications

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/30/2026. Medical Support Assistant

Basic Requirements

• Citizenship: Citizen of the United States
• (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance to 38 U.S.C.
• 7407(a)
• Experience and Education: Experience: None
• OR 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
• Foreign Education: To be creditable - education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials
• Physical 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)
• Foreign Education
• To be creditable - education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs
• 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
• Employees retained in this occupation under this provision who subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation
• Grade Determinations: Creditable Experience: To be creditable - the experience must have demonstrated the knowledge - skills and abilities (KSAs) associated with current MSA responsibilities or an equivalent administrative patient support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting
• Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid/non-paid employment as an MSA or an equivalent position in a non-VA hospital or clinic setting
• Part-Time Experience: Part-time experience as an MSA or equivalent administrative patient support in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting is creditable according to its relationship for the full-time workweek
• For example - an MSA employed 20 hours a week - or on a 1/2-time basis - would receive one full-time workweek of credit for each two weeks of service
• 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 range of varieties as described in this standard - at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time
• In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements - candidates must possess the required specialized experience and be able to demonstrate all Knowledge - Skills and Abilities (KSAs) as summarized below
• Medical Support Assistant - GS-03
• (1) Experience or Education
• None beyond the basic requirements
• Medical Support Assistant - GS-04
• (1) Experience or Education
• (a) Experience
• One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.
• OR (b) Education
• One year of education above high school
• (2) Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs)
• In addition to the experience or education above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients
• (b) Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics
• (c) Ability to meet - communicate - and interact with individuals from varying backgrounds and other health care team members in a courteous and helpful manner in order to facilitate medical care for patients
• (d) Ability to use - and navigate between - various types of office automation equipment and software (i.e. - computer systems - web-based scheduling programs
• insurance collection system
• scanning software - multiple line phone systems
• electronic faxing programs) to support patient care
• Medical Support Assistant - GS-05
• (1) Experience or Education
• (a) Experience
• One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade
• OR (b) Education
• Two years of education above high school
• (2) Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs)
• In addition to the experience or education above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients
• (b) Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns - and refer to the appropriate staff - as necessary - to ensure a satisfactory resolution
• (c) Ability to operate computerized programs and systems in order to enter - modify - and retrieve sensitive medical and patient identifying information (PII) into or from electronic health records - scheduling systems - and/or reports
• (d) Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting
• (e) Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work
• (f) Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person - electronically - and/or by telephone - with internal and external customers
• References: VA Qualification Standards - Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO)
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-5. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-3 to GS-5. 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.

Duties

• VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Major duties include (but not limited to): Advises clinical staff on current administrative processes
• Responsible for answering phones - greeting patients - relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside the unit - scheduling appointments - including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines and community care processes
• Entering no show information
• monitoring appointment requests from multiple electronic sources
• participating in huddles with other MSAs and/or VACC staff to determine the daily needs of the team - monitoring outpatient appointments in areas of responsibility
• Verifying and updating demographics and insurance information when patients opt in for community care
• Coordinates administrative functions relating to emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or provicate hospitals and determines appointment type based on the patients eligibility status
• Ensures the integrity of various databases - and data used in the management of administrative and customer service within the department
• Understands and and appropriately utilizes the administrative support packages - to include but not limited to: Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) - REFDOCS - ROI - VA Online Scheduling (VAOS) - Vista - Contractor portal - PPMS - HSRM
• Responsible for scheduling appointments - including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VA Community Care Guidebook and process guides
• Independently recognizes the urgency of the consults and schedules care in accordance
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8:00am - 4:30pm Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay - a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade)
• Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
• Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child
• Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized