Patient Services Assistant

This position serves as Enrollment Clerk for the Eligibility Unit of the Medical Administration Service at the Oklahoma City VA Health Care System.

Qualifications:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

GS-04 Grade Level (General Experience): Applicants must have one (1) year of General Experience which includes progressively responsible clerical, office, or other work that indicates ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position to be filled, and a knowledge of a body of standardized rules, procedures, or operations that require considerable training, and the experience to perform the full range of developmental assignments as well as the ability to resolve recurring problems...OR

Education: Applicants may also be qualified for this position at the GS-04 level based on their education. To be qualified, applicants must have successfully completed 2 years above the high school level in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university.... OR

Combination: Equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total experience requirements for this position at the GS-04 level.

GS-05 Grade Level (Specialized Experience): Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade of GS-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience for this position includes but is not limited to...knowledge of the fundamentals of administrative work (analytical ability combined with a knowledge of the functions, processes, theories, and principles of management and the methods used to gather, analyze, and evaluate information) that would be acquired through an associate degree or from closely supervised training; knowledge of an extensive body of rules, procedures, or operations that require extended training and experience to perform wide variety of interrelated assignments and resolve a wide range of problems.....OR

Education: Applicants may also qualify for this position at the GS-05 level based on their education. Applicants must have successfully completed 4 years above the high school level. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university....OR

Combination: Equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total experience requirements for this position at the GS-05 level.

GS-06 Grade Level (Specialized Experience): Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the federal service; experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Specialized experience includes but is not limited to...Knowledge of the priorities, commitments and goals for the Eligibility Unit, Medical Administration Service and the Medical Center's operating principles to meet this facility's needs as they relate to annual collection goals; comprehensive knowledge of various services available at the facility; a thorough knowledge of the laws and regulations pertaining to eligibility and entitlement for benefits; the ability to work under considerable pressure and plan workload without halting or interrupting the operation as a whole by showing initiative in completing priority tasks; the ability to work rapidly with a high degree of accuracy; dependable and able to use good judgment, and effectively and properly analyzes and evaluates all situations to ensure that the Veteran's welfare is protected; skilled in establishing and maintaining effective working relationship with patients, relatives, and hospital staff; possesses good communication skills, and exhibits high skills in oral communication techniques with particular emphasis placed on interviewing, which is a main responsibility of this position; must be able to relate and coordinate with individuals of all socioeconomic and educational levels

There is no educational substitution for the GS-06 level.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Responsibilities:

Major Duties of this position include but are not limited to...

• Responsible for a wide range of assignments and provides administrative support to the Unit, and the clinical staff recovery aspects of this position have a direct impact on the reimbursement of the facility
• Enters demographic, insurance, and income information into the VistA system, which serves as a base for determining entitlement to medical care as well as co- payments, if applicable, of inpatient and outpatient care
• Verifies eligibility/entitlement for benefits of all applicants using various methods including income assessments, military discharge documents, Veterans Information Solution (VIS), and other means, such as communications with VA Regional Offices or VA Records Processing Centers
• Advises Veterans of their entitlement to various medical benefits and discusses co-payment requirements of veterans in discretionary categories. Extreme tact and diplomacy is required to explain complicated laws in this area
• Provides exceptional customer service by exceeding the customer's expectations by actively listening to customers with respect and concern; pays attention to the details of the customer's needs and help the customer arrive at a satisfactory solution to the problem; flexible, adaptive and enthusiastic to exceed the customer's needs
• Gathers administrative, demographic, and insurance data that is a key component of establishing and managing a beneficiary's record and supporting VHA business functions, including but not limited to, addresses, personal contacts, employment, insurance and military history information
• Identifies individuals for Pre-Registration through the use of the VistA reporting system and responsible for calling these individuals prior to the appointment to ensure all information is correct, and if corrections are necessary, these are done prior to the Veteran coming for his/her appointment

Work Schedule: Work Schedule Varies
Position Description Title/PD#: Patient Services Assistant/ 635-09002-A
Physical Requirements: Work is mostly sedentary; however, there will be some periods of walking, bending, and lifting. Occasionally Veterans may be angry and potentially violent.
Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level 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.

Salary : $33,693 - $54,625