Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

The Veterans Health Administration is seeking Advanced Medical Support Assistants for various health care service lines within the VA Maine Healthcare System. These positions provide advanced administrative support for clinics and patient care areas, including appointment scheduling, clinic profile support, patient registration, insurance updates, phone support, Community Care referral procedures, VISTA documentation, and patient-facing coordination across multiple VA Maine locations.

Location: Augusta, ME; Bangor, ME; Calais, ME; Lewiston, ME; Lincoln, ME; Portland, ME; Presque Isle, ME; Rumford, ME; or Togus, ME

Vacancies: Many vacancies

Salary: $53,279 - $77,805 per year

Pay Scale & Grade: GS-6

Promotion Potential: None

Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday - Friday, day shift hours to be determined

Additional Schedule Details: Most shifts are scheduled during the day, but some shifts may include evenings, nights, weekends, or holidays based on patient and facility needs.

Compressed/Flexible: Not authorized

Appointment Type: Permanent

Telework: Not authorized

Remote/Virtual: Not authorized

Travel Required: Not required

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized

PCS: Not authorized

Drug Test: Not required

Security Clearance: Not required

Position Sensitivity/Risk: Non-sensitive / Low Risk

Background Check: Credentialing and suitability/fitness required

Financial Disclosure: Not required

Union Representation: Yes

Key Responsibilities:

• Serve as an Advanced Medical Support Assistant for the VA Maine Healthcare System.
• Provide administrative support to assigned clinical sections and health care service lines.
• Support clinics regarding clinic profile management.
• Collect and update insurance information from Veterans, family members, and other eligible patients.
• Prepare correspondence and memos as needed.
• Screen and receive phone calls courteously and timely.
• Determine the nature of requests and provide information using privacy rules and established clinic processes.
• Enter data accurately into VISTA.
• Scan applicable documents into VISTA Imaging within 24 hours of data entry.
• Promote Veteran registration for and use of My HealtheVet and kiosks.
• Follow procedures regarding Community Care referrals.
• Serve as an initial point of contact for units, clinics, patients, call centers, and Care in the Community regarding patient appointments and referrals.
• Enter Veterans seeking emergent or urgent care and schedule appointments accurately.
• Pre-register Veterans during check-in and use call lists to contact Veterans before scheduled visits.
• Update patient demographics.
• Communicate with adult and geriatric patients in a manner appropriate to cognitive, emotional, and chronological needs.

Basic Qualifications:

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• No prior experience is required for the basic Medical Support Assistant qualification standard.
• Must have a high school diploma, GED, proficiency certificate, or equivalent qualifying education.
• No licensure, certification, or registration is required.
• Must be proficient in spoken and written English.
• Must be subject to a background/security investigation.
• Must pass a pre-employment physical examination.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after December 31, 1959.
• Must complete all application requirements, including the application, questionnaire, and online assessment.
• Must complete all online onboarding requirements.
• Must provide acceptable identification for employment eligibility verification.
• Must participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program as required for Department of Veterans Affairs health care personnel.
• Selected applicant will be required to serve a one-year probationary period or two-year trial period.

Eligibility:

• This announcement is open to current permanent employees of the Veterans Health Administration only.
• The two-page resume requirement does not apply to this position.
• This is an open continuous announcement that establishes a standing register of eligible applicants.
• Initial referral review was expected on or about June 18, 2026, with subsequent reviews every other week or as additional vacancies occur.
• Applicants may be referred for consideration before the announcement closing date.
• There may not be a current vacancy at every listed location; applicants for those locations may be added to the applicant pool if a vacancy occurs.
• Due to a critical staffing shortage, Veterans' preference is waived for this announcement under 38 U.S.C. § 7412.

GS-6 Qualification Requirements:

• Must have one year of experience equivalent to at least the GS-5 grade level.
• Qualifying experience includes clinic experience in a hospital or doctor's office setting, including scheduling a high volume of appointments.
• Qualifying experience includes high-level customer service through daily interaction and communication with clinicians, patients, families, and coworkers.
• Qualifying experience includes work in a clinic setting with multiple inputs, such as in-person communication, telephone communication, and instant message communication, requiring timely and professional resolution.
• Qualifying experience includes use of specific computer scheduling programs or software in a clinic or hospital.
• Qualifying experience also includes at least six months of clerical, office, customer service, or other administrative work indicating the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills needed for the position.
• There is no educational substitution at the GS-6 grade level.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to collaborate and communicate with a wide range of medical clinicians across multiple disciplines.
• Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines while ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.
• Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively electronically, by phone, in person, and in writing with internal and external customers.
• Ability to prepare reports in various formats and present data to different organizational levels.
• Ability to resolve patient concerns.
• Advanced knowledge of technical health care processes related to access to care, including scheduling across interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or Care in the Community models.
• Advanced knowledge of patient health care portals.
• Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures associated with interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or Care in the Community operations.
• Advanced knowledge of patient flow and patient support care administrative functions, including appointment cycles, outside patient referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, and provider availability.
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical language used by clinicians.

Education:

• High school diploma, GED, proficiency certificate, or equivalent qualifying education is required unless covered under the grandfathering provision.
• There is no educational substitution for GS-6 qualification.
• If selected, applicants must provide verification of high school completion or higher before a firm job offer if not covered under the grandfathering provision.
• Acceptable verification may include a high school diploma, high school transcript, GED certificate, homeschooling completion, proficiency certificate, or college transcript.

Physical Requirements:

• Must meet physical requirements under VA Directive and Handbook 5019.
• Must pass a pre-employment physical examination.

Required Documents:

• Resume
• SF-50 / Notification of Personnel Action
• Most recent non-award SF-50 showing position title, series, grade, step, tenure, and type of service
• Standard Clinical Resume Document uploaded into the restricted resume field
• Full resume or CV may be uploaded separately into the other document upload field without page limitation
• Transcript or proof of education, if required or using education to support eligibility
• SF-15, if applicable
• Cover letter and other supporting documents, if applicable

Benefits:

• Comprehensive federal benefits package.
• Health, dental, vision, life, and long-term care insurance options may be available depending on appointment type and work schedule.
• Paid time off and federal retirement benefits may be available depending on appointment type and work schedule.
• Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work experience or military service, subject to approval.
• Eligibility for benefits depends on position type and whether the position is full-time, part-time, or intermittent.

Application Deadline: September 14, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET

Status: Accepting applications

This is an open continuous announcement for Advanced Medical Support Assistant vacancies within the VA Maine Healthcare System. It is open only to current permanent Veterans Health Administration employees, and qualified applicants may be referred every other week or as vacancies occur until positions are filled or the announcement closes.

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