Work in Washington Veterans Jobs

Summary NOTE: This announcement has been extended to close on March 30, 2023. Applicant(s) who previously applied, do not need to re-apply. This position is located in the Health Administration Service at VA Walla Walla Health Care - Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center in Walla Walla, WA. The Health Benefits Assistant is responsible for a wide range of assignments and providing administrative support to Member Services Unit and the clinical staff recovery Responsibilities THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION Major duties and responsibilities include but not limited to: Interviewing patients applying for medical benefits via in person, by telephone, by mail, on-line or referrals from another VA Entering demographic, insurance, and income information into the Vista System Verifying eligibility/entitlement for benefits of all applicants using various methods including income assessments, military discharge documents, computer hospital inquiry (HINQ) and other means Advising the veterans of their entitlement to various medical benefit applied for Functioning as the single administrative contact for a client during any one visit to the medical center Greeting and receiving applicants and determining the status in the VA system including identifying critical facts and any special eligibility status Advising the veteran of eligibility status and enrollment Priority Group for VA health care Providing the veteran with "New Patient Orientation" including the scheduling of initial appointment with primary care provider at the medical center Determining and apprising veterans on beneficial travel program benefits and processing for requesting Special Mode Transportation (SMT) and obtaining travel reimbursement for those who qualify Serving as the sole administrative contact for a client applying for VA benefits Providing counseling regarding patients' financial obligations relative to care they will receive Apprising Veterans regarding VA Hardships as appropriate and assisting Veterans in completing the request forms, processing them and recommending approval/disapprovals to the supervisor Apprising Veterans regarding non-VA health care, purchased care, Choice, Choice First benefits and how to access Coordinating the Catastrophic Disability Veteran Evaluation process Supporting the clerical and medical staff by serving as a contact for veterans and beneficiaries seeking medical treatment, experiencing problems and requesting information Identifying and collating health insurance information from all applicants for entry to the VistA Generating patient data cards for veterans applying for care using the Veterans Health Identification Card (VHIC) system Serving as a resource for the veteran community by participating in events and programs Traveling to areas in the catchment area to assist in outreach programs assisting with counseling veterans, their dependents, and their beneficiaries Providing training and information to VA staff, other federal agencies and community agencies regarding the VA Health Care System services Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications The following are minimum requirements for appointment as a Health Benefits Assistant in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), which all applicants must met. Specialized Experience (GS-05): You must have one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (i.e., GS-04). Qualifying specialized experience is performing administrative duties in a healthcare setting, which would typically include but are not limited to: applying working knowledge of laws and regulations dealing with the care and treatment of patients and beneficiaries; applying knowledge of hospitalization, reimbursable hospital insurance, liability of third parties, and other medico-legal matters; utilizing medical and administrative record system; processing data for admission and determining benefits of patients; interpreting and explaining policies to staff, patients, employees, and others; utilizing a personal computer and various software programs; and identifying patients' needs and making referrals to various divisions based on clinical needs. (CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Your resume must show complete information for each job entry, such as beginning and ending dates of employment, duties performed, and/or total hours worked per week.) OR, Education (GS-05): Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have four (4) years of successfully completed education above the high school level in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. NOTE: One year of full-time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business or technical school. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.) OR, Combination (GS-05): Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond two (2) years of successfully completed education above the high school level in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.) You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Client Orientation Computer Skills Customer Service Technical Credibility IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. 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; religious; 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. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. NOTE: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. Additional Information Physical Requirements: The work normally involves mental rather than physical exertion. The work is generally sedentary, but requires some bending, walking, standing, lifting and carrying patient records and various reports to various areas throughout the medical center campus. Reading from CRT for long periods of time and accessing information from various computer systems as necessary. Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities (i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities), and/or disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. For more information on how to apply using this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator within the office, contact the facility Human Resources Department at (888) 687-8863. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Therefore, to the extent a VA job announcement includes language requiring applicants to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 pursuant to Executive Order 14043, that requirement does not currently apply to this Job Announcement. VA may request information regarding your vaccination status, if selected, for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.