Health Benefits Assistant

Summary

These positions are located at the Charles George VA Medical Center in Asheville North Carolina, within the Eligibility and Enrollment Department of the Health Administration Service (HAS). The Health Benefits Assistant provides administrative and data support to the HAS to include the Community-Based Outpatient Clinics. The primary function of the position is to make eligibility determinations for VA healthcare.

Recruitment incentive may be authorized for highly qualified candidates.

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Duties

• *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:

• Ensuring accurate, timely and consistent information is entered in the appropriate database.
• Reviewing, verifying, and analyzing submitted data for consistency with financial and program objectives, and adherence to eligibility-related VA directives.
• Determining the need for and assisting Veterans in completing applications.
• Interviewing the Veteran to obtain the required information; entering data and information into the database; using sound judgement (utilizing VA Regulations) to make recommendation of approval or denial.
• Reviewing reports, records, and numerical computations for accuracy and correctness.
• Utilizing a multitude of software platforms to input and verify data.
• Assisting with community activities such as Health Fairs, Outreach, Homeless Veterans Stand Downs, and Post Deployment Health Reassessment (PDHRA) by handing out information pamphlets, answering technical questions, briefing large groups of Veterans, etc.
• Performing other duties as assigned.
  
  

Work Schedule: 8:00am to 4:30pm

Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Recruitment incentive may be authorized for highly qualified candidates.

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not authorized.

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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

In order to qualify for this position at the GS-5 Grade Level, Applicants must meet the following:

You must possess one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-4) in Federal service that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience includes providing administrative support to a work unit; verifying eligibility/entitlement for benefits; entering, reviewing, verifying, and analyzing computerized data for accuracy and consistency; and assisting patients with eligibility forms and processes. (THIS EXPERIENCE MUST BE SUPPORTED BY YOUR RESUME TO BE CREDITABLE.)

:OR:Substitution of Education for experience:You must have successfully completed 4 years of education above the high school level. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. One year of full-time academic 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, secretarial, or technical school. One full year of graduate education is considered to be 18 semester hours. (COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION)

:OR:Combination of Experience and Education :You must possess equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and specialized experience to meet total qualification requirements at the GS-5 level. (THIS EXPERIENCE MUST BE SUPPORTED BY YOUR RESUME TO BE CREDITABLE AND COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION)

You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:

• Clerical
• Computer Skills
• Customer Service
• Manages and Organizes Information
  
  

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.



Physical Requirements: This is primarily a sedentary position, but the work requires some walking, bending, stooping and carrying of light objects such as manuals, documents, etc. Concentration and sustained performance under prolonged stress is required because of the time-factors involved in completion of work assignments within deadlines.

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.

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.



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: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov).

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

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.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

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• Help A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  
  

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

Charles George VA Medical Center

1100 Tunnel Road

Asheville, NC 28805

US