Health Benefits Assistant
What you'd do
This position is located in the Veterans Service Center, under the Business Office of Health Administration Service at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), VA Medical Center, in Albany, NY. The primary purpose of this position is to perform a variety of functions, including administrative activities in support to the business unit that administers health and benefits services.
Major 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 will include: Assist with the enrollment and eligibility determination of Veterans Maintain current knowledge of rules, regulations and policies used to determine eligibility Ability to advise applicants on their entitlement for health care benefits Uses various methods of communication to correspond with internal and external customers Receives, reviews and processes new and recurring paper, in-person and electronic applications for benefits Ability to use various required software programs and systems Acts as the primary timekeeper for the department or service. Obtains required information from applicants and uses to complete required forms and documents and inputs into systems/software Assists family members of decedents to obtain benefits Prepares and processes documents related to decedent benefits Maintains detailed records, or requests, meetings, and transactions and inputs into appropriate software, systems, or databases Receives and processes claims for travel reimbursement, authors vouchers for reimbursement Arranges transportation, scheduling and coordination of travel Performs data entry and inputs complete, and accurate information Perform other related duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; Full - Time, 8:00am - 4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved
What you need to qualify
To apply for this position, you must have the following qualifications: ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position. ~AND~ To qualify for this position at the GS-5 level, you must meet one of the following: EXPERIENCE: At least one (1) full year of specialized experience, equivalent to at least the GS-4 grade level, that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is: interviewing patients applying for benefits; verifying eligibility or entitlements for benefits; advising patients of their entitlements to various medical benefits; and using automated systems for data entry, running reports and record keeping. NOTE: Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. ~OR~ EDUCATION: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study above high school in any field which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. This education must have been obtained at an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~OR~ COMBINATION: Equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education (beyond the second year) and specialized experience, as described above, which meet the total qualification requirements for this grade level. This education must have been obtained at an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. NOTE: Your experience must be documented in your resume and transcripts are required. A Quality Ranking Factors* has also been requested by the facility to help determine which of the basically qualified applicants are likely to be better qualified for a position. The quality ranking factor for this position is: "Experience working with veterans, veterans families, and stakeholders in an administrative role" 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/. Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. 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. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.
Before you apply
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