Contact Representative

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- For GS-5: EXPERIENCE: Possess at least one (1) full year of specialized experience that has equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the Contact Representative position, GS-5 as described below. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-4 grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience includes assisting in providing answers to health/medical benefits questions, assisting in resolving caller inquiry problems, possessing verbal communication skills to interact effectively with callers, using software such as Microsoft Office products, assisting in the registration and use of these programs. ~OR~ For GS-5: EDUCATION SUBSTITUTION: Possess four (4) years of successfully completed education above the high school level. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business or technical school, junior college, college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. 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. (Transcript required at the time of application.) ~OR~ For GS-5: COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: Possess a combination of successfully completed post-high school education and experience, as described above, to meet total qualification requirements for the GS-5 Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience. (Transcript required at the time of application.) ~OR~ For GS-6: EXPERIENCE: Possess at least 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 of GS-5 in Federal service. Specialized experience is understanding/determining eligibility for health services of patients benefits to answer questions, resolve problems, and advise callers on available courses of action; possessing verbal communication skills to interact effectively with callers and resolve callers inquiries; using of fundamental operations of software such as Microsoft Office products, browsing software, and personal computers and mobile device navigation and operation; possessing business health care practices, Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act rules, and Security and Privacy Act requirements to safeguard patient's personal identifiable information and personal health information. NOTE: This experience must be detailed in your resume to receive credit. Physical Demands: The work is sedentary with no special physical demands. The employee is often required to talk and sit for long periods of time. The work environment includes everyday risks and discomforts which require normal safety precautions typical of an office environment. 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. 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/. This position is in the Contact Management Division, Help Desk Section of the Health Resource Center in Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Member Services located in Waco, TX; Topeka, KS; Smyrna, GA; Fort Riley, KS, or Canandaigua, NY.