Contact Representative (First Party) - Canandaigua, NY - Overview Summary This Contact Representative position is with First Party, Health Resource Center, VHA Member Services. The primary purpose of the position is to respond to questions, research, identify, and resolve issues pertaining to Medical Care Cost Fund (MCCF) first party, insurance, and third party billing practices; provide eligibility and benefits counseling; pharmacy administrative support; and other related services to Veterans, Veteran family members and/or representatives, the public, and VA employees. This position involves a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed below represent the full performance level of GS-7. At the lower grade levels, the employee performs assignments of a more limited scope and with less independence. The employee will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-7. Work Schedule: 40 hour work schedule between the hours of 7:45 a.m. (EST) to 8:15 p.m. (EST), Monday through Friday Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Contact Representative (First Party)/GS-7: 00707A, GS-6: 00708A, GS-5:00709A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Duties None - $33,394 $53,773 Job Details Application Open Date 4/11/2018 Application Close Date 4/16/2018 Organization Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration Who May Apply None Status None - Receiving Service Credit or 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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. 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. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at - . Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the - site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members. For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the - document. If you are unable to apply online view the following link for information regarding an - . - Qualifications - To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/16/2018. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. For a GS-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-6. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-5 Specialized Experience Requirements:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-4 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: t - Respond to patient and/or customer inquiries via phone, e-mail, and through other forms of messaging. - Reviews, updates, and edits master record information in a patient/customer record system. - Provide appointment information to patients. - Merge multiple documents into one PDF file using a computer program. - Perform necessary verification procedures to ensure valuable patient/customer information remains secure. OR, - Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 4 years above high school education (or equivalent). OR, - Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond high school education (or equivalent). GS-6 Specialized Experience Requirements: - You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: t - Educate patients on obtaining medication refills. - Receives and generates telephone calls from patients, family members, and/or legal representatives concerning benefit/billing inquiries. - Perform in-depth research, interpretation, and analysis of medical records to resolve issues or discrepancies. - Discussions and interviews with callers to evaluate their knowledge and understanding of the administrative processes and actions necessary to resolve issues. - Perform incoming and outgoing correspondence via phone and email in a call center setting.