Contact Representative
US Department of Veterans Affairs, Canandaigua, NY, United States
Contact Representative
This position is in First Party Operations section at the VA Health Resource Center. Major duties include but are not limited to: Receives and generates telephone calls from patients, family members, and/or legal representatives concerning billing inquiries; Researches, identifies, and resolves complex billing issues; Receives telephone calls from and provides information to the public on a variety of medical benefits to patients, their dependents, and their beneficiaries: Conduct calls concerning first party and third party billing and debt collection; Perform in-depth research, interpretation, and analysis of medical records to resolve issues or discrepancies; Reviews, updates, and edits master record information in a patient record system; Explains in detail the process of filing a claim for benefits, eligibility requirements, repayment plans, waivers, and advises on forms; Prepares well-defined case notes when actions are effected, available resources are insufficient to answer the caller's inquiry, and/or additional research is required; Respond to patient and/or customer inquiries via phone, e-mail, and through other forms of secure messaging; Conducts phone calls concerning routine and non-routine pharmacy related issues and inquiries and track status of patients prescriptions; Perform necessary verification procedures to ensure valuable patient information remains secure and to obtain customer information for such requirements as eligibility verification and benefit related issue resolution; Discussions and interviews with callers to evaluate their knowledge and understanding of the administrative processes and actions necessary in order to resolve issues; Educate patients on obtaining medication refills and provide appointment information; Receive calls from patient's family members to complete payments on behalf of the patient; Enters, authorizes, submits, and confirms electronic payments using an electronic payment system such as the Pay.Gov website; Perform proper review and research to identify payment error issues using a patient computer based system; Research patient accounts to determine what correspondence should be mailed and to ensure the correct patient receives the right correspondence; Receives and responds to billing questions from patients using a secure web based messaging system; Proofreads responses and sends correspondence for payment histories, waivers, repayment plans, and meant test using a web based secure messaging portal Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Full-time, 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday, 8 hour shift between 6:45am-7:30pm CST. Official tour of duty will be selected based on business needs and will start after training is completed. Remote: This position is not authorized for Remote work. Telework: This position may be authorized for Telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This position may be authorized for Virtual Work. Virtual Work eligibility is for current VA employees that are already subject to the return to in person work mandate in their current position. Return to Office (RTO): RTO mandates are in affect and selectees will be required to report to in person work unless they have an approved exemption already in place. Position Description/PD#: Contact Representative / PD00706A and PD00707A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. 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). As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/31/2027. Time-In-Grade Requirements: 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-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. 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. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: GS-06 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: Receives and generates telephone calls. Performs all duties of the position while exhibiting excellent customer service skills. Uses ability to perform a variety of computer skills, such as with Microsoft Word and Excel. Uses data entry skills. Uses ability to communicate with individuals and with groups. GS-07 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: Receives and generates telephone calls from a variety of individuals concerning billing inquiries. Conducts calls concerning billing and debt collection. Enters, authorizes, submits, and confirms electronic payments using an electronic payment system. Researches and reviews patient accounts. Provides appointment information to patients. 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; religions; 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. 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. The work is sedentary with no special physical demands. The employee is often required to talk, type, and navigate systems for long periods of time. 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/. There is no educational substitution at this grade level. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. 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. RETURN TO OFFICE (RTO): According to the presidential memorandum signed on January 20th, 2025, by
This position is in First Party Operations section at the VA Health Resource Center. Major duties include but are not limited to: Receives and generates telephone calls from patients, family members, and/or legal representatives concerning billing inquiries; Researches, identifies, and resolves complex billing issues; Receives telephone calls from and provides information to the public on a variety of medical benefits to patients, their dependents, and their beneficiaries: Conduct calls concerning first party and third party billing and debt collection; Perform in-depth research, interpretation, and analysis of medical records to resolve issues or discrepancies; Reviews, updates, and edits master record information in a patient record system; Explains in detail the process of filing a claim for benefits, eligibility requirements, repayment plans, waivers, and advises on forms; Prepares well-defined case notes when actions are effected, available resources are insufficient to answer the caller's inquiry, and/or additional research is required; Respond to patient and/or customer inquiries via phone, e-mail, and through other forms of secure messaging; Conducts phone calls concerning routine and non-routine pharmacy related issues and inquiries and track status of patients prescriptions; Perform necessary verification procedures to ensure valuable patient information remains secure and to obtain customer information for such requirements as eligibility verification and benefit related issue resolution; Discussions and interviews with callers to evaluate their knowledge and understanding of the administrative processes and actions necessary in order to resolve issues; Educate patients on obtaining medication refills and provide appointment information; Receive calls from patient's family members to complete payments on behalf of the patient; Enters, authorizes, submits, and confirms electronic payments using an electronic payment system such as the Pay.Gov website; Perform proper review and research to identify payment error issues using a patient computer based system; Research patient accounts to determine what correspondence should be mailed and to ensure the correct patient receives the right correspondence; Receives and responds to billing questions from patients using a secure web based messaging system; Proofreads responses and sends correspondence for payment histories, waivers, repayment plans, and meant test using a web based secure messaging portal Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Full-time, 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday, 8 hour shift between 6:45am-7:30pm CST. Official tour of duty will be selected based on business needs and will start after training is completed. Remote: This position is not authorized for Remote work. Telework: This position may be authorized for Telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This position may be authorized for Virtual Work. Virtual Work eligibility is for current VA employees that are already subject to the return to in person work mandate in their current position. Return to Office (RTO): RTO mandates are in affect and selectees will be required to report to in person work unless they have an approved exemption already in place. Position Description/PD#: Contact Representative / PD00706A and PD00707A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. 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). As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/31/2027. Time-In-Grade Requirements: 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-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. 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. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: GS-06 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: Receives and generates telephone calls. Performs all duties of the position while exhibiting excellent customer service skills. Uses ability to perform a variety of computer skills, such as with Microsoft Word and Excel. Uses data entry skills. Uses ability to communicate with individuals and with groups. GS-07 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: Receives and generates telephone calls from a variety of individuals concerning billing inquiries. Conducts calls concerning billing and debt collection. Enters, authorizes, submits, and confirms electronic payments using an electronic payment system. Researches and reviews patient accounts. Provides appointment information to patients. 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; religions; 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. 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. The work is sedentary with no special physical demands. The employee is often required to talk, type, and navigate systems for long periods of time. 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/. There is no educational substitution at this grade level. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. 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. RETURN TO OFFICE (RTO): According to the presidential memorandum signed on January 20th, 2025, by