Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship
• Be a citizen of the United States
• (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, of this part.) English Language Proficiency
• MRTs (ROI) must be proficient in spoken and written English, as required by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f)
• Experience and Education Experience
• One year of creditable experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology and general understanding of health records
• Six months of the required one year of creditable experience must have provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) needed to perform MRT (ROI) work OR, Education
• An associate's degree from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education with a major field of study in health information technology/health information management, or a related degree with a minimum of 12 semester hours in health information technology/health information management (e.g., courses in medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, legal aspects of health care, and introduction to health records)
• OR, Experience/Education Combination
• Equivalent combinations of creditable experience and education are qualifying towards meeting basic experience requirements
• The following experience and educational/training substitutions are appropriate for combining education and creditable experience: (a) Six months of creditable experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology, privacy and release of information, the health record, and one year above high school with a minimum of six semester hours of health information technology/health information management courses
• (b) Six months of creditable experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology, privacy and release of information, the health record, and successful completion of a course for medical technicians, hospital corpsmen, medical service specialists, or hospital training obtained in a training program given by the Armed Forces or the U.S. Maritime Service under close medical and professional supervision
• The training program may be substituted on a month for-month basis for up to six months of experience provided the training program included courses in anatomy and physiology, and health record techniques and procedures
• Creditable Experience
• Experience is only creditable if it is paid or non-paid employment directly related to the position to be filled, or in a related field such as medical support assistants, ward clerks, health record file room/scanning technicians, incomplete health record analysis, medical coding, or other positions that included knowledge of the content and use of health records
• To be creditable, the candidate's experience must have demonstrated the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with current release of information practice
• This experience does not have to be in federal service, however, non-federal experience must be equivalent to the GS-06 grade level
• In addition to the basic eligibility requirements, the below qualification requirements must be met at the grade in which you are applying
• Grade Determinations: GS-07, Medical Records Technician (ROI-Legal) Experience
• One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Knowledge of the laws and regulations related to the authorization and disclosure of health information
• Ability to apply laws and regulations related to the disclosure of health information (e.g., Privacy Act, Freedom of Information Act, HIPAA, and 38 U.S.C. 7332, Confidentiality of Certain Medical Records)
• Ability to investigate the contents of paper and electronic health records and systems that contain health information to compile the legal health record based on existing standards and requirements
• References: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary
• There is walking, bending and reaching required such as for filing or locating material, and carrying items such as reports, documents, and supplies
• Entering data and word processing on a personal computer may result in physical problems from the effects of repetitive motion and eyestrain
• A portion of each day is spent in the laboratory, sorting and preparing samples for testing, which involves periods of standing.