Summary This position is located in the Health Information Management (HIM) section at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center. Release of Information (ROI) technicians disclose health information in accordance with all laws and regulations governing authorization and disclosure of health information. Responsibilities Reviews and processes requests for patient protected health information (PHI). Provides direct customer service to the Veteran (or third party), by providing copies of the Veteran's PHI, when a signed, written request is received, or upon the Veteran's valid authorization to a third party. Ensures that only the information that the Veteran specified be released, is shared only with those whom the Veteran has authorized, or who have legal authority to receive such information. Supervises administrative management, and ROI staff at or below the journey level. Generates workload reports, distribute pending workload to staff, and monitor completion status. Ensures timely release of health records in accordance with policies and procedures. Ensures orientation and competency assessment of assigned staff is conducted. Develops policies and procedures, performance standards, position descriptions, and/or functional statements. Maintains interdepartmental relations with other services to accomplish medical center goals. Serves as the primary point of contact, and will accurately process, and provide timely responses to complex medical legal requests, including, but not limited to, subpoenas, depositions, testimony, court orders for information from attorneys, courts, local law enforcement agencies, and/or public defenders. Serves as a liaison to Regional Counsels and U.S. Attorney's offices, for trial cases. Compiles the legal health record and research and resolve conflicting or inconsistent information related to complex medical and legal requests. Performs all other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: PD01243F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. You may be required to serve a probationary period. 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). Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. 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: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. 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. Transcripts Required. (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. Transcripts Required. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Grade Determinations: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements, one must have the required specialized experience in order to qualify for this position. GS-8 SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: At least one year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-7) which demonstrates the KSAs related to the duties of the position. To be creditable, this experience must be equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-7, and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities. AND In addition to the experience above, the employee must demonstrate all of the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): Ability to develop policy and provide workload analysis for release of information. Skill in interpersonal relations and conflict resolution. Ability to provide or coordinate staff development and training. Ability to provide the full range of supervisory duties, to include responsibility for assignment of work to be performed, performance evaluation, selection of staff, recommendations of awards, advancements, and disciplinary actions. Assignment: For all assignments above the journey level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), range of variety, and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. This assignment performs supervision, administrative management, and direction of release of information staff, which includes GS-7 MRT (ROI-Legal), and lead MRT (ROI) positions. They have full supervisory responsibility, including preparing work assignments, monitoring the performance of release of information staff, evaluating employee performance, selecting staff, recommending awards and advancements, and taking disciplinary actions. The supervisory MRT(ROI) generates workload reports, distributes pending workload to staff, and monitors completion status. The employee ensures the timely release of health records in accordance with policies and procedures. They ensure compliance with accrediting agency and regulatory requirements and ensure corrective action is initiated, as needed. They work collaboratively with VA Regional Counsel to ensure health records related to malpractice, subpoenas, and tort cases are prepared and disclosed in a timely manner. The supervisory MRT (ROI) ensures orientation and competency assessments are conducted for all assigned staff. They develop policies and procedures, performance standards, and position descriptions, and/or functional statements. They are responsible for professional and administrative management of release of information staff. They maintain interdepartmental relations with other services to accomplish medical center goals. Reference: VA Handbook 5005/123, Part II, Appendix G58, Medical Record Technician (ROI) Qualification Standards, 12/10/2019. For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary, but may require walking, bending, standing, and /or carrying of light items such as files and manuals. The work does not require any special physical effort or ability. Work Environment: The work area is usually an adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated office or medical facility setting. The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions. Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information 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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. 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. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.