Medical Office Assistant III/IV - Bilingual Required

How to submit a successful application video: https://hr.venturacounty.gov/how-to-apply/application

THE DEPARTMENT:

As a vital division of the Ventura County Health Care Agency (HCA), Ventura County Behavioral Health (VCBH) is committed to providing comprehensive mental health and substance use disorder services that meet the diverse needs of our community. Through a continuum of care, including mobile crisis response, outpatient treatment, prevention, and recovery services, VCBH ensures individuals receive the right support at the right time.

As a member of our dedicated and compassionate team, you will make a meaningful difference in the lives of individuals and families by helping connect them to critical behavioral health services. Your work will play an essential role in promoting wellness, fostering recovery, and strengthening the health and well-being of our community.

THE POSITION:
Under direction, the Medical Office Assistant III/IV provides clerical and administrative support for Behavioral Health programs and services. Responsibilities include public reception, records management, document preparation, case management support, and other office functions in a mental health clinic setting. Medical Office Assistant III/IV incumbents perform more complex administrative assignments and may coordinate office operations and supervise administrative support activities.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE:

The ideal candidate is a customer-focused professional who is bilingual in English and Spanish and thrives in a fast-paced office environment. They demonstrate exceptional organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills and possess experience with electronic health records and maintaining confidential information while providing compassionate, culturally responsive service to diverse patient populations to our mental health client population. They are detail-oriented, adaptable, and able to effectively prioritize multiple responsibilities while working collaboratively as part of a multidisciplinary team.

WHAT WE OFFER: 
The County of Ventura offers an attractive compensation and benefits package.  Aside from our base salary range, an employee in this position may also be eligible for the following:
 

• Educational Incentive - Some positions may be eligible for educational incentive. This incentive may be 2.5%, 3.5%, or 5% for incumbents in eligible positions based on completion of an Associate’s, Bachelor’s, or Master’s degree that is not required for the classification.
• Bilingual Incentive - Some positions may be eligible for bilingual incentive depending on the applicable memorandum of agreement and the needs of the department. In order to qualify for this incentive, incumbents in eligible positions must take and pass the applicable bilingual fluency exam with a score of seventy percent (70%) or higher. Proficiency levels by exam are $0.69/hour (Level I), $1.00/hour (Level II), or $1.32/hour (Level III).
• Merit Increases - New employees serving their initial County service probationary period are eligible for an initial 5% merit increase upon completion of at least 1,040 hours (approximately six months) assuming work meets satisfactory standards. Subsequent merit increases will be upon completion of each additional 2,080 hours (approximately one year) from the initial merit increase. 
• Deferred Compensation - Eligible to participate in the County's 401(K) Shared Savings Plan and/or the Section 457 Plan. If you participate in the County sponsored 401(K) plan, the County will match a part of your contribution up to 3% of your salary, on a per pay period basis. 
• Health Plans - You are afforded a flexible credit allowance for purchasing medical plan under the County’s Flexible Benefits Program. County now pays 100% of dental, and vision premiums.
• Flexible Spending Accounts - Pre-tax benefit towards eligible medical, dental, and vision care expenses.
• Pension Plan - Participate in the County's defined benefit pension plan that provides lifetime payments to retirees. Members are "vested" after attaining five years of retirement service credit. If eligible, you may establish reciprocity with other public retirement systems such as CalPERS.
• Holidays - 13 paid days per year which includes a scheduled floating holiday.
• Additional Benefits - Tuition Reimbursement, Disability Plans, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Wellness Program.
• To learn more about the benefits, please follow the link below:

https://vcportal.venturacounty.gov/CEO/HR/MOA/docs/SEIU_MOA_2025-2029.pdf 

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS:

• Medical Office Assistant III - $25.80 - $36.09/hourly: This is the advanced journey level classification in this job series. Incumbents perform clerical duties requiring application of specialized program knowledge of ongoing operations and services, support duties requiring interpretation of rules and regulations, and assessment of individual circumstances to determine appropriate course(s) of action.

• Medical Office Assistant IV - $28.17 - $39.38/hourly: This is the lead classification in this job series. Incumbents perform support duties requiring specialized medical knowledge and interpretation of rules, regulations, and reimbursement requirements; explain program procedures to clients and/or their parents/guardians; prepare reports; and serve as lead workers over subordinate-level clerical staff at a satellite office or clinic.

DEPARTMENT/AGENCY: Health Care Agency - Behavioral Health

Medical Office Assistant (III/IV) are represented by the Service Employees' International Union (SEIU) and are eligible for overtime compensation.

NOTE: This classification is within a bargaining unit that is subject to an agency shop arrangement which mandates a Regular employee to either join Local 721 of SEIU and pay dues as a member OR either pay a service fee to Local 721 or direct that an amount equivalent to the service fee be distributed to a qualified charitable organization.

   
The eligible list established from this recruitment may be used to fill current and future Regular (including Temporary and Fixed-Term), Intermittent, and Extra-Help vacancies within the Health Care Agency. There is currently one (1) regular vacancy.
 

NOTE: If appointed at the lower level, incumbent may be promoted to the higher level without further examination upon meeting the minimum requirements, demonstrating satisfactory performance, and in accordance with the business needs of the department.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE  
OPENING DATE: 9/10/2026
CLOSING DATE: 9/16/2026 at 5:00 p.m.

Duties may include but are not limited to the following:

• Receives clients and answers and routes incoming calls; directs individuals to appropriate locations, services, or information sources; answers routine questions; explains procedures and departmental activities; schedules and confirms appointments; and refers clients/patients to appropriate resources; 
• Checks patients in-and-out through the practice management system; verifies and updates demographic, payer, registration, and other patient information; creates and maintains patient files and charts; and ensures confidentiality requirements are followed;
• Reviews and manages patient schedules to identify missed opportunities, scheduling errors, registration updates, insurance eligibility issues, and co-payments requirements; assists with pre-visit planning and makes appointment confirmation calls;
• Verifies insurance coverage and payer eligibility, including private insurances, Medi-Cal, and other programs; conducts financial screenings for program eligibility; requests pre-authorizations when needed; and enters appropriate government codes to support reimbursement;
• Performs cashiering duties and collects co-payments, payments, and outstanding balances; may distribute Medi-Cal checks and track reimbursements;
• Communicates with patient care team to ensure that patient care needs are addressed; provides culturally sensitive and competent service; and manages high-volume patient and customer interactions, including changing, delayed, or unexpected circumstances;
• Prepares, reviews, validates, processes and submits documents, forms, charts, correspondence, and other materials for completeness, accuracy and compliance with submission standards; assists patients with completion of forms;
• Compiles information and prepares routine reports, records, and charts and other documents by gathering, extracting, tabulating, and analyzing information from files, reports, notes, logs, correspondence, and/or verbal instructions, and other sources; identifies variations in data;
• Maintains paper and electronic files, charts, and records; sorts, files, indexes, cross-references, retrieves, and purges materials; conducts systematic searches for misplaced records; and researches reference materials to respond to patient, client, or coworker inquiries;
• Prepares correspondence and other written materials from written, recorded, printed, or verbal sources; proofreads materials for grammar, spelling, and punctuation; and may transcribe medical documents;
• Operates computers and other automated office equipment and enters, retrieves, and maintains patient information using multiple databases and medical records systems;
• Monitors waiting areas and ensures areas are maintained in a clean, orderly, and safe condition;
• May provide back-up for basic patient assistance, including obtaining vital signs and providing emergency or comfort care, as required; 

In addition to the duties above, Medical Office Assistant IV may:

• Trains,  orients, and provides guidance to new staff on departmental procedures, computer databases, medical records management, and work processes; may distribute and assign work; establish work sequences and procedures, and recommend work flow improvements;
• Coordinates the work of clerical and non-professional staff performing general or specialized functionsmay assist with work-unit priorities, hiring, discipline, performance evaluations, and related personnel recommendations;
• Assists with budgeting, purchasing, inventory, and expenditure-control activities for the assigned work unit; orders and maintains office supplies and monitors inventory;
• Prepares treatment records and tracks therapy hours to support accurate billing and reimbursement;
• Gathers data from a variety of sources and prepares reports; prepares and sends correspondence to families, physicians, and outside agencies; may develop informational pamphlets, flyers, or other materials;
• Tracks reimbursements and Medi-Cal checks and assists with monitoring related financial and budget activities; and
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

These are entrance requirements to the examination process and ensure neither continuance in the process nor placement on an eligible list.
  
EDUCATION, TRAINING, and EXPERIENCE:
Progressively responsible clerical experience in a medical service delivery area which has led to the acquisition of the required knowledge, skills, and abilities. The required knowledge, skills, and abilities also can be obtained by:

Medical Office Assistant III:

• Two (2) years of clerical experience, including:
  • One (1) year in a health care setting that required knowledge and use of medical terminology.

Medical Office Assistant IV:

• Four (4) years of increasingly responsible office experience, including:
  • Two (2) years in a medical office setting utilizing medical terminology and
  • One (1) of which must have included experience as or equivalent to a Medical Office Assistant III with the County of Ventura.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be bilingual in (English/Spanish)
• Some previous experience with electronic health records

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:
Thorough knowledge of:

• medical office operations, methods, and practices and procedures;
• medical terminology;
• filing systems and procedures;
• medical records management and maintenance systems;
• report compilation;
• public contact techniques.
• the operations, procedures, and practices used in support of the function to which assigned;
• techniques to expedite or improve clerical tasks and record processing;  
• correct English usage, spelling, grammar, and punctuation; and
• Methods and techniques to efficiently perform medical office tasks.

Thorough skill (depending on assignment) in:

• the operation of a variety of office equipment, including computers;
• proficiency in typing or equivalent word processing or data entry; and
• taking and transcribing meeting minutes.

Thorough ability to:

• perform and coordinate difficult and responsible clerical work with little or no direct supervision;
• set-up and maintain records and filing systems;
• extract information from a variety of sources;
• accurately perform and proof the transfer of information from one document to another, comparing the data from two or more sources for accuracy and completeness;
• perform basic arithmetic calculations;
• establish and maintain cooperative working relationships;
• understand, follow, and convey written and verbal information/instructions; 
• speak, read and write in Spanish; and
• maintain confidential information. 

In addition, Medical Office Assistant IV incumbents must possess thorough ability to:

• prepare and finalize correspondence, reports and other documents spreadsheet, other general, and specialized software/databases;
• lead the work of others by training, monitoring, and assigning work;
• coordinate and prioritize the work of a medical office or clinic;
• perform difficult and complex clerical work with little or no supervision;
• assist in the supervision of others by making recommendations on hiring, discipline, and performance evaluations.

Working Conditions:
Positions may involve moderate to heavy public contact, including ambulatory or non-ambulatory patients in an outpatient or inpatient medical service delivery area.

FINAL FILING DATE: Your application must be received by County of Ventura Human Resources in Ventura, California, no later than 9/16/2026. 

To apply on-line, please refer to our website at hr.venturacounty.gov. If you prefer to fill out a paper application form, please call (805) 677-5184 for application materials and submit them to County of Ventura Human Resources - Health Care Agency, 646 County Square Drive, Ventura, CA 93003.
     
NOTE TO APPLICANTS: It is essential that you complete all sections of your application supplemental questionnaire thoroughly and accurately to demonstrate your qualifications. A resume and/or other related documents may be attached to supplement the information in your application and supplemental questionnaire; however, if/they may not be submitted in lieu of the application.
     
LATERAL TRANSFER OPTION: If presently permanently employed in another "merit" or "civil service" public agency/entity in the same or substantively similar position as is advertised, and if appointed to that position by successful performance in a "merit" or "civil service" style examination, then appointed by "Lateral Transfer" may be possible. If interested, please click here for additional information.
     
SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE – qualifying:  All applicants are required to complete and submit the questionnaire for this examination at the time of filing.  The supplemental questionnaire may be used throughout the examination process to assist in determining each applicant's qualifications and acceptability for the position. Failure to complete and submit the questionnaire may result in the application being removed from consideration.
     
APPLICATION EVALUATION – qualifying:  All applications will be reviewed to determine whether or not the stated requirements are met. Those individuals meeting the stated requirements will be invited to continue to the next step in the screening and selection process.  
     
WRITTEN EXAMINATION - 100%: An online, un-proctored job-related written examination will be administered to test candidates' knowledge of office practices/computer usage, comparisons, vocabulary/reading comprehension, mathematics, filing, interpersonal relations, and medical knowledge/terminology. Candidates must earn a score of seventy percent (70%) or higher to qualify for placement on the eligible list. 
   
Applicants successfully completing the examination process may be placed on an eligible list for a period of one (1) year.
 
How to Prepare for a Written Test: https://hr.venturacounty.gov/how-to-apply/written-test
     
BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION:  A thorough pre-employment, post offer background investigation which may include inquiry into past employment, education, criminal background information, and driving record may be required for this position.
     
For further information about this recruitment, please contact Erin Niemi at (805) 654-2568 or by email at [email protected]. 
     
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
The County of Ventura is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.