Summary The employee reports directly to the Supervisor, Mobility Manager at the VA Medical Center. The employee works with the VTS Supervisory Mobility Manager as the Transportation Coordinator at the facility level. Serves as the primary contact to Veterans with transportation needs. Responsibilities Independently manages Beneficiary Travel Program Responsible for determining method of payment for authorized and unauthorized ambulance claims submitted for consideration. Receives invoices for payment of transportation services, investigates authorizations, orders, and/or utilizes the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) to review medical records; forwards for supervisory approval and submits all documents for payment utilizing appropriate control points for reference. Responsible for forwarding all invoices certified for payment to Fiscal Service for processing. Writes or selects appropriate letters explaining disposition of unauthorized travel claims. Responsible for explaining the regulatory guidelines to beneficiaries submitting any unauthorized ambulance claims to the VAMC/HCS for consideration of payment. Communicate with Contracting Officer's Technical Representative regarding technical problems of contract agreement, and will be responsible for balancing, reconciling, and adjusting invoices for payment. Reconciles vouchers against authorizations for accuracy prior to preparing certifications for payment. Communicates and interacts with patients in a manner which is appropriate to cognitive, emotional, and chronological maturation needs of the adult and/or geriatric patient. Incumbent will work with fellow Business Office staff, other administrative staff and clinical personnel as professionals and team members. They will take the initiative to assist fellow team members during peak workload times and when there are staffing shortages, regardless of the cause. This assistance would include in-person interactions with patients, staff and the public, as well as telephone and computer coverage. Assigned to different work areas to maximize customer service and the incumbent's knowledge, skills, and abilities. Professional communication etiquette will be utilized in all modes of customer contact, in person, telephone, and email correspondence. Responds to client requests and seeks resolution of family/patient/employee complaints; will forward unresolved complaints to supervisor, when appropriate. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: 7:00am- 3:30pm, 7:30am-4:00pm. Work schedule may be adjusted due to agency needs Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Transportation Assistant/PD99910S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): 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 You may be required to serve a probationary/trial period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/20/2025. 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-5 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-4 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. 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 as described below: Specialized Experience: Applicants must possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped them with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position, and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-5 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience includes: collecting, compiling, tracking and analyzing data and statistical information in support of transportation; contacting customers to determine transportation needs and requirements; managing schedules for daily activities; entering information into an automated tracking system; and communicating and treating customers in a courteous, tactful and respectful manner. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Auditing Clerical Customer Service 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. Note: 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. Physical Requirements: Work involves various physical demands requiring the employee to be versatile in the many functions performed. These include sedentary work performed at a desk with intermittent standing, walking, bending, and lifting of lightweight records or supplies. Work is performed in an office setting. Work is performed within view and hearing of patients and the general public. The Transportation Assistant has direct contact with patients and possible exposure to contagious diseases. 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/. Education 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 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. 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.
