Summary This position operates within the VA Northern California Health Care System (VANCHCS), Beneficiary Program Manager in Benefits & Data Management Service. The Beneficiary Travel program provides transportation at Government expense to eligible beneficiaries and their attendants traveling to and from VA facilities and other places for the purpose of examination, treatment, or care. This department also manages the lodging and hotel program and mileage reimbursement for eligible Veterans. Responsibilities Major duties include, but are not limited to the following: The incumbent arranges all modes of transportation via air ambulance, commercial air, taxi, ambulance, bus and/or independent transports. S/he corresponds with physician, traveler, and vendor to determine the most dependable and economical mode of transportation; prepares appropriate documentation and/or scheduling for traveler according to government rates or substantial rates; makes special arrangements per physician documentation according to traveler's medical condition and/or preference; secures reservations and tickets from carriers; and forwards correspondence to receiving facility travel department and/or physician via itinerary or stated preferences with destination and time. The incumbent is responsible for determining method of payment for authorized and unauthorized ambulance claims submitted for consideration. S/he 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 point for reference. Incumbent will regard fellow Business Office staff, other administrative staff and clinical personnel as professionals and team members. S/he will take the initiative to assist fellow team members during peak workload times and when there are staffing shortages, regardless of the cause. The employee will have regular and recurring contact with personnel external to the agency for the obtainment of services, sharing of information and authorization, clarification or denial of payment. The incumbent 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 responds to client requests and seek resolution of family/patient/employee complaints; will forward unresolved complaints to supervisor, when appropriate. Work Schedule: Full Time. Monday-Friday. 8:00am-4:30pm. Telework: Yes - as determined by the agency policy. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: 00682-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Requirements Conditions of Employment 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 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) Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/11/2025. 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-05 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-04. The grade may have been in any occupation but must have been held in the Federal service. For a GS-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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. Proficiency Requirements: In addition to meeting experience or education requirements, applicants for these positions must show possession of the following skills, as appropriate. Applicants may meet these requirements by passing the appropriate performance test, presenting a certificate of proficiency from a school or other organization authorized to issue such certificates by the Office of Personnel Management local office, or by self-certifying their proficiency. Performance test results and certificates of proficiency are acceptable for 3 years. Agencies may verify proficiency skills of self-certified applicants by administering the appropriate performance test. Office Automation (Typing) 40 words per minute typing speed Words per minute are based on a 5 minute sample with three or fewer errors. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-05: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Ability to identify problems, analyze issues, develop solutions/resolutions and follow-up. (This experience must be well documented in your resume.). OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a 4 years above high school. (NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH THE APPLICATION MATERIALS. CONFERRAL OF DEGREE(S) EARNED SHOULD BE PRESENT ON TRANSCRIPT(S). UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT(S) IS OK.). OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond high school. [Note: To combine education and experience, first determine how much of the qualifying experience and education you have, as a percentage of what is required for each. Add the percentages together, and if the total is 100% or more, then the combined education and experience is qualifying for the position. EXAMPLE: To compute the percentage, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of education beyond the first 18 semester hours (i.e. beyond the first year) by 18. Add the two percentages together. The total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify.] (NOTE: TRANSCRIPT(S) MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH APPLICATION MATERIAL. CONFERRAL OF DEGREE(S) EARNED SHOULD BE PRESENT ON TRANSCRIPT(S). UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS OK). 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: Must have office automation abilities, to include knowledge of input beneficiary travel authorizations, knowledge to access appointment information, MS Office products, spreadsheets and other equipment. (This experience must be well documented in your resume.) You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Computer Skills Self Management Technical Credibility Veteran and Customer Focus 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: The duties and responsibilities of the position require some mobility between various clinic areas in separate building location sites, but generally the job is sedentary with some standing, stooping, reaching and lifting to 20 pounds. The employee is required to work with computer equipment at least 75% of the time which impacts on hand and wrist motions. 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. Additional Information Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.
