Summary The Lead Transportation Assistant is responsible for assisting the Eligibility/Travel Supervisor in overseeing the daily activities of clerical staff who determine Veteran eligibility for VA travel reimbursement and assist with arranging transportation for Veterans to and from medical appointments. Develop new models of care that emphasize prevention, improve access and coordination of care; educate and empower patients and their families; enhance the customer experience. Responsibilities Duties: Direct oversight of the transportation assistants performing all office functions. Distributes workloads equitably among the clerks, checks status of work and makes necessary adjustments. Communicates with supervisory staff about any backlogs or unusual problems. Responsible for explaining regulate guidelines to beneficiaries for submitting any unauthorized ambulance claims to the VA Medical Center for consideration of payment. The Lead Transportation Assistant assists with the arrangement for all modes of transportation via air ambulance, commercial air, taxi, ambulance, bus, and/or contracted transport services. Corresponds with physician, traveler, social worker or CBOC representative and vendor to determine the most dependable and economical mode of transportation. Reviews requests for reimbursement of travel costs for assuring compliance with regulations and procedures, completeness, accuracy, internal consistency, and agreement with basic authorization. Incumbent leads a team of employees performing work at the GS-5/6 level. Assures that all appropriate VA forms are used correctly, and regulations followed. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm OR 7:30 am - 4:00 pm (based on the needs of the department) (subject to change based on the needs of the agency) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Lead Transportation Assistant/PD046380 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 Must have a valid drivers license. Pre-Employment physical is required. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 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) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/12/2025. 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-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-6. 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: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-6 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Specialized Experience: Experience with patient/customer database, used to track eligibility for travel pay, demographic information (address, phone, emergency contact information). Skilled in the interpretation and application of laws, procedures, and policies to solve logistical problems. Experience preparing written documents such as correspondence, memoranda, reports, pamphlets and etcetera of a routine nature. Skilled in understanding/utilizing medical terminology. Experience with administering and maintaining patient funds, as well as, monitor multiple fund control points as they apply to paying transportation invoices. Experience with many complex electronic databases for claim processing and auditing procedures. Experience using computer systems and Microsoft office products such as word, excel, PDF, ETC You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to Detail Computer Skills Control of Funds Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Leadership Technical Competence 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 There is no educational substitution at this grade level. 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.
