Summary The position is at the full performance level located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), at the Portland VA Medical Center (PORVAMC) in the Health Medical Administration Department (HMAS) /Veterans Transportation Service. The Lead Transportation Assistant is organizationally aligned within HMAS. Responsibilities Duties include but not limited to: Distribute and balance the workload among employees in accordance with established workflow or job specialization, assure timely accomplishment of the assigned workload, and assure that each employee has enough work to keep busy. Keep in touch with the status and progress of work, and make day-to-day adjustments in accordance with established priorities, obtaining assistance from the supervisor on problems that may arise, such as backlogs which cannot be disposed of promptly. Instruct employees in specific tasks and job techniques and make available written instructions, reference materials and supplies. Give on the job training to new employees in accordance with established procedures and practices. Maintain a current knowledge and answer questions of other employees on procedures, policies, directives, etc. and obtain needed information or decisions from supervisor on problems that come up. Check on work in progress or spot check work not requiring review (e. g., filing or direct services) and review completed work to see that supervisor's instruction on work sequence, procedures, methods, and deadlines have been met. Amend or reject work not meeting established standards, refer to supervisor questions or matters not covered by standards and problems in meeting performance standards. Monitor working conditions such as seating, ventilation, lighting, safety, etc. Approve leave for a few hours or for emergencies. Inform employees of available services and employee activities. Resolve simple, informal complaints of employees and refer others to supervisor. Report to supervisor on performance, progress, and training needs of employees, and on behavior problems. Provide information to supervisor as requested concerning promotions, reassignment, recognition of outstanding performance, and personnel needs. Ensure the Beneficiary Travel office staff provide transportation at Government expense to beneficiaries and their attendants traveling to and from VA facilities and other places for examination, treatment, or care. Determine eligibility for the program, and processing requests. Determining which of several fund control points to utilize, obligating funds, maintaining manual and electronic accounting records, performing regular reconciliations, and adjusting account balances. Assists the supervisor with contacting the approving official to authorize obligations and requests for additions, deductions, and/or movement of funds Determine method of payment of 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 the appropriate fund control point for reference. Processing of Veteran claims reimbursements utilizing BTSSS which provides a more veteran-focused experience for beneficiary travel reimbursements, allowing claimants to submit and track travel claims at their convenience. The Lead Transportation Assistant is responsible for the processing of Veteran claims reimbursements via paper submission and work towards increase efficiency and accuracy in claims processing, provide letters to noncompliant claims that include rejections codes. Responsible for forwarding all invoices certified for payment to Financial Resource Management Service (FRMS) for processing. Documents and prepares account synopsis for contracting officials quarterly to justify yearly ambulance contractual compliance. 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. Reviews requests for reimbursement of travel costs for assuring compliance with regulations and procedures, completeness, accuracy, internal consistency, and agreement with basic authorization. Reconciles vouchers against authorizations for accuracy prior to preparing certifications for payment. Leads office staff in documenting the funds deposits and withdrawals of Veterans' personal funds held by the VA Medical Center during brief and extended periods of hospitalization. The Lead Transportation Assistant serves as customer service representative for all matters involving Beneficiary Travel, communicating, and interacting with patients in a manner appropriate to cognitive, emotional, and chronological maturation needs of the adult and/or geriatric patient. Assures that all appropriate VA forms are used correctly, and regulations followed. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 6:30am - 3:00pm PST Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Lead Transportation Assistant/PD216580 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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 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 specialized experience requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 11/24/2025. 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 within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. 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 specialized experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Patient transportation support functions, dispatching and/or transportation coordination Entering and tracking data related to transport workload Scheduling transportation to ensure timely arrival of appointments Ability to independently plan and carry out successive steps to complete transportation support duties You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Computer Skills Decision Making 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 work requires no special physical demands, but will require some physical effort such as standing, walking, bending or sitting. 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. Additional Information This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. 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.
