Summary This position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6), Asheville VA Medical Center, Health Administration Service (HAS), Asheville, NC and has responsibility for the administrative co-ordination of transportation and patient funds activities. Responsibilities Duties and responsibilities for this position include, but not limited to the following: Provides transportation or reimbursement for transportation to beneficiaries and their attendants traveling to and from VA facilities and other places for the purpose of examination, treatment or care. Correctly determine eligibility for the program, and processing reimbursement. Maintains communications with receiving facilities regarding beneficiaries return travel arrangements. Reviews requests for reimbursement of travel costs for the purpose of 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. Reconciles vouchers against authorizations for accuracy. prior to preparing certification for payments. Responsible for balancing, reconciling, and adjusting invoices for payment. Prepares daily expenditure reports. Manages activities for beneficiary travel control points. Determines legal entitlement to travel reimbursement, applies deductible requirements and computes amount to be paid to beneficiaries. Maintains a master control of deductibles met for each month on every patient that visits this facility and authorizes or denies reimbursement accordingly. Process requests for travel reimbursement utilizing various media to determine service connection eligibilities, hardship qualification, appointment verification at local and outside facilities, proof of address, and other criteria. Serves as record keeper and coordinator of patient funds on deposit. Maintains accounting records and control tog. Tracks, attempts to contact patients, and prepares all paperwork and computerized tracking utilizing the Veterans Personal Finance System (VPFS) for deposited or unclaimed money. Validates withdrawal documents and authorizes Agent Cashier to disburse funds on deposit. Posts deposits withdrawals and transfer activities of patient's funds. On daily basis, reconciles the amount of funds on deposit with fiscal service records. Participates in locating any out of balance monies. Provides information relative to monies on deposit for deceased veterans and provides .guidance to decedent affairs clerk on proper disposition of such funds. Serves as liaison with DAV Travel Network, consulting. numerous times each day with the DAV Travel Coordinator in interfacing activities associated with patient movement. Assigns transportation activities to that organization and assists them with. planning and scheduling. Acts as technical .expert to the DAV Travel Office relative to criteria, VA Policies and procedures relevant to transportation activities. Work Schedule: M-F 0800 - 4:30pm Position Description/PD#: Transportation Assistant/PD04134A 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 all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/23/2026. 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-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. 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 and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Thorough knowledge to make sound and logical decisions, identifying and utilizing all appropriate available resources. Knowledge to deal effectively with problems, issues and situations which occur in the daily' activities of VTS program to establish and maintain effective working relationships which contribute to the attainment of organizational and service goals. Extensive knowledge of VA laws, regulations, directives, policies, procedures, performance measures and guidelines relating to VA medical benefits administration, organizational structure, VA mission and goals-, Privacy Act of 1974, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and working practical knowledge of applicable VHA regulation, station directives, Public Laws, State Laws, Central Office directives, HIPP A regulations. Ability to meet and deal effectively with a wide variety of staff from many educational and skill levels, for the purpose of communicating clear instructions and interpretations. Ability to prepare and produce written instructions, and a variety of correspondence. The incumbent must be about to manage emergency situations. Must be knowledgeable in regard to consult management, scheduling, admissions, discharge, transfer, and administration with patient processing including diagnostic tests and studies. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to Detail Audit Reporting Compliance 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 is sedentary; however, some walking and standing may be required. Work Environment: Work is performed in a medical center setting where there can be contact with patients who may have emotional. disorders, as welt as communicable disease. 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 Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. 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.
