Summary Veteran Transportation Service (VTS) will operate within the Service located at the VA Medical Center/Health Care System (VAMC/HCS) with several Community Based Outpatient Clinics. Responsibilities The duties of the position may include but are not limited to: Coordinates patient travel requests, ensuring compliance with VA travel policies, eligibility requirements, and authorizations. Reviews and verifies travel claims, mileage reimbursements, and special transportation arrangements for accuracy and completeness. Schedules and arranges transportation services, including specialized transport, common carrier arrangements, and vendor-provided travel. Researches and interprets VA, federal, and local travel regulations to provide guidance to Veterans, staff, and vendors. Enters, updates, and tracks transportation data in automated systems (e.g., travel modules, reimbursement systems). Communicates with Veterans, caregivers, clinical staff, transportation providers, and administrative personnel to coordinate travel needs and resolve issues. Maintains records, files, and documentation for audits, program reviews, and quality assurance activities. Identifies discrepancies or potential fraud in travel claims and escalates issues according to policy. Provides customer service by explaining travel benefits, entitlements, procedures, and required documentation. Assists in monitoring travel program expenditures and preparing basic reports related to transportation operations Preferred experience: Experience providing administrative support for transportation programs, including appointment scheduling, data collection, data tracking, and report generation. Experience processing beneficiary travel claims, mileage reimbursement requests, and coordinating special mode transportation services. Knowledge of VA transportation programs, customer service principles, and the use of automated scheduling and tracking systems. Experience interpreting policies, regulations, and procedures while working with Veterans, medical staff, and community transportation providers. Demonstrated experience using automated transportation scheduling and tracking systems to coordinate patient transportation services, process travel reimbursement requests, maintain accurate program records, and communicate effectively with Veterans, healthcare staff, and transportation vendors. Knowledge of beneficiary travel eligibility requirements and transportation program operations is highly desirable. Candidates will be ranked higher based on: Experience with VA Beneficiary Travel, Veterans Transportation Service (VTS), Special Mode Transportation (SMT), and mileage reimbursement programs. Knowledge of applicable VA regulations, policies, directives, HIPAA requirements, and customer service standards. Experience analyzing transportation data, preparing reports, maintaining financial and obligation records, and ensuring data accuracy. Demonstrated ability to coordinate transportation services, resolve customer issues, and communicate effectively with Veterans, clinical staff, community agencies, and transportation vendors. Proficiency with automated scheduling, tracking, and office automation systems. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Transportation Assistant/PD91312A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. 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 identification 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 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, 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, 06/22/2026. 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-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. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: 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: Coordinating, scheduling, or arranging transportation services for customers, patients, clients, or passengers (e.g., medical transport, common carriers, vendor-provided transport). Reviewing travel requests, mileage claims, vouchers, or reimbursement documentation for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with governing regulations or policies Applying transportation, travel, or reimbursement guidelines; interpreting applicable regulations, procedural requirements, or eligibility rules to ensure proper processing. Communicating with customers, staff, vendors, and/or other stakeholders to obtain information, resolve issues, clarify requirements, or coordinate transportation arrangements. Using automated systems to input, track, and update travel or transportation data, maintain records, and generate routine reports. Identifying discrepancies, incomplete information, or potential errors in travel/transportation documentation and taking corrective action or escalating as appropriate. Providing customer service by explaining transportation processes, required documentation, benefit entitlements, or program procedures 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: Incumbent will be exposed to stressful working situations that require a professional attitude and collective reasoning. The incumbent is subject to a high volume of work, the need for accuracy, frequency of interruptions and ever-changing demands due to program changes. 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 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. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
