Summary Employee will be assigned to Medical Administration Service, Beneficiary Travel at the VA Medical Center, Jackson, MS. The primary function of this position is to provide leadership in the management of the transportation staff. Responsibilities THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION Duties include but may not be limited to the following: Ensures that staff make the appropriate eligibility determinations for transportation and beneficiary travel reimbursements for healthcare visits. Modifies processes when needed and evaluates the ongoing operational flow of the Beneficiary Travel (BT) program. Collaborates with others for transportation workload forecasting, scheduling design, procedure development, and quality improvement implementation. Develops, adapts, and implements policies and plans to support the mission of the Beneficiary Travel (BT) program. Plans, directs, and manages the facility's Beneficiary Travel program. Manages program operations to identify and define requirements for the use of automated systems when dispatching and routing drivers. Promotes the enhancement and facilitation of access to transportation services, including the integration and coordination of services. Provides training for staff on a variety of transportation management and patient related software. Investigates patient complaints on travel eligibility issues and prepares written responses. Assists in orienting and advising physicians, residents, and interns in VA regulations, policies, and procedures on transportation and beneficiary travel matters. Explains the various modes of transportation available to the patient based on their eligibility criteria and differences related to reimbursement. Makes presentations and attends meetings with a variety of groups, organizations, boards, and committees related to passenger transportation to promote coordination. Serves as first line supervisor and performs duties such as: assigs work; staff evaluations; initiating action on disciplinary matters, counseling staff, approval of leave and work schedules, etc. Assists and educates staff and Veterans on the beneficiary travel program and refers them to the appropriate staff to make transportation arrangements. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized 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. This position requires the application, assessment, and questionnaire to be fully completed. The assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the 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 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) - See "Required Documents" below for details. 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, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped them with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position, and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-7 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience includes: managing transportation program operations; overseeing staff who schedule transportation to include assigning work; implementing policies and plans to support transportation services; analyzing the effectiveness and efficiency of transportation program operations; analyzing and resolving transportation issues; and communicating with a range of individuals. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position: Conflict Management Influencing/Negotiating Manages Resources Partnering Planning and Evaluating Supervisory Situational Judgment Test. Applicants will be required to complete a Supervisory Situational Judgment Test (SSJT) as part of the assessment process for this position. The SSJT evaluates judgment and decision-making skills that align with relevant competencies, organizational values, and best practices. Assessment results may be used as part of the evaluation, ranking and referral process. This is not a timed test, however, the assessment is expected to take approximately 45 minutes or less to complete. The assessment for this application does not include a cut score for a minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. However, you must answer each item in the assessment. IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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; religious; 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. Physical Requirements: This is primarily a sedentary position, but the work requires some walking, bending, stooping, and carrying of light objects such as manuals, documents, etc. Concentration and sustained performance under prolonged stress is required because of the time factors involved in completion of work assignments within deadlines. 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 for 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. 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.
