Transportation Assistant

Summary The incumbent serves as a Transportation Assistant – Beneficiary Travel Assistant acts as primary contact to Veterans for transportation needs sand travel reimbursement. The incumbent in this position will be required to have an overall knowledge of the organization, its mission, goals and impact on patients, personnel, community, and the nation. Responsibilities The Transportation Assistant will serve as a primary contact for Veterans, doctors, nurses and administrative staff to arrange travel for eligible Veterans to appointments and residence when appropriate, using laws and regulations to distinguish/ensure reimbursements are legitimate or if fraudulent activity is being conducted by the beneficiary. The Transportation Assistant must also possess some knowledge of clinical services, related software, and programs as they relate to computing and office automation. Major duties include but are not limited to: Processes travel claims using BTSSS Assisting customers in-person and over the phone Arranging Veteran transportation using Vetride and the rideshare platform Communicating with internal and external customers regarding Veteran transportation Correctly determines eligibility for the Beneficiary Travel Program and process requests. Correctly determines which of several fund control points to utilize. Maintaining manual and electronic accounting records. Reconciling vouchers against authorizations for accuracy prior to preparing certifications for payment. Assisting fellow team members during peak workload times and when there are staffing shortages. Assigned to different work areas to maximize customer service. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday – Friday 7:30am-4:00pm Position Description/PD#: Transportation Assistant/PD99689S and PD99910S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): 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 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/28/2024. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: To be eligible for the GS-5, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Performs transportation support duties such as coordinating connections/scheduling Documents travel information; collecting, compiling, and tracking data on a daily basis; Performs a basic analysis of data and generates a variety of reports; Enters data into automated tracking data bases Plans and directs a program that provides support services. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 4 years above high school. OR, Combination : Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelors degree. Note: Two full academic years of study, or 60 semester hours, beyond the second year is equivalent to l year of specialized experience. If education is used to meet specialized experience requirements, then such education must include courses directly related to the work of the position. General Experience : To be eligible for the GS-4, You must have one year of general experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS 03 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. General experience includes, but not limited to: Uses initiative and works independently within the framework established by the supervisor in carrying out recurring assignments such as processing authorized travel request Follows established procedures or instructions that specifically describe how the work is to be done and the kind of modifications or exceptions that can be made Refers specific problems not covered by the Supervisors instructions or standard operating procedures to Supervisor or higher- level employee for assistance and/or decision. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 2 years above high school. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Auditing Clerical Customer Service 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 Managements website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. 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 The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPMs Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.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.