As the Transportation Assistant within the Orlando VA Medical Center Center, you provide transportation or travel expense reimbursement at government expense to beneficiaries and their attendants traveling to and from VA facilities and other places for the purpose of examination, treatment, or care. You contact approving official to authorize obligations and requests for additions, deductions, and/or movement of funds; makes necessary changes to fund control points.

Duties

Duties include but, are not limited to: Responsible for determining the method of payment for 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 to review medical review. Submits all documents for payment utilizing the appropriate mileage calculations and applies deductions. Ensures that the appropriate fund control point is used and referenced when processing requests. Responsible for forwarding all invoices certified for payment to Fiscal Service for processing Responsible for explaining regulatory guidelines to beneficiaries. Submits and unauthorized ambulance claims to the medical center for consideration of payment. Maintains and controls filing systems in accordance with VA regulations. Arranges all modes of transportation via: air ambulance, commercial air, taxi, ambulance, bus and/or independent transports Corresponds with: physician, travel, and vendor to determine the most dependable and economical mode of transportation. Prepares the appropriate documentations and/or scheduling for traveler according to government or substantial rates. Makes special arrangements per physician documentation according to the traveler's medical condition and/or preference. Secures reservations and tickets from carriers, forwards correspondence to receiving facility travel department and/or physician via itinerary or stated preferences with destination and time. Maintains communications with receiving facilities regarding beneficiaries return travel arrangements and reviews requests for reimbursement of travel costs for the purpose. Assures 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 and communicates and interacts with patients in a manner which is appropriate to cognitive, emotional, and chronological maturation needs of the adult and/or geriatric patient. Adheres to fire, safety, and security requirements; may be tasked with other Health Administration Service (HAS) duties as needed. Regular access to printed and electronic files containing sensitive data which must be protected under the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 and other applicable laws, federal regulations, VA statues and policies. Regular and recurring contact with personnel external to the agency for the obtainment of services, sharing of information and authorization, clarification or denial of payment. Utilizes a wide range of electronic systems and programs to include VISTA, CPRS, the Beneficiary Travel Dashboard, and scheduling SharePoint to determine the appropriate reimbursement mode. Processes vouchers that are submitted through various points to include; mail-in, Vet Link Kiosk voucher submissions, and face-to-face claims requests. Analyzes the request for reimbursement and ensure that vouchers are processed under the appropriate fund control points to include: Non-VA Care requests, Veteran Care Giver requests, Veterans Choice requests, Compensation and Pension requests, and general Beneficiary Travel account requests. Troubleshoot any reports of improper payments; follow-through to ensure that the appropriate adjustments are made to the account. Process vouchers for payment within the prescribed requirements as determined by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Transportation Assistant/PD06733A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/28/2023. 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-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: apply transportation regulations, methods, and practices to perform a wide variety of standard transportation support assignments and resolve a wide range of problems; extract information and mileage from electronic or paper road atlas; interpret contracts for transportation services; organizes and maintains documentation and records supporting beneficiary travel reimbursements and vendor payments; ensures compliance with procedures for obligating travel funds; transfer of funds laterally among several fund control points to ensure availability of resources to meet obliterations; review process to make determination on ambulance bills and determine the legitimacy of the claim; prepares correspondence to Veterans concerning eligibility and counsels Veterans who do not meet criteria for transportation reimbursement. 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 an combination of specialized experience and education beyond the first 60 semester hours. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Organizational AwarenessStandardsTechnology Application 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. The incumbent will be working in an office setting. 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

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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Orlando VA Medical Center 13800 Veterans Way Orlando, FL 32827 US
• Name: Vilnalys Irizarry-Brisueno
• Phone: (939) 227-1856
• Email: [email protected]