The Transportation Assistant (Patient Escort) is a staff position located within Veterans Transportation Service (VTS) at the Battle Creek VA Medical Center (VAMC). Transportation Services may be performed at the Battle Creek VAMC, Wyoming CBOC, surrounding parking areas, onboard a vehicle, and at clinics including other VA locations. The incumbent will provide intervention and management of persons who require assistance with mobility and respond to requests from Veterans, family, and VA Staff.

Duties

Major duties of this position include, but are not limited to: Communicating with VTS Staff, Patient Advocates, Greeters, and Nursing or other Ward Staff to determine what work must be accomplished. Assisting patients or authorized individuals from vehicles and during transport, including assisting patients with ambulation or transport via wheelchair within a building, and lifting medical equipment into and out of vehicles. Greets patients and visitors in a pleasant and courteous manner, assists customers with general wayfinding, and monitors and returns equipment necessary for the safe movement of Veterans through the medical facilities and during transport. May transport specimens to a laboratory or as required by nursing staff. Maintains records and documents actions including daily logs for patient transports. Independently enters claims and processes mileage reimbursement claims in the Beneficiary Travel Self Service System (BTSSS) or other designated system. Reconciles vouchers against authorizations for accuracy prior to preparing certifications for payment. Correctly determines eligibility for the program while processing requests. Responsible for determining method of payment for authorized claims submitted for consideration, receives invoices for payment of transportation services, investigates authorizations, orders, and/or utilizes the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) or other designated patient record system to review medical records. May have contact with personnel external to the agency for the obtainment of services, sharing of information and authorization, clarification, or denial of payment. Prepares denial letters and provides appeal rights to Veterans. Assists Veterans at common computers in the facility to enter claims or other information into designated electronic systems. Must follow established Safety rules and regulations and maintain a clean working environment. Uses and assures proper fit of any required safety equipment and clothing including uniform. Participates in safety activities and attends scheduled training as directed by the supervisor. Must practice and promote safe work and driving habits and follow standard safety procedures, identify existing or potential safety hazards, and promptly notify supervisor, and initiate corrective action as required. Maintains CPR certification. 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. Performs other duties as assigned. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:00 AM - 3:30 PM Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Transportation Assistant - Patient Escort/PD92049A and PD92050A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): 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, 08/23/2023. 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-04 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-03, and for GS-05 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-04. 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: General Experience for the GS-04: You must have one (1) full year of general experience related to the position of Transportation Assistant - Patient Escort. This can include progressively responsible clerical, office, or other work that indicates ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position to be filled. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed 2 years above high school in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. Transcripts must be submitted at time of application. Education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position.. 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 a high school education (in excess of the first 30 semester hours (beyond the first year). Specialized Experience for the GS-05: You must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-04) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties as a Transportation Assistant - Patient Escort. Qualifying specialized experience includes applying transportation regulations and practices to perform a wide variety of administrative support; coordinating travel arrangements; maintaining records, utilizing databases, reconciling records and generating reports; investigating/resolving issues and taking corrective actions; and communicating effectively with a wide variety of individuals. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed 4 years above high school in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. Transcripts must be submitted at time of application. Education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. 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 a high school education (in excess of the first 60 semester hours (beyond the second year) and specialized experience as described above, which meet the total experience requirements for this grade level. One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer ServiceDecision MakingTransportation 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. Duties will be performed predominantly at the medical center. The incumbent will be exposed to outside weather. The incumbent will stand frequently and move throughout the medical center. The position requires ability to assist Veterans into and out of vehicles and lift medical equipment. The incumbent may be transported to various locations throughout the medical center catchment area and will be both in or near patient care areas where there may be risk of exposure to disease. The incumbent may ride on transportation and perform duties on a vehicle in motion for multiple hours per workday. 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 Battle Creek VA Medical Center 5500 Armstrong Road Battle Creek, MI 49037 US
• Name: Mendy Desir
• Phone: 478-227-5223
• Email: [email protected]