The Transportation Assistant serves the Transportation Consolidated Program, Boston Healthcare System, Veterans Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, Boston, MA.

Duties

***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: Eligibility: Interprets and applies regulations and procedures to determine legal eligibility for travel. Completes a required means/co-pay test not only hampers determination of travel eligibility but also has an impact on other departments (i.e., Improper means/co-pay test may have a negative impact on obtaining the maximum reimbursement from third party billing, and/or causes a loss of workload credit to the Medical Center). Dispatching: Determines the most cost-effective mode of travel for the patient considering factors such as special mode, distance, time of appointment or discharge, urgency, equipment or if an extra attendant is required. Keeps travel costs down by questioning costly or unnecessary travel requests and suggests alternative arrangements. Coordinates trips the night before, confirming with each patient their address, time of pick-up based on appointments, and eligibility for travel. Manifests are faxed or input into the data base for ambulances, wheelchair, taxi, and staff car trips. Works with other VA Medical Centers inside and outside the Boston area, such as Tagus, White River Junction, Manchester, Providence, etc. to coordinate patient travel needs. Billing: Posts daily the travel costs for each trip to be paid such as ambulance trips, wheelchair vans, taxi trips and other special modes as necessary. Reconciles the bills submitted to us for reimbursement. Bills are checked for accuracy and any discrepancies are researched for proper payment. Receives individual bills from both contract and non-VA contract sources of transportation. Gathers data, prepares reports used for statistical purposes for local and VISN usage, and makes recommendations consistent with normal practice, using experience In solving problems and handling unusual occurrences. Communications: Communicates daily through personal contacts, telephone contacts and by use of E-mail or fax, with patients, their families, visitors, and staff. Serves as the Liaison Officer with the representatives of ambulance companies, taxi companies, and other agencies both VA and private sector to assure patient travel is completed successfully and most efficiently. Assists patients and staff with off-contract and alternative non-VA travel. Other Duties: Performs other clerical functions such as requesting office supplies, verifying payment information, retrieving mail, etc. Provides advisory assistance to patients and staff regarding any/all transportation needs. Participates in risk management/QA activities, safety programs, and other such quality management activities related to patient travel. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, no weekends or holidays, hours to be determined. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Qualifications

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position. And SPECIALIZED EXPEREINCE GS-6: Having one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) needed to successfully perform the duties of the position and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-5 level in Federal service. Qualifying specialized experience includes having knowledge and skills in eligibility rules and regulations is required in order to provide patients with a comprehensive understanding of their entitlements to the Beneficiary Travel Program; comprehension and application of an extensive body of transportation regulations, methods and practices to perform a wide variety of interrelated or nonstandard transportation support assignments and resolve a wide range of problems; ability to organize and maintain documentation and records supporting beneficiary travel reimbursements and vendors payments; validation, control and maintaining accounting records for many travel accounts and make frequent dollar amount adjustments of those accounts; ensures compliance with procedures for obligating travel funds; reviews process to make determination on bills, and if the request for payment is legitimate or not; having a thorough understanding of medical terminology, regulations and manuals related to the administration. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Administration and ManagementCommunicationsTransportation 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: Most of the duties are performed sitting at a desk. However, some walking, standing, and bending are required. 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

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address VA Boston Healthcare System 940 Belmont Street Brockton, MA 02301 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]