The position is located with the Eastern Oklahoma VA Healthcare System. Reporting to the Mobility Manager, incumbent ensures the Beneficiary Travel, Special Mode Transpiration, Fraud Prevention, Patient Funds and Ambulance billing programs are in compliance. Incumbent is responsible for planning, coordination, implementation, management and evaluation of patient transportation with emphasis on improving Veterans' care and safety.

Duties

The duties of the Transportation Assistant - Beneficiary Travel include but are not limited to: Preparing data processing report for daily batch review Preparing and auditing Beneficiary Travel voucher daily batch for errors Transferring Beneficiary Travel voucher daily batch to Fiscal Office Compiling and submitting daily clerk report summarizing all vouchers, processed, phone calls, and customer service interactions Reviewing eligibility of each Veteran before scheduling Special Mode Transportation, including reviewing of CPRS Bene-Travel consults Coordinating daily with all vendors for Special Mode Transportation Reviewing eligibility of each Veteran before authorizing Ambulance billing payments Evaluating all aspects of fraud research and prevention in accordance with VA Policy Customer care in accordance with VA policy and ICARE program Processing receipts and withdrawals for Patient Funds in Veterans Personal Finance System Correcting discrepancies between Veterans' Personal Finance System and Financial Management System balances Ensuring balances of discharged patients are returned appropriately Scheduling and reserving tickets for eligible patients requiring airline transportation Determining eligibility for the program and processing requests Determining which of several fund control points to utilize, obligating funds, maintaining manual and electronic accounting records, performing regular reconciliations and adjusting account balances Contacting approving official to authorize obligations and requesting for additions, deductions, and/or movement of funds; making necessary changes to fund control points Determining method of payment for authorized and unauthorized ambulance and unauthorized ambulance claims for consideration Receiving invoices for payment of transportation services Investigating authorizations, orders, and/or utilizing the Computerized Patient record System (CPRS) to review medical records, forwarding for clinical review and supervisory approval; submitting all documents for payment, utilizing appropriate control point for reference Forwarding all invoices certified for payment to Financial Management Service (FMS) for processing Acting as liaison between vendors and FMS for invoices pending payment Writing or selecting appropriate letters explaining disposition of unauthorized travel claims; explaining regulations and guidelines to beneficiaries for submitting any unauthorized ambulance claims to the VA Medical Center for considerations of payment; corresponding with ambulance service providers regarding technical probes; reviewing, balancing, reconciling, and adjusting invoices for payment Maintaining and controlling filing system in accordance with VA regulations Arranging all modes of transportation via air ambulance, commercial air, taxi, ambulance, bus, and/or contracted transport services; corresponding with physicians, traveler, social workers, and vendors to determine the most dependable and economical mode of transportation Preparing appropriate documentation and/or scheduling for traveler according to government rates and substantial rates; making special arrangements per physician documentation according to travelers' medical condition and/or preference with high priority emphasis on organ transplant patients, Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and OEF/OIF patients Securing reservations and tickets from carriers; corresponding to receiving facility travel department and/or physician via itinerary or stated preferences with destination and time; keeping in touch with traveler in-route regarding beneficiaries return travel arrangements Reviewing requests for reimbursement of travel costs for the purpose of assuring compliance with regulations and procedures, completeness, accuracy, internal consistency, and agreement with basic authorizations; reconciling vouchers against authorizations for accuracy prior to preparing certifications for payment Documenting the funds deposits and withdrawals monthly and on demand as needed; preparing written correspondence for discharged Veterans with funds remaining on deposit and working with financial resources management service to ensure funds are returned to Veterans Communicating and interacting with patients and their family members in a manner which is appropriate to cognitive, emotional, and chronological maturation needs of the adult and/or geriatric patient Adhering to fire, safety, and security requirements Work Schedule: Monday-Friday; 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM Position Description/PD#: Transportation Assistant - Beneficiary Travel/PD12761-0 and PD127610 Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/29/2023. 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 GS6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS5. 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. Computer and customer service skills preferred but not mandatory. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must demonstrate 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. Examples of this experience includes, but is not limited to: Beneficiary Travel voucher and claim processing, clerk reporting, batch processing and review. Special Mode Transportation coordination and scheduling, medical transportation consult review. Ambulance bill payment review and processing. Fraud research and prevention. Be able to handle any and all situations with the utmost professionalism with regard to customer service and patient care. Airline ticket scheduling and purchasing. Understanding of beneficiary travel policy and administrative provisions, and appellant rights. Knowledge of and be able to apply extensive transportation regulations, methods and practices to perform a wide variety of interrelated or nonstandard transportation support assignments and resolve a wide range of problems. Knowledge on how to extract information and mileage from online map services and the ability to interpret contracts for transportation services. Knowledge on validation, control and maintaining accounting records for many travel accounts and make frequent dollar amount adjustments of those accounts. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service, Interpersonal Skills, Organizational Stewardship, and Technical Competence 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: No special physical exertion is required. The work is primarily sedentary though some work may require periods of standing. The regular and recurring work of the position involves sitting at a desk, conferences, meetings, etc., and occasional visits to activity work sites. The work requires no special physical demands, but will require some physical effort such as standing, walking, bending or sitting. Work is typically performed in an adequately lighted and climate-controlled office or clinic 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

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Contacts

• Address Jack C Montgomery VA Medical Center 1011 Honor Heights Drive Muskogee, OK 74401 US
• Name: Dawn Schissler
• Phone: 303-202-8572
• Email: [email protected]