The Transportation Assistant is a full performance level position located in the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), at the San Diego VA Healthcare System in the Health Administration Service. The primary purpose of the position is to provide transportation at government expense to beneficiaries and their attendants traveling to and from the VA facilities and other places for treatment or care; duties also include determining eligibility for the program.

Duties

The Transportation Assistant reviews invoices for payment of transportation services. Investigates authorizations, orders and/or utilizes the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) to review medical records, forwards for supervisory approval and submits all documents for payment utilizing appropriate control point for reference. Responsible for forwarding all invoices certified for payment to Financial Resource management service (FRMS) for processing. Writes and selects appropriate letters explaining disposition of unauthorized travel claims. Responsible for explaining regulatory guidelines to beneficiaries. Correspond with contracting officer regarding technical problems or negotiation of contractual agreement. Responsible for balancing reconciling and adjusting invoices for payment. Arranges all modes of transportation via air ambulance, commercial air, taxi ambulance, bus and/or contracted transport services. Prepares appropriate documentation and forwards correspondence to receiving facility travel department. Communicates with traveler as needed to resolve potential problems. Maintains communication with receiving facilities regarding beneficiaries return travel arrangements. Reviews requests for reimbursement of travel costs for purpose of assuring 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. 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. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: Total-Rewards-of-a-Nonclinical-Professionals-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, between 7:00am - 7:00pm (varies depending on the needs of the agency) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Transportation Assistant/PD11252A 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, 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 GS-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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 as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: advising on travel procedures, restrictions, and allowances; arranging all types travel for patients and/or beneficiaries; organizing and maintaining documentation and records for reimbursements and vendor payments; preparing correspondence concerning eligibility for travel and counsel's those who do not meet criteria for transportation reimbursement. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to DetailCommunicationsProblem SolvingTechnical 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: The work requires no special physical demands, but will require some physical effort such as standing, walking, bending or sitting. 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.

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 San Diego VA Medical Center 3350 La Jolla Village Drive San Diego, CA 92161 US
• Name: Tonya Stewart
• Phone: 858-232-7825
• Email: [email protected]