This position is intended to perform transportation support work related to the specialty area of passengers i.e. beneficiary travel. The position is to perform duties as a Transportation Assistant, the duties of which are to initiate and complete a wide variety of administrative and technical for the Beneficiary Travel Program within the CTVHCS. Location of the position is at the Temple VAMC campus within the Beneficiary Travel Unit, Eligibility and Processing Section within Med Admin Service.

Duties

Major duties assigned but not limited to: The incumbent will work within the BT Program for the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System (CTVHCS) which has an annual budget of over $9 million. He/she is a Transportation Assistant (TA) in Beneficiary Travel (BT) in Medical Administration Service (MAS). This employee bears the responsibility for independent performance of all duties inherent in this position. Obligates funds for travel fund control points, maintaining manual and electronic accounting records, performing regular reconciliation and adjusting account balances; prepares computerized/hard copy travel vouchers for payment to beneficiaries. Employee prepares daily reports itemizing all control point activities for each day. Incumbent contacts approval official to authorize obligations and requests for additions, deductions, and/or movement of funds and forwards to a designated Finance Service contact for final action. Determines travel eligibility, computes mileage/common carriers, and prepares electronic vouchers in Veterans Health Information Systems & Technology Architecture (VistA) through use of the BT Dashboard. Incumbent solicits use of Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) and explains EFT benefits to Veterans. Incumbent must be able to navigate the Financial Management System (FMS) to determine if a Veteran has or has not been vendorized, which will determine how the Veteran will receive travel reimbursement. Incumbent looks up Veteran's home address in VistA and calculates the mileage to and from appropriate facility (via BT Dashboard and Internet as outlined in VA regulations). Incumbent successfully moves back and forth between various computer software programs to accomplish duties in a timely manner. Receives Veterans making claims for reimbursement at the time of discharge from the medical center, domiciliary, nursing home care unit, or when on an outpatient visit. This includes claimants not in receipt of benefits who are required to certify annually their inability to defray travel expenses based on a declaration of certification orally and in writing. Closely screens BT requests for determination of eligibility, the nearest VA facility to the Veteran's home address for the type of care received, etc. Incumbent uses extreme tact and respect in communicating with applicants who are not eligible to receive BT. Responsible for tracking deductible amounts when applicable and in accordance with established guidelines. Incumbent is responsible for ensuring that appropriate deductibles are accounted for and applied in accordance with current guidelines. Maintains appropriate computer records of each travel transaction, both cash reimbursement or special travel, and must be able to provide accurate statistics to supervisory and management personnel upon request. Compiles and submits monthly and/or quarterly reports, as requested. Incumbent prepares travel forms and schedules airline flights for Veterans in the Organ Transplant Program, Blind Rehabilitation Program, and/or other programs as needed. In addition, prepares travel for Veterans who are fee-based to other facilities/sites for medical care/treatment. The TA in BT will request Veterans Service Connection award letters to update the Veterans account and possibly process back payments for all newly awarded Service Connections based on date awarded. The TA in BT certifies all beneficiary travel vouchers via computer input. The TA monitors BT usage and recommends FCP increases and/or decreases, as appropriate to ensure funding is available. The TA may process FCP increases and/or decreases for BT accounts of other facilities. The TA must also be proficient in the use of VistA, personal computers (PC), laptops, and be competent in the use of Beneficiary Travel software and the Beneficiary Travel Dashboard website. The TA in BT must be proficient in navigating through patient histories; patient appointment records; and a host of accounting records, reports, and entry data through VistA. The TA in BT follows strict security measures when accessing or exiting VistA. The TA also protects sensitive information at all times. All of the functions specified above are accomplished utilizing a computer data terminal and requires accuracy. All benefits are paid via computer requiring input for payment and accountability to Finance Service, as well as the Veteran's beneficiary account. Incumbent is responsible for other related duties, as assigned by Supervisor. Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday, 7:30 am - 4:00 pm or 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Transportation Assistant/PD08040A 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. 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: preparing daily reports itemizing all control point activities for each day; determining travel eligibility; following strict security measures when accessing or exiting VistA; moving back and forth successfully between various computer software programs; and customer service. 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. This education was obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. If you are qualifying on education. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED). OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education in excess of 60 semester hours (2 years) is creditable. If you qualify by a combination, your experience must be detailed in your resume and TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Technical Competence Technology Application Customer Service Attention to Detail Computer Skills 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 is sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds. 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: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.

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 Central Texas Health Care System 1901 Veterans Memorial Drive Temple, TX 76504 US
• Name: VISN 17 SSU USAS Group
• Email: [email protected]