The VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System is recruiting for a Program Support Assistant. The Program Support Assistant will function in the Travel section of the Patient Care Administrative Service.

Duties

Independently manage the daily workload of the Beneficiary Travel Program. Provides travel reimbursement and/or transportation at Government expense to beneficiaries and their attendants traveling to and from VA facilities and other places for the purpose of examination, treatment or care. Correctly determining eligibility for the program, and processing requests. Responsible for determining veteran eligibility status for Beneficiary Travel reimbursement and completing mileage reimbursement claim payments. Ensures all beneficiary travel reimbursement claims are entered into the Beneficiary Travel Self Service System (BTSSS). Enters travel claims received from veterans and review the accuracy of requests and eligibility determination. Responsible for organizing and scanning documents associated with travel reimbursement claims. Reviews medical records and submits all documents for payment utilizing appropriate control points for reference. Responsible for explaining the regulatory guidelines to beneficiaries submitting any travel reimbursement claims to the VAMC for consideration of payment. Communicates with Beneficiary Travel Supervisor/Mobility Manager(s) regarding technical issues related to claims processing. Prepares correspondence to Veterans concerning eligibility and counsels' veterans who do not meet criteria for travel reimbursement or any of the Veterans Transportation Program's (VTP) services. Performs work involving the collection, compilation, and/or tracking of data and statistical information in support of beneficiary travel reimbursement for approved veterans for the entire medical center operation and other initiatives. Act as a liaison for staff members who are seeking guidance on a wide variety of travel-related concerns. Establishes and maintains general office files. Maintains databases to track records pertaining to any and all of the Veteran Transportation Program services in accordance with VTP policies and guidelines. Serves as backup to the Veterans Transportation Service (VTS) coordinator in accordance with the VTS program. Coordinates transportation arrangements as requested, verifies purpose of travel, makes determinations on special requests and modes of transportation and contacts clinical staff for additional information, if necessary. Works closely with administrative and clinical personnel across the medical center as professionals and team members. Responds to client requests and seeks resolution of complaints and will forward unresolved complaints to supervisor, when appropriate. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Position Description Title/PD#: Program Support Assistant/PD931110 Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary and performed in an office setting. Some standing, stooping, walking, reaching and lifting up to 20 pounds. The employee is required to work with computer equipment at least 75% of the time.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation
• May serve a probationary period
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. 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. Applicants must be eligible under the VA Interchange Agreement, having served continuously for at least one year in the other merit system under this interchange agreement. For more information regarding the VA Interchange Agreement please visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-authorities/competitive-hiring/. All Title 38 Veterans Canteen Service (VCS) employees must have served in their Excepted Service position for at least 90 days in order to be eligible for a position within the Competitive Service. Applicants who were previously selected under a Competitive Delegating Examining Unit (DEU) announcement must have served in their position for at least 90 days prior to being eligible for other positions within the Competitive Service. Applicants must be eligible under the VA Interchange Agreement, having served continuously for at least one year in the other merit system under this interchange agreement. For more information regarding the VA Interchange Agreement please visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-authorities/competitive-hiring/. In addition to the qualification above you must also have: GS-06 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: Extensive knowledge of VA eligibility rules and regulations; administrative and clerical work of an office; utilizing computer, spreadsheets, database, and software to manage information; knowledge of VISTA, BTSSS, CPRS, and VetRide to process claims; knowledge of appointment, eligibility and/or transportation information; ability to use Internet and Intranet resources, skill in utilizing Microsoft Office products, and other equipment; knowledge of medical terminology, and manuals; Interprets and analyze information; compose correspondence, identify problems, develop solutions and resolutions. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service Oral Communication Interpersonal Skills Clerical 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. 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 for the GS-06 level.

Contacts

• Address VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System 10701 East Boulevard Cleveland, OH 44106 US
• Name: Teela Grant
• Phone: 216-791-2300 X42156
• Email: [email protected]