The position is located at the Birmingham VA Medical Center (VAMC) in the Business Management Service under the Benefits and Eligibility Section. This position is covered by AFGE bargaining unit. Per the AFGE Master Agreement, the Area of Consideration will be: FIRST - Facility-wide (including satellites). SECOND - Administration or Staff office posting the vacancy. THIRD - The Department or from any other appropriate source.

Duties

Major Duties include, but not limited to: Assisting with all aspects of Veteran travel. Review for accuracy and process Beneficiary Travel claims for the purpose of reimbursing Veterans for travel to and from VA and Community Care medical appointments. Arranges all modes of transportation via air ambulance, commercial air, taxi, ambulance, bus, and/or contracted transport services. It is especially important that this care be coordinated in a timely fashion as it could delay patient care and treatment. Secures reservations and tickets from carriers. Coordinate routes/schedules based on planned and unplanned maintenance on Veteran transportation vehicles, ensuring adherence to eligibility rules. Maintains inventory, charging, and distribution of motor vehicle operator's MDC (tablet displays used by the drivers for their schedules, trip logs, expenses, etc.). Prepare and audit Beneficiary Travel voucher daily batch for errors. Collaborates in a team-oriented, customer driven, professional environment to develop new models of care that emphasize prevention, improve access and coordination of care; educate and empower patients and their families; enhance the customer experience with positive human interactions and therapeutic alliances; and promote the coordination, continuity and integration of care. Corresponds with physicians, traveler, social workers, and vendors to determine the most dependable and economical mode of transportation. Prepares appropriate documentation and/or scheduling for traveler according to government rates and substantial rates. Forwards correspondences to receiving facility travel department and/or physician via itinerary or stated preferences with destination and time. May keep in touch with traveler in route regarding beneficiaries return travel arrangements. Review eligibility of each Veteran before finalizing Beneficiary Travel reimbursement. Attends to all details of voucher processing to prevent the processing of fraudulent claims. Research payments for reimbursement when requested by Veterans or Supervisor, coordinating with the Fiscal Office for review. Customer care in accordance with VA policy and ICARE program. Schedule and reserve tickets for eligible patients requiring airline and bus transportation. And other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant (OA)/PD521-10889-A 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, 12/20/2023. 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-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. 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-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: providing administrative support; collecting, compiling and tracking data and information; processing documents and reports; establishing, updating and maintaining office files and records; performing automation duties using such software applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, electronic mail, desktop publishing, calendar, database and/or graphics answering telephones, referring visitors, and providing information. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and Management Customer Service Data Management 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. Typically, the employee may sit comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light items like papers or books. No special physical demands are required to perform the work. Typing Proficiency Requirement: In addition to meeting experience requirements, applicants for these positions must show possession of the following skills: 40 words per minute typing skill. Applicants may meet this requirement by passing the appropriate performance test, presenting a certificate of proficiency from a school or other organization authorized to issue such certificates by the Office of Personnel Management local office, or by self-certifying their proficiency. Performance test results and certificates of proficiency are acceptable for 3 years. Agencies may verify proficiency skills of self-certified applicants by administering the appropriate performance test. 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 Birmingham VA Medical Center 700 South 19th Street Birmingham, AL 35233 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]