The incumbent serves as a Transportation Assistant - Beneficiary Travel Assistant acts as primary contact to Veterans for transportation needs. The incumbent in this position will be required to have an overall knowledge of the organization, its mission, goals and impact on patients, personnel, community, and the nation.

Duties

The Transportation Assistant will serve as a primary contact for Veterans, doctors, nurses and administrative staff to arrange travel for eligible Veterans to appointments and residence when appropriate, using laws and regulations to distinguish/ensure reimbursements are legitimate or if fraudulent activity is being conducted by the beneficiary. The Transportation Assistant must also possess some knowledge of clinical services, related software, and programs as they relate to computing and office automation. Major duties include but are not limited to: Independently manages the Beneficiary Travel Program. Correctly determines eligibility for the Beneficiary Travel Program and process requests. Correctly determines which of several fund control points to utilize. Maintaining manual and electronic accounting records. Responsible for determining method of payment for authorized and unauthorized ambulance claims submitted for consideration. Reconciling vouchers against authorizations for accuracy prior to preparing certifications for payment. Receiving invoices for payment of transportation services and submitting documents for payment. Assisting fellow team members during peak workload times and when there are staffing shortages. Assigned to different work areas to maximize customer service. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Position Description/PD#: Transportation Assistant/PD01902S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position at the GS-5 level, you must meet one of the following: 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-5 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-4. 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. Specialized Experience GS-5: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-04) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties as a Transportation Assistant - Beneficiary Travel Assistant. Qualifying specialized experience includes applying transportation regulations and practices to perform a wide variety of administrative support; coordinating travel arrangements; maintaining records, utilizing databases, reconciling records and generating reports; investigating/resolving issues and taking corrective actions; and communicating effectively with a wide variety of individuals. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. Applicant must have successfully completed four (4) years of education above the high school level. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial, or technical school, junior college, college or university. [Note: One (1) year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial and technical school.] (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. Applicants must have successfully completed equivalent combinations of specialized experience as stated in A above and education as stated in B above to meet the total experience requirements at the GS-5 grade level for this position. [Note: Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. One (1) full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to six (6) months of specialized experience. For example, The applicant has 9 months of specialized experience and 75 semester hours of college (15 semester hours beyond the second year and the equivalent of 3 months of specialized experience). The applicant meets 75 percent of the required experience and 25 percent of the required education. The applicant meets 100 percent of the requirement for 1 year of specialized experience and is qualified for the position.] (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) Equivalent combination of successfully completed post-high school education in excess of the first 30 semester hours (beyond the second year) and specialized experience as described above, which meet the total experience requirements for this grade level. One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the first year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience. Transcripts must be submitted at time of application. Physical Requirements and Work Environment: The duties and responsibilities of the position require some mobility between various clinic areas in separate building location sites, but generally the job is sedentary with some standing, stooping, reaching, and lifting up to 20 pounds. The employee is required to work with computer equipment at least 75% of the time which impacts on hand and wrist motions. The work is performed in a business office and an outpatient treatment setting. The environment involves those everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions typical of this environment. Although the employee works in a health care facility where exposure to contagious diseases exist, the tasks required for this position do not put the employee at a serious risk for this type exposure. The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. The incumbent must always remain composed in trying to assist veterans, their families and staff, who may be upset or in distress and hostile in manner. The incumbent may work with patients who are mentally disturbed and must be alert to the risk of physical abuse. Due to changing deadlines and priorities, work may be stressful at times.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

EDUCATION SUBSTITUTION (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) Successfully completed 4 years above high school in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. Transcripts must be submitted at time of application. ~OR~

COMBINATION (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED)

Equivalent combination of successfully completed post-high school education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (beyond the second year) and specialized experience as described above, which meet the total experience requirements for this grade level. One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience. Transcripts must be submitted at time of application.

NOTE: One (1) 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.

Contacts

• Address Columbia VA Health Care System 6439 Garners Ferry Road Columbia, SC 29209 US
• Name: Evelyn Chavis
• Phone: 8034396716
• Email: [email protected]