The Transportation Assistant in this position will be required to have an overall knowledge of the organization, its mission, goals and impact on patients. The individual 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. The individual must have some knowledge of clinical services, related software and programs as they relate to computing and office automation.

Duties

Beneficiary Travel Program: The Selectee will independently manage the Beneficiary Travel Program. The Beneficiary Travel program provides 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. This will include correctly determining eligibility for the program, and processing requests. It will also include correctly determining which of several fund control points to utilize, entering authorizations, maintaining manual and electronic accounting records, performing regular reconciliations and adjusting account balances. They will contact approving official to authorize obligations and requests for additions, deductions, and/or movement of funds. The selectee is responsible for determining method of payment for authorized and unauthorized ambulance claims submitted for consideration. Receives 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 points for reference. Responsible for forwarding all invoices certified for payment to Fiscal Service for processing. Writes or selects appropriate letters explaining disposition of unauthorized travel claims. Responsible for explaining the regulatory guidelines to beneficiaries submitting any unauthorized ambulance claims to the VAMC/HCS for consideration of payment. They communicate with Contracting Officer's Technical Representative regarding technical problems of contract agreement, and will be responsible for balancing, reconciling, and adjusting invoices for payment. Responsible for determining method of payment for authorized and unauthorized ambulance claims submitted for consideration. Receives 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 points for reference. Responsible for forwarding all invoices certified for payment to Invoice Payment Process System (IPPS) for processing. Acts as liaison between vendors and Financial Management Service (FMS) for invoices pending payment. The Selectee reconciles vouchers against authorizations for accuracy prior to preparing certifications for payment. The individual 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. The employee will have regular and recurring contact with personnel external to the agency for the obtainment of services, sharing of information and authorization, clarification or denial of payment. The Selectee will work with fellow Business Office staff, other administrative staff and clinical personnel as professionals and team members. They will take the initiative to assist fellow team members during peak workload times and when there are staffing shortages, regardless of the cause. This assistance would include in-person interactions with patients, staff and the public, as well as telephone and computer coverage. Additionally, the incumbent may be assigned to different work areas to maximize customer service and the incumbent's knowledge, skills and abilities. Professional communication etiquette will be utilized in all modes of customer contact: in-person, telephone and email correspondence. The Selectee responds to client requests and seeks resolution of family/patient/employee complaints; will forward unresolved complaints to supervisor, when appropriate. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30 am - 4:00 pm, subject to change based on the needs of the facility. Position Description/PD#: Transportation Assistant/PD074360 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required 1st Area of Consideration - current permanent Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System employees including satellites; 2nd Area of Consideration - current permanent Veterans Healthcare Administration employees; 3rd Area of Consideration - current permanent VA Nationwide employees

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/15/2024. 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-05 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-04. 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 and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: 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. 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, Completion of 4 years above high school in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. OR, An 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. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Contract AdministrationOral CommunicationOrganizational Performance AnalysisTeamwork 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 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. 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: 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address New Orleans VA Medical Center 2400 Canal Street New Orleans, LA 70119 US
• Name: Aleatrice Thomas
• Phone: 769-226-0441
• Email: [email protected]