These two Transportation Assistant positions are located in the Health Administrative Service Line, in the Business Office at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven Connecticut. The positions are responsible for the administrative and coordination of transportation and patient funds activities.

Duties

Major duties include but are not limited to: Reviews eligibility of each Veteran before finalizing Beneficiary Travel reimbursements to determine accuracy of claim and provide accuracy of claim and provide accurate reimbursement of claim. Schedules/Arranges all modes of transportation via air ambulance, commercial air, taxi ambulance, bus, and/or contracted transport services. Determines which of several fund control points to utilize, obligating funds, maintaining manual and electronic accounting records, performing regular reconciliations, and adjusting account balances. Enhances the customer experience with positive human, Telephonic and other Telecommunication interactions. Determines eligibility for the Travel Program, and processing requests. Independently responsible for determining method/source of payment for authorized and unauthorized ambulance claims submitted for consideration. Investigates authorizations, orders, and/or utilizes the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) to review medical records, forwards for clinician review and supervisory approval and submits all documents for payment utilizing appropriate control point for reference. Composes or selects letters, based on circumstance for individuals, explaining disposition of unauthorized travel claims. Responsible for in depth explanations of regulations and guidelines to beneficiaries for submitting any unauthorized ambulance claims to the VA Medical Center for consideration of payment. The incumbent 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. Schedules and Coordinates with all vendors for Special Mode Transportation daily while insuring both patient and vendor are aware of times/dates to facilitate their care. Prepares documentation to schedule and reserve tickets for eligible patients requiring airline transportation, E.G. Fixed wing, Life Flight or Commercial Airplane on short- and long-term notice to insure facilitation of veteran care at other facilities in a long-range setting. Receives invoices for payment of transportation services. Responsible for auditing, balancing, reconciling, and adjusting invoices for payment Documents, compiles and prepares statistical ambulance reports to supervisor/leadership upon request for fiscal year budget. Utilizes and maintains control of internal filing system for beneficial travel/patient funds in accordance with National VA and Fiscal regulations. Collects compiles, and tracks data and statistical information in support of Veteran Transportation Service (VTS). Performs a basic analysis of the data and generates a variety of reports. Extracts, Prepares and audits Beneficiary Travel voucher daily batch for errors and report any found errors/concerns to management/leadership Team. Extracts, Compiles and submits daily clerk reports summarizing all duties/tasks completed, E.G. vouchers processed, phone calls, and customer service interactions and report to Supervisor/ Management Team. Evaluates all aspects of fraud research and prevention in accordance with VA National and Local Policy. Work Schedule: 40 Hours per week, Monday-Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm, EST. Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Transportation Assistant/PD689-00398A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. NOTE: This position is a Bargaining Unit position. This position is in the Competitive Service. This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay. Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees. Interchange Agreements with Other Merit System: Employees who occupy medical or medical-related positions and were appointed under 38 U.S.C. 4701(1) or (3) [formerly 38 U.S.C. 4104 (1) and (3)] must be serving in a full-time position without time limit and have served continuously for at least one year in this other merit system to be eligible to convert to the Title 5 System. Some exceptions to this rule may apply if you have previously acquired tenure under a Title 5 appointment. Current employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/25/2024. 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-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. You must qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience GS-06: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-05) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Knowledge of VA regulations, procedures, and policies relative to beneficiary travel and patient funds activities; knowledge of validation, control and maintaining accounting records; basic math skills required to debit and credit accounts and to reconcile balances; accounting skills to analyze and audit invoices; skills in both oral and written communication; office automation abilities to include knowledge of email systems, MS Office, spreadsheets and other equipment to prepare correspondence; basic knowledge of medical terminology. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: AccountingAdministration and ManagementArithmeticBudget AdministrationComplianceCustomer ServiceDatabase Management SystemsOral CommunicationTechnical Competence 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 primarily sedentary; however, some walking, bending, or stooping may be necessary. The incumbent is subject to a high volume of work, the need for accuracy, frequency of interruptions and ever-changing demands due to program changes. 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.

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 West Haven VA Medical Center 950 Campbell Avenue West Haven, CT 06516 US
• Name: Emily Wayne-Lane
• Phone: 781-687-2000 (6764)
• Email: [email protected]