The VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System is recruiting for a Program Assistant (Travel). The Program Assistant will function in the Travel section within Patient Care Administrative Service (PCAS).

Duties

The Program Assistant duties include, but are not limited to: Assisting the supervisor of the Travel Section with directing, planning, and administrative coordination of the Beneficiary Travel Program. Overseeing administrative activities involved in the payment of invoices including activities related to entering and maintaining vendors, vendor inquiries, resolving interfaced invoice issues, inquiring on the status of invoices and payments, and generating selected reports. Determining patient eligibility for Beneficiary Travel program, as well as setting up the daily transportation schedule for contracted vendors. Communicating with vendors, veterans, medical staff etc. on the daily basis in regards to scheduling transports, Beneficiary Travel (BT) eligibility requirements, and resolving concerns. Examining all vouchers submitted by transportation vendors to determine prior authorization and if mileage and fees are charged correctly. Investigating vouchers submitted by transportation vendors with no prior authorization. Notifying vendors and ineligible veterans by written correspondence of eligibility determination. Reconciling vouchers against authorization for accuracy prior to preparing certification for payments. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Assistant (Travel)/PD11924A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/02/2024. 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-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. 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. 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 Office (DEO) announcement must have served in their position for at least 90 days prior to being eligible for other positions within the Competitive Service. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-06 level in the Federal service to qualify for the GS-07. Specialized experience is defined as experience which equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform successfully the duties of the Program Assistant, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position. Examples of specialized experience include: Gathering and analyzing data, providing and explaining technical information, identifying needs or problems and determining corrective action, tracking data using appropriate software types, spreadsheets, database and word processing; verifying accuracy and completeness of information on paper or computer documents or records, uses many methods of data collection to gather and compile data; update, and revise integrated reports, overseeing proper implementation of instructions, policies, or procedures, and serving as liaison between personnel (inside and outside your agency), users, clients, and customers. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service Oral Communication Problem Solving Technical Competence Interpersonal Skills 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 requires no special physical demands. Position may involve some walking, standing, bending, or carrying of light items. 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 VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System 10701 East Boulevard Cleveland, OH 44106 US
• Name: Teela Grant
• Phone: 216-791-2300 X42156
• Email: [email protected]