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Summary The position is located under the Veterans Transportation Service (VTS) at the VA Butler Healthcare Center. The incumbent will report to the Beneficiary Travel Supervisor as well as the Chief, Veterans Transportation Service. The incumbent is responsible for overall planning, coordination, implementation, management, and evaluation of clinical applications of patient transportation with emphasis on improving care and safety of veterans. Responsibilities Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Position Description/PD#: Transportation Assistant/PD02510NR Major Duties Include but not limited to: Collaborates in a 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. Responsible to review for accuracy and process Beneficiary Travel claims for the purpose of reimbursing Veterans for travel to and from VA medical appointments. Review eligibility of each Veteran before finalizing Beneficiary Travel reimbursements. Attends to all details of voucher processing to prevent the processing of fraudulent claims. Research payments for reimbursement. Prepare data processing report for daily batch review. Prepare & audit Beneficiary Travel voucher daily batch for errors. Compile & submit daily clerk report summarizing all vouchers processed, phone calls, and customer service interactions. Review eligibility of each Veteran before scheduling Special Mode Transportation, including review of CPRS Bene-Travel consults. Coordinate daily with all vendors for Special Mode Transportation. Review eligibility of each Veteran before authorizing Ambulance Bill payments. Evaluate all aspects of fraud research and prevention in accordance with VA Policy. The Beneficiary Travel program provides transportation at Government expense to beneficiaries and their attendants traveling to and from VA facilities and other places for examination, treatment or care. This will include correctly determining eligibility for the program, and processing requests, correctly determining which of several fund control points to utilize, obligating funds, maintaining manual and electronic accounting records, performing regular reconciliations and adjusting account balances. The incumbent contacts approving official to authorize obligations and requests for additions, deductions, and/or movement of funds. He/she makes necessary changes to fund control points. 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 clinician review and supervisory approval and submits all documents for payment utilizing appropriate control point for reference. Responsible for forwarding all invoices certified for payment to Financial Management Service (FMS) for processing. He/she acts as liaison between vendors and FMS for invoices pending payment. Writes or selects appropriate letters explaining disposition of unauthorized travel claims. Responsible for explaining regulations and guidelines to beneficiaries for submitting any unauthorized ambulance claims to the VA Medical Center for consideration of payment. Corresponds with ambulance service provider regarding technical problems. Responsible for reviewing, balancing, reconciling, and adjusting invoices for payment. Prepares reports for cab service to determine annual, local mobility usage. Documents & prepares statistical ambulance reports to supervisor upon request for fiscal year budget. Maintains & controls filing system in accordance with VA regulations. Arranges all modes of transportation via air ambulance, commercial air, taxi, ambulance, bus, and/or contracted transport services. May correspond with physician, traveler, social worker or CBOC representative and vendor to determine the most dependable and economical mode of transportation. The incumbent prepares appropriate documentation and/or scheduling for traveler according to government rates or substantial rates. He/she makes special arrangements per physician documentation according to traveler's medical condition and/or preference with a high priority emphasis on organ transplant patients, SCI (spinal cord injury), TBI (traumatic brain injury), OEF/OIF/OND patients. Reviews requests for reimbursement of travel costs for assuring compliance with regulations and procedures, completeness, accuracy, internal consistency, and agreement with basic authorization. Reconciles vouchers against authorizations for accuracy prior to preparing certifications for payment. Receive vehicle requests, schedule, assign, and provide vehicles keys to VA employees authorized to utilize VA Butler assigned vehicles. Assures that all appropriate VA forms are used correctly, and regulations followed. Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: No special physical exertion is required. The work is primarily sedentary though some work may require periods of standing. The regular and recurring work of the position involves sitting at a desk, conferences, meetings, etc., and occasional visits to activity work sites. The work requires no special physical demands, however, lifting of up to 20 pounds may be required. Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/25/2025. 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 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-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: ??????? Maintaining automated system of program-specific data to track items such as service project milestones, progress reports, program trends, performance measures, compliance strategies, etc... Determines eligibility for program and processes requests. Determines method of payment for authorized services Reviews medical records or determines eligibility for services Explains regulatory guidelines to beneficiaries submitting for services or benefits 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. Additional Information Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.