Transportation Assistant

Summary

This position is located in the Veteran Transportation Service (VTS) within the Patient Administrative Service at the Oscar G. Johnson VAMC, Iron Mountain, MI, a Complexity Level 3 VHA facility. The primary purpose of the position is transportation work load forecasting, scheduling design, procedure development, and quality improvement implementation, modification of processes, evaluation and ongoing operational flow of the VTS program.

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Duties

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Major Duties:

• 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.
• Correctly determining eligibility for the program, and processing requests.
• 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.
• Contact approving official to authorize obligations and requests for additions, deductions, and/or movement of funds.
• Determining method of payment for authorized and unauthorized ambulance claims submitted for consideration.
• Receives invoices for payment of transportation services:
• 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 regulations and guidelines to beneficiaries.
• Reconciles vouchers against authorizations for accuracy prior to preparing certifications for payment.
• Other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Transportation Assistant / PD23047A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• 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 ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification 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 or trial 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, 11/02/2026.

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:
  • Ability to meet and deal effectively with a wide variety of staff from many educational and skill levels, for the purpose of communicating clear instructions and interpretations.
  • Ability to prepare and produce written instructions, and a variety or correspondence.
  • Proficient in using Microsoft software and other medical center automated systems, such as: Computerized Patient Record Systems, Scheduling Package; Patient Care Encounters; and Consult Management Process.
  • Knowledge to deal effectively with problems, issues, and situations which occur in the daily activities of the unit and during emergency situations to establish and maintain effective working relationships which contribute to the attainment of the organizational and service goals.
  • Knowledgeable in regard to consult management, scheduling, admissions, discharge, transfer, and administration with patient processing including diagnostic tests and studies within the Medical Center.
  • Knowledge of the structure of electronic medical records.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Administration and Management
• Auditing
• Clerical

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: Incumbent will be exposed to stressful working situations that will require a mature attitude and collective reasoning to overcome. The incumbent is subject to a great deal of stress because of the 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

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit for 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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

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.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.