Transportation Assistant - Beneficiary Travel Clerk

at Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration in Danville, Illinois, United States

Job Description

Summary This position is located in the Veteran Transportation Service (VTS) at the VA Illiana Health Care System (VAIHCS), Danville, IL. The primary purpose of the position is to 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. Responsibilities Write or select 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. Communicate and interact with patients in a manner which is appropriate to cognitive, emotional, and chronological maturation needs of the adult and/or geriatric patient. Determines eligibility for the program and processing requests. Assists fellow team members during peak workload times and when there are staffing shortages, regardless of the cause. Responds to client requests and seeks resolution of family/patient/ employee complaints, forward unresolved complaints to supervisor. Receives invoices for payment of transportation service. Responsible for balancing, reconciling, and adjusting invoices. Reconciles vouchers against authorizations for accuracy prior to preparing certifications for payment. Investigates authorizations, orders, and/or utilizes the computerized Patient Record System to review medical records/ submits all documents for payment utilizing appropriate control points for references. Determines which of several fund control points to utilize, entering authorizations, maintaining manual and electronic accounting records. Determines method of payment for authorized and unauthorized ambulance claims submitted for consideration. Work Schedule: Monday- Friday, 7:30am to 4:00pm, Full-time Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Transportation Assistant – Beneficiary Travel Clerk/PD20124A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) – See “Additional Information” below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/05/2024. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-4) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Identifying problems, analyzing issues, developing solutions/resolutions and follow-up; working with beneficiary travel reimbursements; making determinations on ambulance bills, Must have office automation abilities; knowledge of how to organize and maintain documentation and records supporting beneficiary travel reimbursements and vendor payments; working with travel rules and regulations in VHA Handbook and associated Policy and Procedure Guides; working with VA eligibility rules and regulations. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have: successfully completed 4 years of education above the high school level. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED). OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond years 2 above high school level. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Clerical Communications Customer Service Problem Solving 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. Additional Information The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/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/. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vacci