Transportation Assistant

Summary

VA Portland Health Care System (VAPORHCS) is a 303 consolidated bed facility, university affiliated, teaching, research and clinical center with a highly diverse patient care population in outpatient, inpatient and extended care settings. The Veterans Transportation Program (VTP)/Beneficiary Travel (BT) department administers beneficiary travel program benefits to Veterans who meet eligibility criteria.

Duties

• This is an open-continuous announcement. Positions will be filled as they become available. The first cut-off date to consider applications for referral to the selecting official will be November 6, 2026, the remaining cut-off dates will be at 2-week intervals. Major duties, include but are not limited to: Utilizing various software applications to accurately determine and/or verify Veteran eligibility and amount owed for travel reimbursement according to national and local rules, regulations and standard operating procedures. Assisting Veterans with waiver applications when Veteran has experienced a major change in income for the current year or is requesting deductible be waived due to financial hardship. Reviewing clinical request for transportation at VA expense utilizing CPRS and determines best mode of transportation i.e. VTS, common carrier or special mode based on cost effectiveness and patient medical needs. Arranging all modes of transportation via Veterans Transportation Service (VTS), air ambulance, commercial air, taxi, ambulance, bus and/or independent transports. Corresponding with hospital staff, traveler and/or representative, and vendor to determine the most dependable and economical mode of transportation. Prepares appropriate documentation and/or scheduling for traveler according to government transportation availability, government rates or substantial rates. Reviewing requests for reimbursement of travel costs for the purpose of assuring compliance with regulations and procedures, completeness, accuracy, internal consistency, and agreement with basic authorization. Recognizing and understanding customers and providing information and/or services to Veterans, Veteran's families, Veteran's representatives and/or facility staff. Handling conflict and problems in dealing with customers constructively and appropriately. Collecting, organizing, tracking and counting all beneficiary travel reimbursement forms from various locations throughout the facility. Ordering office supplies for the section and responsible for tracking and organizing orders. Posting employee time cards as supervisor instructs, assisting supervisor with reconciling time card discrepancies and serving as the point of contact for time card related questions and actions. Performs other related duties as assigned. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm PST Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Transportation Assistant/PD21147A, PD21146A, and PD21145A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet time-in-grade requirements and specialized experience within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 11/30/2026. GS-4 and 5 Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees may be advanced without time restriction to positions up to GS-5 position if the position to be filled is no more than two grades above the lowest grade the employee held within the preceding 52 weeks under his or her latest non-temporary competitive appointment. Applicants must have held a GS-02 or higher to be eligible for the GS-04 level. Applicants must have held a GS-03 or higher to be eligible for the GS-05 level. GS-6 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 within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. Applicants must have held GS-05 or higher for at least (1) year to be eligible for the GS-06 grade level. 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 and/or education as described below: GS-04: General Experience: You must have one year of general experience, that equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. General experience is progressively responsible clerical, office, or other work that indicates ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position to be filled. Examples of general experience would typically include but are not limited to: 1 year progressively responsible general clerical, utilizing various software applications; working as a team member in their position and providing good customer; ordering office supplies for the section and will be responsible for tracking and organizing orders. Note: 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. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 2 years of education above high school. Transcripts required. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine equivalent levels of education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond 1 year of education above high school. Transcripts required. GS-05: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples includes but is not limited to: with significant oversight reviews, adjudicates, and authorizes claims for costs incurred; utilizes various software applications to accurately determine and/or verify eligibility and amount owed for travel reimbursement; reviews clinical request for transportation at VA expense. Note: 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. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To…

Education

There is no educational substitution at the GS-6 grade level. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.