Transportation Assistant

Summary

Position announced is the medical center Transportation Assistant and is assigned to the Accounting Section of Financial Management Service (FMS) within Jefferson Barracks St. Louis, MO. Serves as the travel subject matter expert; advises travelers, the Travel and Tuition Committee, Executive Leadership, etc., on the current practices and policies associated with all kinds of travel. Works with each traveler to determine the most cost-effective means for each episode.

Duties

Serves as the point of contact for resolving problems related to TDY. Works with each traveler to determine the most cost-effective means for each episode. Conducts and records all research used to create supporting documentation and creates the necessary supporting documentation for the travel arrangements. Screens tickets, itineraries, and bills involving rental cars, dates, travel periods, connections, etc., to verify all is compatible with travel authorized and that the lowest contract fare(s) are selected. Resolves conflicts or issues related to travel, analyzes information to document deficiencies of noncompliance to the Federal Travel Regulations, and makes recommendation(s) for corrective action. validates all expenses submitted by the traveler to ensure compliance with the FTR, the VA Financial Policy on Travel, local policies, and approval limitations. Establishes employee files in the FMS payment system and inputs profiles into ETS. Responsible for all maintenance of the ETS system, to include creating/updating profiles, costing strings, approval chains, and access limitations. Reviews and completes all submitted requests for Travel Comp Time, submits to the supervisory accountant for final certification. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7-1530. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Transportation Assistant/PD657-095860 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not approved. Requirements

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: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not 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 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, 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, 11/13/2026. 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-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. 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. Factor 1, Knowledge Required by the Position Extensive working knowledge of the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR), VA Travel Policies, and Local Travel policies governing educational travel and tuition, local travel, invitational travel, and all other guidance affecting the travel of government employees and interviewees in order to perform a wide variety of interrelated or nonstandard transportation support assignments and resolve a wide range of problems. Factor 2, Supervisory Controls Once all travel is approved by Travel and Tuition Committee, the employee independently plans and carries out the successive steps to complete TDY travel and uses accepted practices to resolve problems and deviations. Incumbent is supervised by the Supervisory Accountant/Chief, Accounting Section. Incumbent's supervisor or others review completed work for technical soundness, appropriateness, and conformity to policy and requirements. The methods that the employee uses to complete the assignment are not usually reviewed in detail. Factor 3, Guidelines Guidelines include volumes of transportation regulations, Agent Cashier Accountability Policy, Treasury Department Manual of Procedures and Instructions for Cashiers, Technical Bulletins, Decisions of Comptroller General, manuals, guides, directories, operating procedures, etc. Because of the number and similarity of guidelines or the diverse circumstances of individual actions, the employee must use sound judgment to identify and select the appropriate reference and procedure for each situation. Employee uses sound judgment to interpret guidelines, adapt procedure, decide approaches, and resolve specific problems. Employee is responsible for modifying station level policy regarding travel procedural changes as the need arises, re-writing local Medical Center Memorandums regarding employee travel, and for providing training to all travelers and approvers. Factor 4, Complexity The Transportation Assistant duties involve performing one or more transportation support functions that require the use of different and unrelated procedures and methods. Travel support requires ability to analyze situations unique to individual stations and networks and adapting solutions accordingly. Assignments received are relatively broad and varied (e.g., involve a full range of travel situations), frequent changes occur, or treatment of individual actions vary according to the nature of the questions or problems involved. Financial transactions interrelate with VA's Electronic Travel System (ETS) and FMS systems and often require coordination with various personnel. Audits are conducted when the need arises or as a check and balance to ensure appropriateness of transactions Factor 5, Scope and Effect The purpose of the work is to apply conventional practices and provide transportation/travel services from start to finish. The results of the reviews and analysis performed, and the reports prepared, affect the design and operation of the accounting system and various operating programs. Factor 6, Personal Contacts Has daily contact with employees in the same agency (includes all levels of the medical center staff including the Executive Team), and outside the immediate organization (e.g., VA Central Office on procedural issues) engaged in a variety of different functions, missions, or kinds of work, or the contacts are with accounting, budget, and with members of the general public. The incumbent is also in contact with vendors, patients and family members, and the outside travel agency which oversees the current electronic travel system. The incumbent also confers with the Austin Finance Center Accountability Officer, auditors, and Inspector General staff. Factor 7, Purpose of Contacts The purpose of contacts is to plan, coordinate and advise travelers on transportation entitlements, ensuring the timely and accurate receipt of travel documents, and making travel arrangements with carriers and the Travel Management Center's contacts. 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-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: performing transportation support duties such as coordinating connections/scheduling, documenting travel information; collecting, compiling, and tracking data on a daily basis; performing a basic analysis of data and generating a variety of reports; entering data into automated tracking databases; and planning and directing a program that provides support services. 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/. Physical Requirements: The work places no special demands on the employee other than some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light objects. The work is performed in a locked secure cashier's office where the work area is typically lighted, heated, and ventilated.

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/. How You Will Be Evaluated

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position: Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. 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. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. 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. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. Area of Consideration: Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order. Current permanent VA employees of the facility. All other VA employees. All other applicants.Area of Consideration: Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order. Other 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 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. 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/.