Motor Vehicle Operator

Clarification from the agency

This vacancy is open to current Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System permanent Employees including satellites and CTAP eligibles.

• Provides for the transporting of passengers and cargo in light truck, minivans, ambulances and automobiles
• Operates one or more motor vehicles including platform trucks, vans trucks, fuel trucks, state trucks, dump trucks, and trash removal trucks which typically have an approximate gross vehicle weight of more than 11,700 kilograms (26,000 pounds) and up to 14,400 kilograms (26:000 pounds).
• Ability to operate a forklift truck to assist in loading and unloading of the vehicle.
• Select alternate routes to avoid heavy traffic or other delaying conditions, must be skilled in map reading in order to reach unfamiliar locations.
• Plan, supervise, check, and coordinate the careful unpacking of technical equipment and proper storage to insure its safe keeping, availability, rotation, cleanliness and neatness, and the absence of fire and safety hazards, and coordinate the distribution of supplies and equipment to the using services.
• Preforms operation maintenance (e.g. monitoring fluid levels, replacing air filters and interior lights checking tire pressure and hose connection, etc., and clean vehicles as needed.
• Operates and provides preventive maintenance for patient transport vehicles.
• Required to attend job-related skills training as coordinated by the Transportation Supply Section program.
• Familiar with tire chain installation when hazardous, snow packed and icy road conditions occur.
• Provides non-emergent, safe transportation of eligible veterans and cargo.
• Required to know and be certified annually in Basic First Aid; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR); and protective precautions with communicably transmitted diseases.
• Drive the vehicle in various road conditions to safely transport patients to their destination and know how to properly load and secure wheelchair patients in the vehicle.
• Preform braking and maneuvering of the vehicle to avoid jostling the passengers.
• Responsible for transferring empty oxygen tanks for full ones, reading gauge and regulating oxygen flow for patients transported requiring this service.
• Use the power devices that operate van lifts and skill in manipulating a variety of controls and understanding equipment gauges, engine fluid level instruments and warning signals.
• Responsible for checks and maintenance of all types of vehicles.
• Interacts in a courteous and respectful manner with a wide variety of people each day and assists disabled individuals boarding and un[1]boarding the vehicle.
• Responsible for providing the VTS program office a list of veterans who arrived at the SLVHCS via the VTS transportation van every day.
• Responsible to insure only eligible Veterans and their caregivers are transported to the Medical Center or satellite clinic and returned to their respective pick-up Locations.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday-9:30am-6:00pm, subject to change based on the needs of the facility.
Position Description Title/PD#: Motor Vehicle Operator/PD06798A
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

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
• Pre-employment physical required
• 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)
• Must be able to independently operate Government Vehicle.
• Must provide clean driving record report from the DMV during the pre-employment process.

Driver's License Requirement: Must possess a valid state issued driver's license to operate a motor vehicle. (Please do not submit a copy of your license with your application package. You will be required to show your valid driver's license at the time of your interview.)

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, 10/13/2026.

EXPERIENCE: A specific length of training and experience is not required, but you must show evidence of training or experience of sufficient scope and quality of your ability to do the work of this position. Evidence which demonstrates you possess the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform the duties of this position must be supported by detailed descriptions of such on your resume. Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualification Standards.

SCREEN-OUT ELEMENT: Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element, which usually appears as question 1 in the on-line questionnaire. Those applicants who appear to possess at least the minimal acceptable qualification requirement are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated. The potential eligibles are then rated against the remainder of the Job Elements:

• Drive Safely
• Interpret Instructions, Specifications (includes blueprint reading)
• Motor Vehicles
• Operate Safely (Non-Motor Vehicle)
• Reliability And Dependability
• Work Practices

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:
Physical Effort Light physical effort in reaching, bending, turning, or moving hands, arms, feet, and legs to operate hand and foot controls. Moderate physical effort in the frequent handling of objects weighing up to 40 pounds. Considerable physical efforts may be required to change tires and make limited emergency repairs, such as installing an emergency fan belt or replacing an electrical fuse on open highways. Patient transport vehicle driver must be able to assist patients into and out of the vehicle, which involves physical exertion and frequent stooping, bending, and lifting of patients. Driver must also be able to load and assist wheelchair patients, often with no assistance.
Working Conditions: Employee works mostly outside, is exposed to dirt and fumes, and to the possibility of cuts and bruises, and broken bones as a result of accidents while driving or from falling objects when loading and unloading the vehicle. Operates vehicle in all types of traffic and weather on public roads (or the equivalent), and is exposed to the danger of serious accidents. Employee will drive in heavy traffic and at highway speeds over complicated road and interchange systems. Operator may transport chemical, bodily fluids and other contaminants and may be required to use a spill kit to isolate these during accident/emergencies.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

This vacancy is ONLY open to current Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System permanent employees including satellites and CTAP eligibles only.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

Resume Requirement: Your resume must include the following information:
Job title
Description of duties
Beginning and ending date (month/year) of employment
Average hours worked per week.

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.

• Cover Letter
• License
• Other (1)
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility):

• Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee
• An SF-50 showing 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
• Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.
• Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:
  • Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
  • Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
  • SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.

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