Summary OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate whole health care to Veterans? Responsibilities This Motor Vehicle Operator (Motor Coach Driver) is assigned to the Transportation Team of Facility Management Division. The Motor Vehicle Operator (MVO) drives a motor coach equipped with a wheel chair lift and a passenger capacity of 29 ambulatory and 8 wheel chair seating positions (36,000 pounds GVW). Motor coach is used on scheduled recreation trips within the station and off the station; also drives a 16-passenger bus (16,000 pound GVW) on the station's regularly recurring schedule. Major Duties: -Operates vehicles with a GVW of up to 36,000 GVW to plow snow and salt streets on the station on a regular recurring basis. -Drives a 40 foot Mobile Clinic, Motor Coach bus (33,000 pound GVW) on metropolitan streets, interstate highways, state and county roads; and will set up and take down Mobile Clinic on site. -Drives a 16 passenger bus all equipped with wheelchair lefts and transports patients, staff members and cargo safely to other VA facilities throughout Wisconsin and surrounding states. -Ensures passengers follow safety rules and regulations.-Operates engineering type equipment such as trucks, tractors with hammer knife mower, metal drag, discs, scrapers, plows, snow blowers, shovels, salters, leaf wagons, forklifts, front end loaders and other gasoline driven grass cutting equipment. -Removes snow from VAMC streets, sidewalks, and parking lots during snow emergencies with trucks, tractors, side walk plow, wheel loaders equipped with plow or bucket and Hustler equipped with snow-blower. Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday-Friday 8 AM-4:30 PM; may be required to work, nights, weekends holidays and/or overtime, due to bus schedule and emergencies, etc. Please note: The incumbent must possess and maintain a valid WI driver's license and Class B, C, and D Commercial Driver's License. This license must be valid for:1. Passenger transportation 2. Air brakes 3. Medical Endorsement. DOCUMENTATION MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH YOUR APPLICATION. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN AN INELIGIBLE RATING AND The incumbent must obtain (within 90 days of starting) and possess a Wisconsin Department of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection Commercial Applicator of Pesticides License. This license must be kept current. To become certified to apply pesticides, you will need to pass the pesticide certification exam. Most government/municipal employees get certified in either the 3.0 - Turf and Landscape, or 6.0 - Right of Way and Natural Areas. You will need to order study materials from the UW Extension office in Madison. That phone number is 608-262-7588, or you can go online to order your study materials at http://fyi.extension.wisc.edu/PAT (preferred method). Once you receive your study materials and you are ready to take the exam, go to our website and register yourself to take the exam at one of our test only sites. That website is http://pestexam.datcp.wi.gov. There is testing in Madison, Waukesha, Green Bay, Wausau, Eau Claire and Spooner. When you pass your exam, you will be certified for five (5) years. In addition to the certification, you will also need an individual applicator license. You can apply for your license online at http://mydatcp.wi.gov. Or you can request a paper application that you can fill out and mail in. If you work for a government/municipality, you still need the license, but the licensing fee is waived. The individual license is an annual license and needs to be renewed every year. If you have any other questions, please contact Bonnie Bruns at 608-224-4548. Requirements 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 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Pre-employment physical required 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, 05/27/2024. 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. Your resume must demonstrate knowledge and experience in the normal and emergency operation of the wheel chair lift to be able to safely load and unload patients and disabled visitors or equipment. Driving, starting, stopping, backing and parking very large vehicles with heavy loads in all types of traffic and road conditions and weather conditions. Knowledge of the height, width, length, and weight of the vehicles in order to judge overhead and side clearances, the turning radius, braking distance, and the safest distance to be maintained from other vehicles. Knowledge of Federal, State and local safety rules and regulations for operating vehicles. Skill in defensive driving techniques. Recognizing developing hazardous road and traffic conditions, and the judgment to adjust driving methods to the practices of surrounding traffic, and to select alternate routes to avoid potential problems. Reading and understanding road maps and other locator documents. Knowledge to recognize developing maintenance problems and performing minor preventive maintenance when conducting operator inspections and reporting any problems. Knowledge of safe braking distances for motor coaches, considering the weight and size of the bus and the added weight of the passengers. Ability to deal with difficult patients, visitors and employees. 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 (mobile equipment operations) 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. Physical Requirements: Work requires moderate physical effort in reaching, bending, turning, or moving hands, arms, feet, and legs to operate hand and foot controls, to couple and uncouple trailers from tractor and especially when backing vehicles or performing labor duties. Motor coach, bus driving and tractor trailer operation requires moderate to heavy physical effort in the frequent handling of heavier objects such as while securing patients with wheel chairs or motorized scooters and laundry carts full of laundry. Incumbent will typically be subject to minor injuries such as cuts, scraps and bruises. When required, the incumbent carries patients on litters and assists them from the vehicle to their scheduled destination. Working Conditions: Drivers work mostly outside and operate vehicles and Grounds equipment in all kinds of traffic and weather, which may be hot, cold, snow or rain on public roads and station grounds. They are exposed to the danger of serious accidents when driving or operating Grounds equipment. Drivers are exposed to dirt and fumes. They drive in heavy traffic and highway speeds over complicated roads and interchange systems. Education Additional Information The Milwaukee VA Medical Center is committed to hiring a diverse workforce from various backgrounds and individuals who demonstrate a diversity, equity and inclusion-related mindset and behaviors. We are strongly seeking candidates who represent the full range of cultural and identity factors including but not limited to race, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation/identity, gender identity and expression, age, language, abilities/disabilities, socioeconomic status, religion, spiritual practices, geographic region, and other characteristics. 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. 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 (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. 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/. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. 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.