John Ruegsegger

• Series: 0303 Miscellaneous Clerk and Assistant Series
• Grade: 7
• Handle multiple tasks simultaneously, prioritizing and completing assignments within established deadlines. Track assigned projects, correspondence, etc., from initiation to completion and addresses each within the timeframes allotted.
• Prepare correspondence, memoranda, briefing papers, etc., that are timely, clear, accurate, thorough, and appropriately written and formatted.
• Provide technical oversight for assigned programs and work to continually evaluate and improve them from a programmatic and cost-effective perspective. Improving program and work practices, including minimizing the complexity of processes whenever possible.
• Routinely respond to USFS, outside agencies and members of the public requests and inquiry’s with the most accurate and complete information available.
• Process all Forest Fire Aviation Management (FAM) actions (etracker 52s) for permanent, permanent seasonal and temporary hiring events/employees, career ladder promotions, resignations, change of duty stations. Help the forest achieve success by assisting the SO FAM Team with questions/concerns they have regarding eTracker actions.
• Assist with miscellaneous administrative duties at the Supervisor’s office (SO), and act as a resource to all units (districts, Air Tanker base, Dispatch) on the Forest.
• E-Medical POC for Santa Lucia and Monterey Ranger districts, and act as a backup for all District’s.
• Forest wildland firefighter apprentice coordinator, manage and oversee the progress and development of the apprentices ensuring timely training, academy attendance and progress through the apprentice program while working with district apprentice coordinators.
• LINC pass enrollment station coordinator, Ensure timely, accurate and efficient processing of employee LINC pass badge requests.
• Provide paycheck8 and NFC support to fire staff.
• IQCS training account manager providing updates, reviews and audits of FAM employees training files
• Maintain, track and monitor all supplies/cache used within the SO FAM facility.
• Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) oversee the technical aspects of an assigned USFS contract. Acting as a liaison between the contractor and the CO, working with the CO and vendor ensuring fulfillment of the contract's requirements, including performance, quality, documentation and timely delivery.
• Travel Arranger and processor for Administratively Determined (AD) Casual Hires sponsored by the Forest.
• Conduct veteran & public employment outreach to help veterans and members of the public obtain employment with USFS FAM through coordination with Federal, State, County, Municipal and private organizations.
• Provide USFS Santa Lucia District AD Hand Crew 7 with administrative support. Create, organize and implement the outreach and processing of applications for review and provide support with any needed administrative needs for the crew.

Supervisor: Cassandra Avila / cassandra.avila@usda.gov

• Series: 0679 Medical Support Assistance
• Grade: 6
• Responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Santa Maria VA CBOC business office insuring accurate timely work while providing top notch customer service, administrative and technical support to the entire Santa Maria VA clinic and surrounding Santa Barbara/ San Luis Obispo outpatient clinics. On average, seeing in person and interviewing and obtaining information from between 30 to 50 people a day that comes from diverse backgrounds and with different levels of understanding. While also providing support to all Greater Los Angeles VA health care system when tasked by management to do in-depth investigations and fact findings for congressional inquiries. As well as responding to requests from outside Agencies and entities.
• Compiling, analyzing, investigating and then creating and maintaining all new patient/transfer patient applications and renewal forms for the Santa Maria, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara VA clinics, doing accurate, high volume data entry while cross referencing information from multiple federal agency's databases ensuring all work is compliant with US Code. Interviewing, investigating information provided and researched their individual eligibility for medical/non-medical benefits in the VA and outside the VA. Explaining possible co pays if applicable. Review veteran military and VA medical records to troubleshoot when any issues arise. Send and receive phone calls, letters, emails, scans and faxes, filing of all completed paperwork. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic I have now also created and maintained files in the VA system for the DHS and civilian sector to enable the VA to deliver the Covid-19 vaccine to the DHS and certain portions of the civilian population.
• Investigate, analyze and determine patient eligibility and then assist with beneficiary-travel requests for the Northern Corridor VA clinics while continually updating an electronic database of criteria used to help determine the issuance of travel pay.
• Main point of contact at the Santa Maria CBOC for all computer, VOIP phone and Xerox equipment. I provide onsite trouble shooting and technical support if I am unable to remedy the problem, I will escalate the issue to the proper authority and monitor it until it has been resolved. I have received and implemented all requests for office data port activations at the Santa Maria CBOC
• Proficient in the use of VISTA, CPRS, VIS, HINQ, DPRIS, ESR, SIS, VHIC, PIV, VISTA Imaging, MS Outlook, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, JARR & CARR reports, fax, telephone and clinical video conferencing equipment.
• Primary sponsor and manager of the Department of Veterans Affairs Federal PIV ID badge system for all employees, contractors and volunteers at the Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo CBOC’s. I do all data entry into the PIV database and maintain paper files of all applications submitted while coordinating with WLA HR to ensure current background checks and fingerprints to be on file. I also coordinate and schedule any appointments needed for WLA HR PIV issues that cannot be handled at the local level.
• Primary point of contact for the Veterans Health Identification Card system at the Santa Maria Clinic. I am responsible for the training of all new users and troubleshooting of any technical issues that the system might incur.
• Main point of contact for the felony fugitive program at the Santa Maria VA CBOC.
• I have provided tours on multiple occasions to designated groups and individuals of the Santa Maria VA CBOC while imparting my knowledge and history of the building.
• Maintain and monitor all supplies used within the business office.
• Assisting Veterans with obtaining missing or damaged military/medical records thru the National Archives and Department of Defense.
• Supervisor: Eleanor Gonzalez (Retired)