The Congressional Liaison communicates with congressional aides and other outside entities telephonically to resolve inquiries about difficult cases and questions about VBA benefits. The incumbent reviews all the Congressional, White House, Secretary and other special inquiries received by letter and telephone to determine the proper disposition of these inquiries. This review includes use of the computer systems and review of claims folders.

Duties

The Correspondence Analyst/Congressional Liaison works in the Fiduciary Hub of the Columbia VBA Regional Office and is responsible for processing responses on behalf of the Regional Office Director. Specific duties include: Independently analyzes correspondence and requests for information, researches, expedites action, and responds or prepares written responses. Monitors work for timely and accurate response and ensures that congressional inquiries, White House Hotline inquiries, and other assigned work is properly prioritized to meet deadlines, making day to day adjustments in accordance with the established priorities. Reviews cases to determine the priority in which they will be worked. The incumbent works in proximity with the Public Affairs Officer to resolve high profile Congressional interest cases as well as high profile media interest cases. The incumbent maintains relationships with congressional offices throughout the Hub's jurisdiction and is present at Congressional Symposiums in-person and virtually to answer questions from stakeholders. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Congressional Liaison, 040730. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• 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
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/04/2023. 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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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. 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: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: knowledge of a complex field of laws, regulations and federal legislation pertaining to the full range of Veterans benefits, which should include compensation/pension programs. Examples of specialized experience would typically include: (1)Experience that demonstrates competence in adjudicating and authorizing veterans' claims. (2) Experience in the development, examination, investigation, adjudication, and authorization of claims for disability compensation, disability pension, death compensation, death pension benefits, life insurance benefits, etc.. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a PhD. or equivalent doctoral degree or three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in Social Work, Counseling Rehabilitation, Criminal Justice, or another degree specifically related to the duties of this position which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. -OR- Equivalent combinations of Specialized Experience and more than two years, but less than three years of education, as described above. To compute the percentage, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education beyond two years by 18. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. 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: No physical requirements For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Columbia Regional Benefit Office 6437 Garners Ferry Rd Columbia, SC 29209 US
• Name: Felicia L Douglas
• Email: [email protected]