The Field Examiner determines the fiduciary best suited to the needs and situation of VA beneficiaries. Ensures that incompetent beneficiary receive all the benefits they are entitled to such as: takes necessary action to protect their assets; conducts background investigations on proposed fiduciaries; establishes budgets and major expenditures for veterans under fiduciary care; reviews reports on fiduciary performance; investigates reports and allegations or suspension of misuse of funds.

Duties

The Field Examiner will perform the following duties, but are not limited to: Conduct field examination to assess VA beneficiaries capacity to handle funds. Identify and assess payee (individual or corporate fiduciary)to handle financial affairs and to ensure incompetent VA beneficiaries or minor beneficiaries receive entitled benefits. Determines and appoints the payee/fiduciary best suited for the VA beneficiary by assessing the living situation, welfare, and needs of the VA beneficiary and any dependents. Conducts background investigations on proposed fiduciaries for the protection and well being of veterans or beneficiaries. Discusses & explains, to the veteran and the fiduciary, all applicable VA and non-VA benefits and the laws & regulations governing fiduciary responsibilities. Conducts routine and unscheduled field examinations in order to ensure that the fiduciary is handling responsibilities appropriately. Determines replacement of fiduciary when misconduct occurs and it is necessary to remove the existing fiduciary. Determines and implements next steps for restoration of funds to incompetent beneficiaries after a fiduciary is removed in order to avoid VA liability. Establishes budgets and approves budget changes and major expenditures for veterans under fiduciary care. Review and evaluate fiduciary activity relative to veteran's circumstances. Conduct investigations involving misuse of VA funds; make a determination of misuse and submit report to Region Counsel or Office of Inspector General. Investigate and make determination on a variety of dependency issues (i.e. contested claims, VA compensation eligibility, special apportionments, etc.) Assesses all available evidence and prepares reports with recommendations for resolution to the appropriate parties. Plan, organize and conduct administrative investigations; apply investigating techniques including interviews. Interacts professionally with all internal and external stakeholders when dealing with all aspects of the fiduciary program. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. The Full Performance Level of this position is the GS-1801-11. Work Schedule: Full-time 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday - Friday. Subject to change to meet the needs of the agency. Compressed/Flexible: Available. Telework: Available. Virtual: This is not a remote position. Position Description/PD#: Field Examiner, GS-1801-9 PD#36002A, GS-1801-11, PD#35902A. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: 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, 11/20/2023. 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-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. For the GS-11, you must have server 52 weeks at the GS-9. 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 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. GS-9 Level: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 is defined by demonstrating skill in using fact-finding sources (i.e. conducting interviews, researching court records, etc.) to verify facts and obtain specific pieces of information; and, knowledge of Federal, state and local laws and regulations applicable to the Veterans benefits program.GS-11 Level: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 is defined as demonstrating skill in conducting interview to obtain essential information and assess competency to make valid decisions; and comprehensive knowledge of VBA programs, which should include fundamental understanding of the Fiduciary program. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have. GS-9 Level: Education substitution of a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or L.L.B. or J.D if related.GS-11 Level: Education substitution of a PhD. or equivalent doctoral degree or three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or L.L.M if related. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond graduate education. Only graduate level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used in combination with experience. For example, for grade GS-9, only graduate level education beyond the first year of study (18 semester hours or the equivalent) may be combined with experience to meet total qualifications. Example: The position to be filled is at grade GS-9. You have 6 months of specialized experience equivalent to grade GS-7, and you have completed 27 semester hours of graduate level education. You meet 50 percent of the qualifications required through graduate level college education. You also meet 50 percent of the qualifications required through experience. You are eligible because both percentages in this example together will add up to 100 percent. Your first year of graduate study is not qualifying for GS-9. In every case where combinations of experience education are used, the total percentage must equal at least 100 percent in order for you to be qualified. (Must submit transcripts) 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: The job requires driving in government owned automobiles, often very long distances requiring overnight lodging. Some walking and climbing of stairs is required since interviews with VA beneficiaries are conducted at the residences of the beneficiaries. 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 Louisville Regional Benefit Office 321 West Main St, Ste 390 Louisville, KY 40202 US
• Name: Fola Fashola
• Phone: 601-368-4924
• Email: [email protected]