As a Veterans Service Representative (VSR) you will work on veterans benefits claims and provide comprehensive services to America's veterans and their families. The Veterans Service Representative (VSR) explains benefit programs and entitlement criteria, conducts interviews, identifies issues, gathers relevant evidence, adjudicates claims, and inputs data necessary to generate the award and notification letter to the veteran describing the decision and the reason for it.

Duties

Serve as a primary contact for the veteran and his/her representative or advocate, and as the decision-maker for compensation or pension claims. Explain the full range of veterans' benefits and all related programs. Make determinations as to eligibility for the type of benefit sought and fully analyze, develop and request required evidence for certain claims requiring a rating decision. Decide the necessity for and type of examinations, reexaminations or opinions in order to determine the existence of or to evaluate disabilities resulting from disease or injury. Develop comprehensive requests for examinations/opinions in order to ensure that appropriate evidence is received from which to adjudicate the claim. Prepare correspondence to members of Congress and special interest groups on case assignments and other "controlled" correspondence. Rotate through the Cross-Functional, Intake Processing Center, Direct Contact, Appeals, and Quality Review teams in order to gain experience in all aspects of the Transformation Initiative. Utilize various electronic data processing (EDP) systems for inputting data related to claims adjudication, processing, monitoring and correspondence preparation. Act as an advocate for veterans and their beneficiaries in their dealings with other VA elements and organizations that affect their claims.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job.
• Selectees are subject to a background/suitability investigation.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• A probationary period may be required.
• Mandatory 6-week consecutive training session.
• Mandatory overtime may be required.
• Occasional evening and weekend work may be required.
• VSR Skill Certification required at the grade GS-10 level.
• Must meet the requirements as stated for the Pathways Recent Graduates Program.

Qualifications

This position is being filled under the Pathways Recent Graduate Program. This program is designed to allow recent graduates to enter VA in career positions that emphasize long-term training and development. Successful applicants are placed in a dynamic developmental program with potential to lead to a civil service career in the Federal Government. The program lasts for one year or more. You can find more information about specific opportunities with the Pathways Recent Graduates Program by clicking here To qualify for this position, applicants must meet both Recent Graduates Eligibility requirements and the Minimum Qualifications for the position. by the closing date of the announcement, 12/06/2023 Recent Graduates Program Eligibility Requirements: The Pathways Recent Graduates Program is open to recent graduates who are legally permitted to work in the U.S. To be eligible, you must have completed, within the previous two years, a qualifying associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree, or certificate from a qualifying educational institution. Veterans unable to apply within two years of receiving their degree, due to military service obligation, may have as many as six years after degree completion to apply. Upon completion of the Pathways Program, the selectee may be converted to a permanent competitive service position contingent upon meeting program requirements and the needs of the agency. AND Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level or higher in the federal or other services to qualify for this position. Specialized experience is defined as: (1) reading, analyzing, interpreting and applying laws, regulations, manuals, or other Directives to determine their applicability to a claimant's eligibility for the applicable benefits requested. (2) developing information and evaluating evidence regarding educational and benefit claims. (3) researching routine issues to resolve discrepancies as discovered. (4) maintaining and storing pertinent files/documents electronically associated with a claims process, in compliance with legal regulations. OR Applicants may substitute education for the experience required in order to qualify at the grade GS-7 level in the following ways: Applicants may Qualify with Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) for grade GS-7. If you have been awarded a bachelor's degree (or equivalent undergraduate degree) in a curriculum that is qualifying for this position from an accredited college or university, AND that degree meets one of the following superior academic achievement provisions, you may qualify exclusively based on education: a. Ranked in the upper 1/3 of your college class or major subdivision at the time you apply; OR b. Earned election to a national scholastic honor society that meets the requirements of the Association of College Honor Societies other than freshman honor societies; OR c. Earned a grade point average (GPA) of 2.95 or higher on a 4.0 scale based on all completed undergraduate courses or all undergraduate classes completed during the final two years (the final 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours); or earned a GPA of 3.45 or higher on a 4.0 scale based on all completed undergraduate courses in your major, or all undergraduate courses in your major completed during the final two years. Regarding the superior academic achievement provisions, if more than 10% of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) was taken on a pass/fail or similar basis, you can qualify only on the basis of your class standing or membership in an honor society. If an applicant is claiming to qualify based on superior academic achievement, it is the applicant's responsibility to submit all documentation with their application that is appropriate in relationship to providing proof that the SAA criteria is met (i.e., ALL unofficial or official college transcripts that include GPA, proof of honor society membership, proof of class standing). OR Applicants may substitute Graduate Education to qualify for grade GS-7. Applicants may substitute education for experience with at least one full academic year (18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours) of graduate level education from an accredited college or university in a field that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. If you are claiming to qualify based on your education, your application must include an official or unofficial copy of graduate level transcripts that demonstrate this information. OR Applicants may substitute a combination of graduate education and specialized experience to qualify for the position at the GS 7 grade level. If you have some, but not all, of the graduate education described above AND less than one full year of the specialized experience described above, you may qualify by combining the amount of creditable education and experience that you do have. To calculate, first identify the percentage of qualifying education you have as a percentage of one year of study. Next, identify the percentage of specialized experience you have as a percentage of 12 months. Then, add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100% for you to qualify for the position at the grade GS-7 level. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate education (i.e., 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of acceptable specialized experience (i.e., 50% of the experience required) would satisfy the qualification requirements for the position. If you are claiming to qualify based on your education, your application must include an official or unofficial copy of college transcripts that demonstrate this information. Note: 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 that you document, including volunteer experience.

Education

An unofficial or official copy of your transcripts 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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/

All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. 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: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Contacts

• Address Buffalo Regional Benefits Office 130 S. Elmwood Ave. Buffalo, NY 14202 US
• Name: HRC-Detroit DEU
• Phone: 313-596-7213
• Email: [email protected]