This position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Regional Office (VARO), Fiduciary Hub. The incumbent serves as the Fiduciary Service Representative (FSR) for the division. The FSR is responsible for making factual quasi-legal and subjective determinations involved in the administration of all types of beneficiary estates, the protection of their benefit rights, the routine handling of legal matters, and the identification of legal questions.

Duties

Analyzes and makes the final determination of the competency of veterans and other VA beneficiaries and provides the final notification of the determination. Generates the award for the retroactive payment release, once a fiduciary is established, as well as other award actions needed by the Fiduciary Program. Authorizes, reviews and approves the pending award action for technical accuracy, clarity, and thoroughness. Insures that estate protection is in place, when appropriate, before releasing large retroactive payments and in other cases where the VA beneficiary's funds may not be adequately protected. Prepares Statements of the Case (SOC) on Fiduciary Program appeals. Provides training to other members of the Fiduciary Hub, VARO employees, service organization personnel, and other stakeholders, as needed. Serves as a Veterans Service Representative (VSR) and Legal Instruments Examiner (LIE) expert and provides technical guidance in regard to the rating, generation and authorization of Fiduciary Program awards. Utilizes various electronic data processing (EDP) systems for processing, monitoring, and correspondence preparation. Communicates directly with VA beneficiaries, eligible individuals, representatives, and advocates to explain the full range of VA benefits and all related programs. Gives final approval of accounts received from guardians, attorneys, legal custodians, or chief officers of state institutions except those showing a major account deficiency which cannot be remedied by correspondence. Approval is only given if the accounting is proper in every respect including commissions and/or fees within statutory or policy limits. Advises fiduciaries of regulations, necessary documentation and other factors which affect computation of income for VA purposes. Prepares reports for guardians in those cases in which VA is rendering legal services. Refers to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), accounts in which there is a possible indication of fraud, embezzlement or other criminal offense. Performs other related duties as assigned.

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 for employees and supervisors

Qualifications

Specialized Experience for GS-10: Applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. To qualify, applicants 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. Specialized experience is defined as: Applying federal, state, and local laws regarding benefit programs; Conducting interviews to evaluate eligibility for benefits and services; Applying state laws pertaining to conservatorship and estate administration; Knowledge of fiduciary and field examination programs sufficient to protect beneficiaries assets. Or Master's or equivalent graduate degree, or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. Or Applicants may substitute a combination of graduate education and specialized experience to qualify for the GS-10 position: A combination of less than the full year of specialized experience described above and less than the full amount of education described above, however, combined the experience and education equal 100% of the required qualification. (You must submit an official or unofficial copy of graduate level transcripts that demonstrates this information). Time-in-grade Applicants who are/were federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements. For a GS-10 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 level. To support your claim of time in grade, you must submit your most recent appointment, promotion, or within grade increase SF-50 (not an award or general adjustment SF-50). Some applicants may have to submit more than one SF-50 to demonstrate their eligibility. See the required documents section for more 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, 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. 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.

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. 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.

Contacts

• Address Indianapolis Regional Benefit Office 575 N Pennsylvania St Indianapolis, IN 46204 US
• Name: Stephanie Enriquez
• Phone: (313) 596-7218
• Email: [email protected]