The Legal Assistant position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), in various offices throughout the Office of General Counsel (OGC). The mission of OGC is to provide legal advice and services to the Secretary of VA (SECVA) and all organizational components of VA. The General Counsel is, by statute, the Department's Chief Legal Officer. The LA position performs administrative and legal support, and routinely provides direct legal services on case and/or program assignments.

Duties

This is a non-bargaining unit position, but eligible to be represented. This job announcement will remain open for 10 days. The initial application review cut-off for this job announcement is 50 applications. The first 50 applications received will be considered first. Applications received after the initial cut-off number (50 applications) may not receive consideration unless otherwise requested by management. Major Duties: Provides information and assistance to visitors, claimants, petitioners, and/or their representatives in response to telephone, walk-in, or written inquiries. Responds to administrative inquiries from client facilities and departments. Conducts non-complex legal services by following established instructions, checklists, and/or guidance. Performs a variety of case and program management tasks with minimal oversight and direction. Assists attorneys in preparing responses to inquiries, requests for legal opinions and legal reviews. Drafts and edits non-legal correspondence related to case processing and litigation such as requests for billing information, VA claims information, and transmittal correspondence. Establishes, maintains, consolidates, and retires files in accordance with OGC's policy based on independent determination of use, priority, category and suspense control. Compiles data and information from various sources to facilitate case development. Performs other duties as assigned. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level (GS-7) 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. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: Available Duty Location Status: This is not a remote position. The position will work from a VA owned or leased space. Position Description/PD#: Legal Assistant/PD19319A and PD19318A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job.
• Selectees are subject to a background/suitability investigation.
• Selectees may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• A complete application package, i.e., Resume, Transcripts, etc., as required by job announcement.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Participation in the Seasonal Influenza Prevention Program for VHA Health Care Personnel (HCP) is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs HCP.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Pre-employment physical examination/evaluation may be required.
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/05/2024. 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, 02/05/2024. For a GS-6 position, you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5 level. For a GS-7 position, you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-6 level. 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. Provide a copy of your last or most recent SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" to indicate your current federal status. You must also submit additional SF-50(s) to clearly demonstrate one year time-in-grade as required in the announcement. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate that you possess one year time-in-grade. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. 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. Qualifications You may qualify for the Legal Assistant position based on your experience as described below: GS-06 Specialized Experience:You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-05) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as: Experience providing administrative support such as performing intake duties, serving as a first point of contact for internal and external customers, routing and processing information and/or processing and reviewing documents, that may include legal documents or other administrative records/documents. Skill in analytical abilities sufficient in identifying and obtaining necessary case/program information and applying it to relevant facts and established procedures. Experience utilizing electronic systems to gather, review, input, update, access, organize, process, and maintain. Experience preparing and drafting professional communications, such as legal documents and non-routine correspondence. OR GS-07 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-06) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as: Experience preparing and drafting professional communications, such as legal documents and/or non-routine correspondence, with little to no supervision. Experience utilizing electronic systems to gather, review, input, update, access, organize, process, and to maintain information for use in program or legal work and/or to accomplish time or case management functions. Experience in identifying and obtaining necessary information and applying it to relevant facts and established procedures. Ability to use good communication skills, tact, and diplomacy when dealing with different individuals or organizations concerning a variety of situations. Knowledge of administrative concepts, principles and practice to independently and efficiently execute the full range of legal or administrative support duties in the workplace. Experience with non-adversarial problem-solving approaches/skills sufficient to resolve difficult problems that may arise in the workplace. Maintains accurate and transparent case file information. Compiles data and information from various sources to facilitate case development. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service Technical Competence Writing Analytical Thinking 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 work is predominantly sedentary, requiring some walking, standing, bending, lifting and carrying light to moderate weight and size items such as books, files and paper. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

There is no educational substitution available for the required minimum Specialized Experience at either the GS-6 or GS-7 grade level.

Contacts

• Address Office of General Counsel 810 Vermont Avenue NW Washington, DC 20420 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]