This position will be located in the Benefit Eligibility Support Team (BEST), Veteran Service Center (VSC), or Pension Management Center (PMC) Divisions, at a Regional Benefits Office within the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). The incumbent serves as Veterans Service Representative (Authorizer) for a team within one of the aforementioned divisions.

Duties

Serves as an Authorizer reviewing all required work of other Veterans Service Representatives when a second signature is required. Reviews and approves work for technical accuracy, clarity, thoroughness, and sensitivity of notification. Ensures that notices of decisions are prepared with an empathetic tone and are complete and phrased in terms that the claimant can understand. The VSR (Authorizer) must be familiar with rating procedures to ensure proper notification to the claimant. Makes administrative decisions and special determinations relating to qualifying military service, character of discharge, domestic relations contested claims, homicide, presumed death, line of duty, or willful misconduct, corpus of estate, and violations of U.S. Penal Code, related attorney fees, administrative error, and fraud. Authorizes administrative decisions made by other Veterans Service Representatives including character of discharge, line of duty, or willful misconduct, corpus of estate, and apportionment decisions. Explains a final decision if a veteran expresses an indication of dissatisfaction with a determination (filed in person, by telephone, or by mail). The VSR (Authorizer) will explain the decision in question in an effort to gain acceptance of the determination, and also explain the post-decision review process. Uses electronic data processing (EDP) systems for inputting data related to claims adjudication, processing, monitoring, and correspondence preparation.

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: To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. 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. The Office of Personnel Management's group coverage qualification standards, associated individual occupational requirements (IOR), and individual qualification standards covering white collar occupations in the Federal competitive service can be found here. To qualify, applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-10) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as work that involves (1) Developing claims for veteran benefits to include analyzing and requesting evidence; (2) Adjudicating claims for veterans benefits (3) Researching laws and regulations related to processing veterans benefits (4) Providing technical guidance and direction to staff regarding claims management and adjudicating complex cases. (5) Utilizing electronic systems to input data related to claims adjudication and processing. Or applicants may substitute education for the experience required to qualify at the GS-11 level: Graduate Education. You must have at least a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or have completed 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., IF RELATED. One year of full-time graduate education is normally determined by the school you attended. If that number cannot be determined, 18 semester hours should be considered equivalent to one academic year of graduate study. Part-time graduate education is creditable on a pro-rated basis. If you qualify based on your education, you must upload or fax a copy of your college transcript along with your application. If you are selected for the position, an official college transcript(s) will be required at your start date. Or applicants can combine education and specialized experience to qualify for the position. If you have some, but not all, of the graduate education AND specialized experience described above, you may still qualify by combining the amount of creditable education and experience that you do have. To do so, first calculate the percentage of qualifying education you have as a percentage of the education required. Next, calculate the percentage of specialized experience you have as a percentage of the experience required. Then, add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100% for you to qualify for the position at the GS-11 grade level. If you qualify based on a combination of graduate education and specialized experience, you must submit a copy of your official college transcript with your application.

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 VBA Human Resources Center - Central Office 810 Vermont Ave NW Washington, DC 20420 US
• Name: Adrienne Harper
• Phone: 313-596-7200
• Email: [email protected]