The Congressional Liaison Representative works in the Veterans Service Center of the Albuquerque, NM, VBA Regional Office and is responsible for processing responses on behalf of the Regional Office Director.

Duties

Major Duties: The Congressional Analyst works in the Veterans Service Center of the Albuquerque VBA Regional Office and is responsible for processing responses on behalf of the Regional Office Director. Specific duties include: Independently analyzes correspondence and requests for information, researches, expedites action, and responds or prepares written responses. Evaluates problems and issues for trends and recommends improvements to operations. Reviews all Congressional, White House, Secretary and other special inquiries to determine proper disposition of the inquiry to include review of the claim folder and resolution via telephone, email or written response. Monitors work for timely and accurate response and ensures that work is properly counted and controlled, making day to day adjustments in accordance with the established priorities. Participates in briefings and training sessions for congressional staff members on VA benefits. Represents the Regional Office at outreach events and may serve as a guest speaker or panelist. Reviews cases in order to determine the priority in which they will be addressed to include, sensitive, hardship, or cases with media interest. Functions as an authoritative consultant on the technical aspects of claims processing to congressional offices. 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 grade progression for this position is GS 301 11. Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday, Administrative Duty Hours Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Correspondence Analyst (CONGRESSIONAL ANALYST); 39707A, 39706A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not 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. 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 (unless if in the commuting area and eligible for a non-competitive hiring authority such as Schedule A, VRA, or 30% or more disabled Veterans). For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07 level. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 level. If you are a current VBA employee outside of the commuting area seeking reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS-09 (or higher) and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least GS-11 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. MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:GS-09 Grade Level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-07). Specialized Experience: is defined as work that involves briefing groups and/or individuals in the full range of Veterans' benefits and knowledge of the Veterans' benefits claims process to include appeals. Examples include: Counseling veterans, their dependents, and their beneficiaries regarding their benefits. Analyzing claims and initiating action to obtain all required evidence to support the claim. Conducting comprehensive discharge briefing to large groups. Education Substitution: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. Graduate education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities described in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section of this announcement. Master's or equivalent graduate degree; or Two (2) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a degree (such as LLB. or J.D). GS-11 Grade Level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-09). Specialized Experience: is defined as work that involves the developing, rating and appealing Veteran benefit claims. Alternatively, specialized experience can be defined as researching and communicating the status of veterans' claims at their various stages in the process to external stakeholders with varying degrees of understanding of the claims process. Examples include: Serving as a liaison between government personnel, representatives of business and industry, trade and professional associations, the media, or the public Analyzing benefit and/or legal evidence to identify and recognize actions for claims development. Requesting medical and/or administrative documentation to make eligibility determinations Education Substitution: Applicants may substitute education for the experience required to qualify at the GS-11 grade level. Education substitution of a Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree; OR Three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M, if related. Graduate education must demonstrate the competencies necessary to do the work. Combining Education & Experience: If you do not fully meet the length of experience and education described for a specific grade level (e.g. have six months of experience and some coursework but not a degree), the two can be combined to total 100% of the requirement. Click here for more information. Volunteer Experience: 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. Full vs. Part-Time Employment: Full-time employment is considered to be at least 35 hours per week. Part-time experience will be credited on a pro-rated basis; when including part-time employment in your resume you must specify the average hours worked per week. Physical Requirements: This position is primarily sedentary with some walking, standing, bending, and/or carrying lightweight items. 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

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to be credited towards qualifications. Provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. All education claimed by applicants will be verified upon appointment. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript to receive credit.

Contacts

• Address Albuquerque Regional Benefit Office 500 Gold Avenue, S.W. Albuquerque, NM 87102 US
• Name: Latrice Harris-Bryant
• Phone: (515) 323-7400 X43223
• Email: [email protected]