This position is located at the NCA First Notice of Death Office in St. Louis, MO.

Duties

This is a bargaining unit position. This position is represented by AFGE. Please note that as provided for in the AFGE/VA Master Agreement the FIRST area of consideration for this position will be permanent employees of the local facility in which this position is being filled, the SECOND area of consideration will be employees at other VA facilities, and the THIRD area of consideration will be all other eligibles. The Lead Program Specialist serves as the National Cemetery Administration's (NCA's) subject matter expert for Veterans and their family members, funeral industry personnel and other stakeholders for the scheduling of Veterans' and eligible dependents burials at 136+ VA national cemeteries, and state Veterans' cemeteries, and for the provision of memorial products such as Government headstones, markers, and medallions, Presidential Memorial Certificates (PMCs), and burial flags. The incumbent explains benefit programs and eligibility criteria, conducts telephone interviews, reviews and analyzes documents and information, identifies and resolves issues, gathers relevant evidence, adjudicates claims, generates correspondence letters, provides in-depth analysis and reports, facilitates training, conducts quality reviews, and enters information into NCA systems accurately and timely. The incumbent advises on eligibility documentation with limited supervisory assistance and provides advice and direction to Program Specialists. The position requires the incumbent to enter data into the NCA's Burial Operations Support System (BOSS), Automated Monument and Application System (AMAS), Master Veterans' Index (MVI), and Memorials Benefit Management System (MBMS). Data entry into these systems requires above average knowledge due to their complexity. The incumbent sets the pace of office activity for Program Specialists, ensuring calls are being answered timely and applications are being processed correctly. The incumbent thoroughly reviews records and information provided by the Veteran or family members, funeral directors, or other parties prior to preparing and verifying burial orders or ordering memorial products, as some may be incomplete, fragmentary and contradictory in nature. Documentation from each case must be reviewed, verified, and updated in NCA's electronic system(s). The incumbent acts as the clearing point for questions on policies and procedures, and for problems that arise while working with Program Specialists. The incumbent must be knowledgeable of operational characteristics at each national cemetery to ensure that interments are scheduled according to the national cemeteries' requirements. The incumbent must possess knowledge of the unique operational characteristics at each national cemetery to ensure local needs are addressed. This information includes whether casketed or cremation only burial sites are available, the number of services that can be scheduled each day, timeframes between services, whether a cemetery/local honor guard or Department of Defense honor guard will be present, and whether contract or Government employees will perform the burial etc. The incumbent is responsible for overseeing the investigation and determination of eligibility for cases established during normal operations. Work schedule: Required to work Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. May include occasional weekends. Due to the mission of the National Cemetery, the cemetery cannot be closed for more than 2 consecutive days at any given time. Additionally, when a Federal holiday falls on a Monday or Friday, staff may be required to work on that holiday or a Saturday. All staff is required to work Memorial Day and Veteran's Day each year. Staff will be required to work overtime, weekends and holidays when necessary to meet the needs of the cemetery. Occasionally staff may be called back to the facility to perform emergency overtime work. Compressed/Flexible Schedule: Not Available Telework: May be Available Remote/Virtual: This is not a virtual or remote position. Position Description Title/PD#: Lead Program Specialist/PD1655694 The full performance level of this position is GS - 11. Relocation Expenses: Not Authorized Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

• Subject to a background/security investigation.
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all specialized experience and time in grade requirements within 45 days of the closing date of this announcement, 09/03/2024. 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 within 45 days of the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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. If your most recent non-award SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional non-award 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education, as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Leading, guiding and mentoring team members; explaining benefits and eligibility criteria; conducting telephone interviews; reviewing and analyzing documents and information; identifying and resolving issues; gathering relevant evidence; adjudicating claims; generating correspondence letters; providing in-depth analysis and reports; facilitating training; conducting quality reviews; and entering information into systems accurately and timely. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related, which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education as described above. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and ManagementCritical ThinkingDatabase Management SystemsDecision MakingLeadershipOral CommunicationWriting 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 normally mentally exertive and mostly sedentary. However, there may be some walking, bending, standing, and carrying of light items such as paper, books, folders, or files from one desk or area to another desk or area. The incumbent will spend a majority of the day on a computer, using a keyboard. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

PLEASE NOTE: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement). Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html. 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.

Contacts

• Address NCA First Notice of Death Office 810 Vermont Avenue NW Washington, DC 20420 US
• Name: NCA Human Resources Center
• Phone: (317)916-3660
• Email: [email protected]