The incumbent serves as the Newark Regional Office's liaison with correspondence offices, and, as such, is one of the primary representatives of the Director in correspondence matters. Responsible for all written and telephonic contact with correspondence offices which relates to the case of veterans and other benefit claimants. Is the point of contact for VACO calls referring national level complaints for responses/resolution and calls from Congressional Liaisons at other Regional Offices.

Duties

Analyze correspondence and requests for information, researches, expedites action, and responds or prepares written responses on behalf of the Regional Office Director. Evaluate problems and issues for trends and recommends improvements to operations. Reviews all Congressional, White House, Secretary, and other special inquiries received by letter, fax, email, and telephone to determine the proper disposition of these inquiries. Maintain records of completed workload and prepares reports, as required. Discuss inquiries and VBA benefits with congressional aides as well as inquiries received from the Office of the Director, Veterans Service Center (VSC), and other Division Managers of the Regional Office (RO). Participate in briefings and training sessions for congressional staff members on VBA benefits. Represent the Regional Office at outreach events and may serve as a guest speaker and panelist.

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.
• A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc.
• 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, 10/11/2024. The Office of Personnel Management's (OPM's) group qualification standards covering white collar occupations in the Federal competitive service can be found: Here Specialized Experience: GS-09: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-07) federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized experience is work experience that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: (1) analyzing correspondence and requesting information; and (2) explaining benefits and services available; and (3) drafting written responses. OR Applicants may substitute education for experience at grade GS-09. Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 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 combine education and experience to qualify for grade GS-09. Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education. You must have some specialized experience as described, but less than one year; and you have more than one year but less than two years of directly related graduate education. You have computed the percentage of the requirements, and the total is at least 100%. (To compute the percentage, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education beyond one year by 18. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. (You must provide supporting transcripts.) GS-11: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-09) federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized experience is work experience that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: (1) counseling customers and/or veterans, their dependents and their beneficiaries regarding benefits; and (2) experience as a liaison between government personnel (inside and outside an organization), representatives of business and industry, trade and professional associations, the media, or the public; and (3) analyzing submitted claims and initiating action to obtain all required evidence to support the claim; and (4) conducting comprehensive discharge briefing to large groups. OR Applicants may substitute education for experience at grade GS-11. Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. Substitution of 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 (unofficial transcripts required). OR Applicants may combine education and experience to qualify for grade GS-11. Combination: If you have some, but not all, of the graduate education described above AND less than one full year of the specialized experience described above, you may qualify by combining the amount of creditable education and experience that you do have. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at the GS-11 grade level. To calculate, first identify the education you have earned beyond your first two years of study as a percentage of a total of three years of study. Then identify the number of months of specialized experience you have as a percentage of 12 months. Add the two percentages. The total must equal at least 100 percent in order to be qualifying. For example, an applicant who has 45 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e., 50% of graduate education required beyond the two years which is required for GS-9) and who has 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e., 50% of the one year of specialized experience required) would meet 100% and thus be qualified for the position. The applicant's first 2 years of graduate study are not qualifying for GS-11. If you are claiming to qualify based on your education, your application must include an official or unofficial copy of graduate level transcripts that demonstrate this 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 you document, to include volunteer experience.

Education

An unofficial or official copy of your transcripts must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: 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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/

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. For further information, visit: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Contacts

• Address Newark Regional Benefit Office 20 Washington Place Newark, NJ 07102 US
• Name: HRC-Detroit DEU
• Phone: 313-596-7213
• Email: [email protected]