The Field Examiner position is for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Benefits Administration, located in the Fiduciary Hub. The Field Examiner (FE) determines the payee (fiduciary), best suited to the needs and situation of VA beneficiaries, who are incompetent due to legal disability, mental disability, physical disability or minority. The Field Examiner ensures that beneficiaries receive all the benefits they are entitled to and takes necessary actions to protect their assets.

Duties

Duties include: Performs visits to veterans and beneficiaries to evaluate physical and mental conditions or capacity; independently determine ability to handle or manage funds Conducts field examinations to determine who to appoint as fiduciaries for incompetent or minor beneficiaries Verify the welfare and adequate living conditions of veterans under fiduciary care and make arrangements for deficiencies Conduct background investigations on proposed fiduciaries Reviews and reports on fiduciary performance; conduct investigations involving the misuse of VA funds Explain laws and regulations governing fiduciary responsibilities to veteran, beneficiary and fiduciary Investigate and make determinations on identified misuse, complaints, allegations, contested claims for benefits, special apportionments, eligibility for VA compensation, etc. Work with representatives of other Federal, State, and local police, social and protective services agencies and courts regarding the safety, protection and living conditions of veterans Supervises veterans transitioning to financial independence under the direct pay program Position Requirement: On a routine basis, the incumbent in this position will be required to operate a government owned motor vehicle: therefore, incumbent must possess a valid state driver's license. Travel Required: Periodic overnight travel may be required based on mission needs; up to two to three weeks travel per month is possible. Please note, all selectees must live within 50 miles of the location being announced.

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, 11/22/2024. Applicants must meet both time-in-grade and specialized experience requirements to be eligible for this vacancy 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. 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. 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: Specialized Experience: To qualify, applicants 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. Specialized experience is defined as use of fact finding sources (i.e., conducting interviews, researching court records, etc.) to verify facts and obtain specific pieces of information; or, experience applying Federal, state and/or local laws and regulations to administer benefits programs or services; or, financial management experience for individuals or businesses. Examples include, but are not limited to: Conducting investigations into allegations of misconduct, compiling findings, and composing reports of recommended action; Determining an applicant's eligibility for welfare programs in accordance with state laws and program regulations; Conducting professional interviews or investigations involving issues/cases such as benefit claims, workplace safety claims, employee/labor allegations, fraud, abuse, or embezzlement for the purpose of gathering factual information to make a determination; Interpretation and application of Federal, State and/or Local benefit programs (i.e. compensation/pension, healthcare, mortgage/lending, insurance, etc.) that comply with related laws, policy, regulations; and establishing and reviewing budgets for expenditures, verifying or monitoring the use of funds and balancing or reconciling finances for individual or business. Education Substitution: At the GS-09 level, education substitution may be used for the Field Examiner - 1801 series. Education substitution of a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in Social Work, Counseling Rehabilitation, Criminal Justice, or another degree specifically related to the duties of this position which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work (submit your transcripts). GS-11 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: To qualify for a GS-11, applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-09) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as experience conducting interviews in a state and/or Federal benefit/services program capacity to obtain essential information and assess an individual's competency to make valid decisions; Expertise in personal financial management for individuals in exceptionally unique or complex financial situations. Examples include, but are not limited to: Conducting professional interviews or investigations involving issues/cases such as benefit; Establishing and reviewing budgets for expenditures, verifying or monitoring the use of funds, personal financial management, balancing or reconciling finances for disabled individuals or minors who are unable to legally manage their own accounts claims, and Interpretation and application of Federal, State and Local benefit programs (i.e. compensation/pension, healthcare, mortgage/lending, insurance, etc.) that comply with related laws, policy, regulations. Education Substitution: At the GS-11 level, education substitution may be used for the Field Examiner - 1801 series. Education substitution of a PhD. or equivalent doctoral degree or three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in Social Work, Counseling Rehabilitation, Criminal Justice, or another degree specifically related to the duties of this position which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work (submit your transcripts). 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: The job requires driving in government owned automobiles, often very long distances requiring overnight lodging. Some walking and climbing of stairs is required since interviews with VA beneficiaries are conducted at the residences of the beneficiaries. 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

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 here: 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:http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Columbia Regional Benefit Office 6437 Garners Ferry Rd Columbia, SC 29209 US
• Name: Alexandria Bennie
• Email: [email protected]