BENEFITS ASSISTANT NF-03

Clarification from the agency

United States (U.S.) Citizens and Non-U.S. Nationals who have resided in the U.S. or U.S. territory for three (3) or more continuous years immediately preceding the start of Federal affiliation.

• Under general supervision, performs duties as a benefits assistant in providing customer support to eligible employees and retirees, participants, human resources offices, and others on NAF benefits plans and portability of benefits.
• Provides advice and assistance on routine benefit actions based on governing regulations and plan provisions.
• Assists benefits examiners and specialists by providing a wide variety of technical support in the administration of benefits programs (medical/dental insurance, life insurance, retirement, 401(K), and flexible spending/savings accounts).
• Performs functions such as determining eligibility; verifying coverage; examining, adjudicating, and processing claims for pensions and other benefits; validating employee service data; and communicating with service providers to respond to inquiries, resolve problems, and ensure delivery of benefits.
• Utilizes automated benefits systems to perform audits, run reports, process enrollments and terminations, and update electronic files and personnel records.
• Reconciles benefits enrollment data with payroll systems to verify eligibility data, enrollments, and payment of premiums.
• Processes request for military service credit and retirement refunds.
• Sorts and scans transmittals and other benefits correspondence into document storage systems and distributes files to correct benefits team.
• Interacts professionally with staff and customers internal and external to the organization on a variety of benefit matters and inquiries.
• Performs other duties as assigned

Conditions of employment

• Direct Deposit and Social Security Card is required.
• Meet qualification/eligibility/background requirements for this position.
• A one-year probationary period may be required.
• Satisfactorily complete an employment verification (E-Verify) check.

Qualifications

Resumes must be two pages (or less). Resumes should clearly demonstrate the applicant's relevant experience, skills, knowledge and abilities as they pertain to this position.

A qualified candidate must possess the following:
Experience in providing clerical or assistance work which provided a broad working knowledge of the procedures and practices of human resources, employee benefits, or benefits administration.
Must possess demonstrated knowledge of rules, regulations, and other guidelines related to performing the work described above.
Experience uitlitzing automated benefits systems and software to gather and process information from a variety of sources.
Experience communicating with internal and external customers to resolve issues and address inquiries.

In addition to the above qualifications, candidates who possess the following qualifications will be considered "Highly Preferred" or "Best Qualified":

Demonstrated customer service experience in a call center, administrative assistant, or similar capacity.
Demonstrated knowledge of Civil Service or Department of War civilian human resources or federal benefits plans (i.e., Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), Federal Employee Health Benefits, Thrift Savings Plan, DoD Nonappropriated Fund benefits plans).

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your Application Matters: How We Will Review It

We want to help you put your best foot forward! Please take time to carefully follow all application instructions - missing information or skipped steps could impact your eligibility.

• Your application will be thoughtfully reviewed to see how well your experience and qualifications align with the requirements listed in this announcement. This includes your resume, supporting documents, and responses to the assessment questionnaire.
• We will consider your responses to our application questionnaire.
• If you're tentatively qualified, we'll take a closer look to ensure your questionnaire responses match the experience reflected in your resume and documentation.

Note: If it's later found that qualifications or experience were overstated, it may affect your consideration for the position - so honesty and clarity are key.

Understanding Eligibilities: What You Can Claim When Applying

When you apply for a federal position through USAJOBS or USA Staffing, you may be eligible for selection preference or priority consideration based on your background or status. These eligibilities can improve your chances of being considered or referred for a position.

Depending on your situation, you may be able to claim one or more of the following eligibilities:

• NAF Preference 1 Spouse Employment Preference (SEP)
• NAF Preference 2 Involuntarily Separated From the Military (ISMP)
• NAF Preference 3 Family Member Preference (FMP) (Foreign OCONUS ONLY)
• NAF Priority Consideration 1 Business Based Action (BBA)
• NAF Priority Consideration 2 Former NAF Employee (FNE)/Current NAF (CNE)/Current APF Employee (CAE)
• NAF Priority Consideration 3 Outside Applicant Veteran (OAV) (Includes spouses and parents)

Tip: Be sure to review each eligibility question carefully and provide the required documentation. Claiming an eligibility without proper support may affect your application status. Looking for more details? Refer to the Who Gets Initial Consideration (Selection Preferences) and the What Other Considerations are Available sections of our Applicant Information Kit.

About Your Resume

• Federal agencies are required to limit resumes to two pages or less and it must support the general or specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes must adhere to the two-page limit and must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications, and other position requirements listed in this job opportunity announcement. For additional information on the two-page resume limit, refer to:
  • https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/merit-hiring-plan-resources/applicant-guidance-on-the-two-page-resume-limit/.
• Your resume must be 5 megabytes (MB) or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to preserve formatting and page count (https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit).
• Please do not include photographs, personal images or other inappropriate content in your application materials. Should you include any of these items, your resume may not be reviewed.

Expedite Your Hiring

• To better expedite the hiring process, we recommend including contact information (name, email, phone number) for professional references in your resume.

Required Documents

• Required documents may vary based on the requirements for the position. The below document(s) are required and MUST be submitted with your application by the closing date of this job announcement:

• Resume

Other Accepted Documents

• Other accepted documents to support a qualification and/or claimed preference/priority eligibility may include:

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Notification of Personnel Action for NAF Employees (DA Form 3434 or equivalent)
• Other Document not Listed
• PCS Orders
• Performance Appraisal
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Next steps