Field Examiner

Clarification from the agency

This vacancy is open ONLY to permanent VBA employees who are currently assigned to the Regional Office they are applying to. and current/former VA employees who are CTAP eligible. For the purpose of this job announcement, Fiduciary Hub bargaining unit employees in the commuting area are considered facility employees.

This 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 action to protect their assets.

Specific 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.

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-11.

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.

Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday
Compressed/Flexible: Available
Telework: Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Field Examiner; 36002A GS-09; 35902 GS-11
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Required
Bargaining Unit: Yes

Conditions of employment

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Additional Conditions of Employment are as follows:

• 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 or trial period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements I-9 Acceptable Documents.
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• If you receive a conditional offer of employment you will be required to complete an Optional Form-306 Declaration for Federal Appointment (OF-306).
• All federal employees are required to have federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:07/01/2026.

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. If the most recent 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 SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade.

Please check the GS9 and GS11 level specialized experience - some of the experience is missing for GS11.

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: 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, 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; 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, workplace safety claims, employee/labor allegations, fraud, abuse, or embezzlement for the purpose of gathering factual information to make a determination financial management for individuals in exceptionally unique or complex financial situations; 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: 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.

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/.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

• INVESTIGATION: Conduct interviews, interrogations, investigations and inspections involving issues such as contested benefit claims, fraud, abuse, embezzlement, special apportionment, dependent status, etc.
• JUDGMENT/DECISION: Demonstrate cognitive thinking for the purpose of reaching a decision, drawing sound conclusions, or making critical distinctions about people, situations, ideas or events through assessment, comparison and/or deliberation.
• ORAL COMMUNICATION/INTERPERSONAL: Verbally explain laws, programs and processes clearly to individuals/corporations; communicate to obtain info, coordinate services/benefits; verbally report facts and findings to represent claimant and/or government.
• FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT/BUDGETING: Apply basic budget, accounting and fund control principles to estimate spending and manage funds.
• CONFLICT MANAGEMENT: Demonstrate objective, unbiased views, promote calm dialogue/cooperation, exhibit foresight to identify and defuse conflict before it occur.
• RESEARCH/ANALYSIS: Conduct research by reviewing info/records of financial/bank statements, case files, correspondence for compliance or investigative purposes, analyze info/data to make appropriate decisions and referrals.
• SELF-MANAGEMENT: Sets well defined and realistic goals; monitor progress and time, self motivated to achieve and deal with stress effectively/appropriately.
• TECHNICAL COMPETENCE: Knowledge of Federal, state and local laws, regulations, policies, guidelines, procedures and judicial determinations applicable to benefits program. (Describe situations in which you assessed benefits eligibility and applied applicable laws, rules, regulations, and procedures.)

Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: Announcement Preview (highlighted)

Required documents: Resume, limited to 2-pages.
Your most recent NON-AWARD SF-50. The SF-50 must include indicate proof status and should identify your position title, series, grade, step, salary, tenure, and type of service (Competitive or Excepted).

An SF-50 showing your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent 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 SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or an interview.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package to include the documents detailed below. Your resume and supporting documentation will be verified. Failure to submit the documents as specified may result in loss of consideration for this job announcement.

• .Resume detailing specialized experience and competencies as they relate to this position, limited to 2-pages
  • For each position in your resume, you must specify the start and end dates (month/year) and a description of duties. If the position was Federal, you should also indicate the grade level. Resumes containing a general summary of all positions held, not specifying start/end dates, and/or not including documentation supporting Federal grade level(s) are insufficient to determine basic qualifications.
• Your most recent APPOINTMENT SF-50. The most recent Appointment or Conversion SF-50 proving status. This SF-50 should identify your appointing legal authority, position title, series, grade, step, salary, tenure, and type of service (Competitive or Excepted).
• Your SF-50 reflecting when you entered your highest grade and step (e.g., Within Grade Increase, Promotion, Appointment, etc.) in order to verify time-in-grade requirements.
• Current VBA Employees: If you are seeking a reassignment/change to lower grade, you must submit a copy of your most recent appointment SF-50 and an SF-50 that reflects when you entered your highest grade and step as described above.
• Transcript if you are using education to qualify.

Additional Documents accepted:

• Most recent Performance Appraisal (VA Form 0750).
• Documentation to be considered under non-competitive eligibility (if applicable) such as a member-4 DD-214, civil service preference letter, or Schedule A letter.
• CTAP documentation - RIF notice, SF-50 showing VA employee, and performance appraisal.

Next steps

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