Clarification from the agency

About the Position: This is an open continuous announcement. Initial pull will be 19 May 2026. Recruitment will continue through the announcement closing date until the position is filled.

As a HUMAN RESOURCES SPECIALIST (EMPL BEN/COMP) (TITLE 5), GS-0201-7/9, you will perform employee benefit and retirement advisory services for either Army (ARNG) or Air National Guard (ANG) organizations and the full-time workforce within the State.

Major Duties - This is NOT an all-inclusive list:

• Provides counseling to management, employees, annuitants, and family members of deceased employees by interpreting, applying, and explaining retirement and insurance laws, regulations, and policies on available retirement insurance benefits, death benefits, entitlements/options.
• Researches and interprets appropriate regulations to provide advice to employees concerning reinstatement of insurance, conversion of life insurance and features of the programs and options associated with retirement.
• Assist employees in the preparation of retirement applications and related documents and forwards to the Army Benefits Center Civilian (ABC-C).
• Maintains a current knowledge of legislative development, agency reorganizations and other pertinent activities that may have an impact on management and employees.
• Assists in administering programs such as the Mass Transit, Reasonable Accommodations (RA), Telework, Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act, military, or civilian deposits for CSRS/FERS, disability benefits, Light Duty Program, and Workers Compensation Program.
• Develop and process termination memorandums.
• Compose termination memorandums (30-day notice) in compliance with formats contained in the correspondence regulation for non-retention, mandatory removal date (MRD), mandatory separation date (MSD), medical disqualification, age 60, etc.
• Provides technical advice on flexibilities and appropriate use of leave issues such as Sick Leave for Family Care and Bereavement, Disabled Veterans Leave, Advanced Leave, Compensatory Time, Leave Without Pay, Absence Without Leave, Presidential Leave, Court Leave, and Military Leave.
• Provides technical advice on the use of the Family and Medical Leave Act, Paid Parental Leave, and Voluntary Leave Transfer Program.

Conditions of employment

• Federal employment suitability as determined by a background investigation.
• Subject to provisions of DoD Priority Placement Program.
• file:///C:/Users/1616598224.CIV/OneDrive%20-%20US%20Army/Desktop/PPP%20DD%203145-2%20Checklist.pdf
• This position is covered by the Domestic Violence Misdemeanor Amendment (30 Sep 96) of the Gun Control Act (Lautenberg Amendment) of 1968. An individual convicted of a qualifying crime of domestic violence may not perform the duties of this position.
• IAW The Fair Chance Act, Agency employees may not request criminal history information at the point of initial application, upon receipt of an application, or prior to, during or after a job interview. If an Optional Form (OF) 306, Declaration of Employment is submitted prior to the point of a conditional offer, questions related to background information section may not be asked.
• Irregular and/or overtime (compensatory) hours may be required to support operational requirements or contingencies or may be required to work hours outside of the normal duty day.
• May be required to successfully complete a trial period.
• Participation in direct deposit is mandatory.

Qualifications

AREAS OF CONSIDERATION: The areas of consideration for this position, Title 5 Excepted Service, will be in the following manner and sequence:

• The FIRST area of consideration for this position will be candidates who match through the Priority Placement Program (PPP).
• The SECOND area of consideration will be Veterans' Preference (VP) eligible.
• The THIRD area of consideration will be all excepted permanent and indefinite temporary technicians within the ILNG.
• The FOURTH area of consideration will be all current Federal Employees.
• The FIFTH area of consideration will be all Federal re-employment eligible.
• The SIXTH area of consideration will be all U.S. Citizens.

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 by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7 Level. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: GS-9 Level MUST possess at least 1-year of specialized experience at the GS-7 Level: experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, such as: assists in administering the retirement programs; provide counseling to management, employees, retirees, and family members on the complex retirement insurance benefits, entitlements/options. Interprets, applies, and explains retirement and insurance laws, regulations, and policies; provide guidance and assistance concerning workers' compensation, retirement, health and life benefits, Thrift Savings Program (TSP), etc. GS-7 Level MUST possess at least 1-year of specialized experience at the GS-5 Level: experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, such as: assists in administering the retirement programs, Interprets, applies, and explains retirement and insurance laws, regulations, and policies; provide guidance and assistance concerning workers' compensation, retirement, health and life benefits, Thrift Savings Program (TSP), etc.

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; religious; 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.

Verbiage displayed on your resume or application must contain your own words. You may refer to position descriptions, i.e. the general and specialized experience located within the vacancy announcement, to assist with describing work experience; however, resumes or applications received in verbatim will not be considered. In your resume you will need to address the general and specialized experience listed below. Please use as much detail as needed, giving dates (months and years) of the experience, position title and how the experience was gained. This information is needed to determine if you are qualified for the position.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the announcement has closed, your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine if you meet the qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application package, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this position. If you are found to be among the top qualified candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Problem Solving

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS: (Must not exceed 2 pages in length. Resumes over the 2-page limit will not be reviewed.) Your resume that clearly demonstrates experience that meets the requirements of this position as outlined in the "Qualifications" section. Your resume must contain identifiable information such as your name, address, and phone number. It must also show your work schedule, hours worked per week, dates (including Month and Year, e.g., 02/2017, Feb 2017, etc.) of employment and duties performed. If you use Resume Builder, you are encouraged to save your resume to a Word document and upload the Word document in lieu of submitting your resume created through Resume Builder. This helps ensure you meet the 2-page resume limit.

• SF-50 - Must include if you are a current or previous federal employee.

Other supporting documents (as applicable):

• Certifications
• DD-214
• SF-50
• OFFICIAL Transcript (Copy)

Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active-duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx.

Documents that support Veterans' Preference:

• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• SF-15

If claiming eligibility under the VOW Act: The VOW Act requires Federal agencies to treat active-duty service member as veterans, disabled veterans, and preference eligibles, when they submit, at the time they apply for a Federal job, a "certification" of active service in lieu of a DD214. In order to be considered under the VOW Act, the certification must specify that the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active duty under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted with your application package for this job announcement. The certification must be on letterhead from the appropriate military branch and include the following information: military dates of service and expected discharge or release date, character of service, military rank, type of discharge, and date when terminal leave will begin. Certifications must be signed by, or by direction of military members' military personnel offices, unit commanders or higher headquarters. Agencies are required to verify a qualifying separation from military service prior to appointment, through the DD214 or other appropriate documentation. Your preference and/or appointment eligibility will be verified prior to appointment.

Documents NOT accepted: photographs, copies of position descriptions, training certificates, performance ratings, awards, and letters of appreciation.

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