This job is open to
Federal employees - Competitive service
Current federal employees whose agencies follow the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's hiring rules and pay scales.
Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.
Clarification from the agency
This vacancy announcement is open ONLY to current, permanent VBA Regional Office employees and current/former VA employees who are CTAP eligible. For this job announcement, Fiduciary Hub bargaining unit employees in the commuting area are considered facility employees.
Duties
Major duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Serves as primary resource for service member(s) and their dependents to initiate a BDD or QS claim, throughout IDES process regarding VA benefits.
- Receives referral package (s) from the Physical Evaluation Board Liaison Officer (PEBLO) and reviews same to ensure compliance with acceptable referral criteria.
- Schedules and conducts appointments with service member (s) to provide service member and/or their dependent (s) overview of benefits and provide resources for obtaining VA contact info.
- Advises service member(s) of purpose of BDD, QS and DES programs.
- Advises of stipulations and Right about identifying and claiming disabilities.
- Performs post interview follow up activities, to include VCAA notifications, development of additional evidence, examination requests and retrievals.
- Performs Exit Interviews as necessary after PEBLO presents proposed ratings.
- Conducts comprehensive discharge briefings to large groups of servicemen and women and their spouses at separation points, utilizing a wide range of briefing techniques and communication skills.
- Provides information to disabled veterans about the specifically designated employment assistance for service members being separated for medical reasons.
- Provides assistance with all types of VA claims to service members.
- Obtains retirement data and needed medical records.
- Counsels veterans, their dependents, and their beneficiaries regarding all benefits available through other agencies through personal interviews, telephone interviews and correspondence.
- Explains the full range VA Benefits and all related programs.
- Explores all avenues of assistance and takes positive action to encourage individuals to fully utilize the available benefits and to participate in programs of education, training job placement, counseling, housing, etc.
- Analyzes claims and initiates action to obtain all required evidence to support claim.
- Explains the types of documents necessary to facilitate timely processing of claims and provides assistance in obtaining and competing such documents and forms as required by the type of claim being submitted or services being requested.
- Represents the VARO at functions in the area.
- Serves as a resource for the veteran community by participating in events and outreach programs.
Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday, 8:00AM to 4:30 PM.
Telework: Yes, as determined by the agency policy.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: 39669A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Requirements
Conditions of employment
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness & 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 or trial 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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
Qualifications
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this
announcement, 07/13/2026.
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 by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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.
- Most recent SF-50 is required for current Federal employees.
- 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
- Award and general adjustment SF-50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade. Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:
- Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
- Promotions with an effective date more than one year old
Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: You may qualify based on your experience as described below:
- Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience to the GS-09 level or higher. Specialized experience is defined as meeting all the following: Analyzing evidence (medical, benefit and /or legal documents); 2) Developing case file records and reports to support claim decision s; and 3) Interpreting and applying laws, regulations and official guidance sufficient to evaluate the adequacy of collected information to determine claimant eligibility for benefits and services.
- Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree.
OR
- Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.
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.
Note:
A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.
"If you are a current VBA employee requesting a reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS- 11 (or higher) and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least GS-12."
Physical Requirements: A high level of physical energy is required, as the incumbent will be expected to meet with many people in many locations in the course of a workday.
Education
A transcript 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 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.
Note: You may submit unofficial transcripts when applying. However, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to provide an official transcript or a statement from the institution (e.g., from the registrar, dean, or other appropriate official) or equivalent documentation prior to the start date.
Additional information
VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.
The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. Information about CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.
Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.You will be rated on the following competencies based on your application for this position:
- REASONING: Identifies regulations, laws, rules, principles, or relationships that explain facts, data, or other information; analyzes information and makes correct inferences or draws accurate conclusions.
- CUSTOMER SERVICE: Works with customers to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, or satisfy their expectations; knows about available products and services; is committed to providing quality products and services.
- DECISION MAKING: Makes sound, well-informed, and objective decisions; perceives the impact and implications of decisions; commits to action even in uncertain situations in order to assist customers and meet organizational goals.
- SELF MANAGEMENT: Displays a high level of initiative, effort, and commitment towards completing assignments in a timely manner; works independently with minimal supervision; is motivated to achieve; sets well-defined and realistic goals that are in alignment with organizational goals and objectives.
- ORAL COMMUNICATION: Expresses information (facts, decisions, and ideas) to individuals or groups clearly and concisely, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); listens to others; asks questions and gains or shares information related to the claims review process.
- COMPUTER SKILLS: Uses computers, software applications, databases, and automated systems to accomplish work. This includes tasks such as entering, sorting, and retrieving data; analyzing data; researching information; monitoring work; and preparing correspondence and reports.
- WRITTEN COMMUNICATION: Prepares written correspondence to customers and co-workers via email, letters, reports, etc. using correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style; communicates information in a succinct and organized manner; provides information that is appropriate for the purpose and the intended audience.
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 are not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills, and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.
Required Documents
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 lack of consideration for this job announcement. You will not be contacted for additional information.
- Resume: Detailing specialized experience and competencies as they relate to this position. 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 experience must be clearly stated in your resume. We cannot make assumptions on your experience based on your current, or former, position titles on your resume. Failure to clearly demonstrate your qualifying experience in your resume may result in disqualification for this position and your rating will be adjusted as necessary.
- SF50: A copy of your most recent SF-50 (not award or general adjustment).The SF-50 must indicate proof of status and should identify your position title, series, grade, step, salary, tenure, and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). To verify you meet Time-in-Grade requirements, also submit an SF-50 reflecting when you entered your highest grade held (e.g., Promotion, Appointment, etc.)
- CTAP: For displaced Federal/VA employees. SF-50 showing Career or Career-Conditional status; AND Reduction-In-Force (RIF) Notice or certification of expected separation (not a resignation letter); AND Most recent performance appraisal.
The following documents are accepted and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please use this
checklist to make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.