Program Specialist

Clarification from the agency

This vacancy is ONLY open to current, permanent (career/career conditional) employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs and current/former VA employees who are Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) eligible. For purposes of this job announcement, Fiduciary Hub bargaining unit employees in the commuting area are considered facility employees.

Specific duties include:

• Responsible for assisting the Vocational Readiness Counselors (VRC) and the Employment Coordinators (EC) with technical management of the VR&E caseload and aiding veteran clients.
• Collaborates with VRC, DVOPs, and program participants to resolve issues pertaining to the participant's rehabilitation program.
• Assists program participants that are eligible for vocational readiness under USC Chapter 31 and carries out basic function in Case Management.
• Liaise with clients and employment service contractors and recommend various phases of employment contract services when warranted by case facts.
• Review contractor reports and billing for quality and accuracy and recommends certification of invoices for payment. Resolves problems; disseminates information and explains program requirements.
• Provides for Chapter 31 benefit consultation to Contract, School and Training Officials and VR&E Staff as required.
• Performs case management administrative support duties such as completing general eligibility determinations, obligating contract task orders, inputting subsistence and employment adjustment allowance awards, preparing medical referrals, enrollment authorizations and reviewing vouchers for payment.
• Serves as System Administrator for the automated case management systems, CWINRS. runs batch processor, initiates terminal server batch processor and letter file, adds custom letters and forms, and maintains and updates system information as well as instructs new employees on its use and troubleshooting user problems. Processes Dependency Updates and Appointments as needed.

Promotion Potential: None, this is the full performance level of the position.

Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm
Compressed/Flexible: Not Available
Telework: Available. This position is eligible for situational (ad hoc) telework only. The selectee is required to report to the official duty station each scheduled workday. Telework may be approved only on a case-by-case basis with supervisory approval. Routine or recurring telework is not authorized for this position.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist; PD40205-A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Conditions of employment

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may 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, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

• 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

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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement on 08/14/2026.

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.

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: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. Specialized experience: is defined as knowledge of benefits and services available to veterans AND experience assisting case managers by addressing and resolving issues presented by customers. In addition to the duties described above, to qualify for the GS-09 grade level, the application must possess the knowledge of benefits and services available to assist program participants understanding and completing program requirements.

Education Substitution: Applicants may substitute education for required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Master's or equivalent graduate degree, or two (2) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related.

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 work is mostly sedentary; however, some walking and bending will be required. Limited travel may be required to visit to the VR&E out-based offices, schools, and training facilities, and VA contractor offices.

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 evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

• Oral Communication - Expresses information to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
• Written Communication - Recognizes or uses correct English grammar, punctuation, and spelling; communicates information (for example, facts, ideas, or messages) in a succinct and organized manner; produces written information, which may include technical material that is appropriate for the intended audience.
• Problem Solving- Identifies and analyzes problems; uses sound reasoning to arrive at conclusions; finds alternative solutions to complex problems; distinguishes between relevant and irrelevant information to make logical judgments.
• Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) - Works and communicates with clients and customers (e.g. any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit provides, including individuals who work in your agency or in other agencies or organizations outside the government) to satisfy their expectations. Committed to quality services.
• Technical Competence - Knowledge of how to perform one's job. Refers to specialized knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on­ the-job experience.
• Planning and Evaluating - Determines objectives and strategies; coordinates with other parts of the organization to accomplish goals; monitors and evaluates the progress and outcomes of operational plans; anticipates potential threats or opportunities.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package to include the documents detailed below. Resumes may not exceed two pages and must be legible for review of eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. 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:
  • Contact Information:
    • Name and how best to contact you, including email address and phone number
  • Relevant Work Experience:
    • For each relevant work experience, make sure you include:
      • Job Title and Employer (including series and grade for any Federal positions)
      • Start and end dates with month/year (e.g., 05/2019 - 08/2022)
      • The number of hours you worked per week
    • Ensure work experience descriptions are aligned with the job announcement and address all required qualifications. Brief descriptions should demonstrate your ability to perform the tasks at the required level as stated in the job announcement
  • Education/Certification/ Licensure:
    • When relevant or required for the position, include your possession of education/ certification/license and provide any required documentation such as transcripts, and/or details (type and date) of certifications and/or licenses
      • Education information should include:
        • Name of school/institution
        • Completion date
        • Degree type
        • Cumulative Grade point average (GPA)
  • Optional Details:
    • When relevant, include:
      • Current Security Clearance
      • Job-related training
      • Language skills
      • Organizations and affiliations
      • Professional publications
      • Eligibility for special programs (e.g., military spouses, individuals with disabilities, etc.)
• A copy of your most recent NON-award SF-50. 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).

• Your SF-50 reflecting when you entered your highest grade. To verify you meet Time-in-Grade requirements, also submit a SF-50 reflecting when you entered your highest grade held (e.g. Promotion, Appointment, etc.).
• Current VBA Employees seeking a reassignment/change to lower grade. You must submit a copy of your most recent SF-50 (non-award) AND the SF-50 placing you into your current position.

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.
NOTE: Award and General Adjustment SF-50's do not provide sufficient information will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time in grade. Recommended SF-50's include Within Grade Increases (WGI), Promotions and Appointments.

• Transcripts: If you are using education to qualify. Your transcript must show coursework and the total number of credits earned to include graduation date and degree. A diploma is NOT sufficient to determine qualifications.

Additional Documents accepted:

• Most recent Performance Appraisal (VA Form 0750)
• Award SF-50s
• CTAP documentation - RIF notice, SF-50 showing VA employee, and performance appraisal

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