Summary
Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) eligibles only in the commuting area of the selected duty location.
LOCATION: This position is located in various Field Offices for the Social Security Administration.
TOUR OF DUTY: Multiple work schedules. Up to 40 hours.
TYPE OF POSITION: Temporary, Not To Exceed 1 year: may be extended - will not become permanent.
This job is open to
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
APPLICATIONS WILL ONLY BE ACCEPTED FROM those eligible for Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) in the commuting area of the selected duty location.
Duties
Claims Specialists conduct interviews with the public to obtain, clarify, and verify information about initial and continuing eligibility for retirement, survivors, disability, health insurance benefits, and eligibility for supplemental security income including State supplements. In addition, they resolve discrepancies, clarify issues and make final decisions for initial and post-entitlement for benefits and payments; adjudicate and authorize entitlement or disallowance actions at all levels of difficulty and complexity under programs administered by SSA.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
- Proof of ICTAP eligibility and/or Proof of Military Spouse eligibility required
- U.S. Citizenship required
- Selective Service Registration, if applicable (www.sss.gov)
- Background and/or security investigation required
- Job offers are contingent on background / security investigation results
- All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement
Qualifications
Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience at the GS-9 level or equivalent, which is in or related to the work of the position to be filled and has equipped applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Examples of specialized experience include developing, examining, investigating or authorizing of claims under a program for SSA benefits, health insurance, pension plan, income maintenance or related programs.
The following time-in-grade requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
Applicants must have 52 weeks at the GS-9 or higher.
SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR:
COMPETENCY ASSESSMENT INTERVIEW PROCESS (CAIP) INTERVIEW - Applicants will be required to participate in a panel interview (after basic eligibility determination) to demonstrate an aptitude for meeting and dealing with the public. Applicants must pass this interview process in order to be found fully qualified for this position and receive further consideration for selection. This interview will cover typical situations, which might be encountered on the job, in person or over the telephone. Applicants must demonstrate qualities such as clarity of speech, ability to listen, ability to establish confidence and put others at ease and the ability to organize and express thoughts clearly. If you do not pass the CAIP interview, you will not qualify for the job. Panel interviews may be conducted via video conferencing software, if technically feasible.
NOTE: Previous Meet and Deal results are not valid for this vacancy announcement; you will be required to complete the CAIP assessment.
Education
PROOF OF EDUCATION: If you are qualifying on the basis of education or satisfying an educational requirement, submit a copy of your transcripts that includes your name, the name of the educational institution, course title(s), number of credits, grade, and date of completion. Unofficial transcripts or screenshots of electronic/web transcripts with the required information will be accepted at the time of application. You must submit your transcripts according to the application submission details of this announcement. Documents will not be accepted via email or regular mail. If selected, you may be required to provide your official college transcripts prior to the effective date of the personnel action placing you into the new position.
GS-11: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or successful completion of three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent degree, or LL.M.
Combining Education and Experience:
GS-11: Experience and graduate level education beyond the second year may be combined to meet the minimum qualification requirement.
Note: One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school you attended has determined to represent one year of study. If this information is not provided, we will consider 18 semester/27 quarter hours to be equal to one year of full-time graduate study.
Experience and education will be computed as percentages of the overall requirements and must equal to 100 percent when combined.
Additional information
In addition to the minimum qualifications, applicants must be eligible under the following category:
- Displaced or surplus Federal employees eligible under the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) who have held a GS-11 or above, and in the commuting area of the selected duty locations.
In addition to meeting the basic eligibility criteria, ICTAP applicants must be well qualified for the position. Well-qualified is defined as having knowledge, skills, and abilities that clearly exceed the minimum qualification requirements for the position. Under numeric rating procedures, qualified ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of
85 or higher to be eligible for selection.
This is not a career-ladder position; GS-11 is the full performance level.
This is a bargaining unit position represented by the American Federation of Government Employees.
Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See
www.sss.gov.
Additional selections may be made for this vacancy six months from the closing date of this announcement.
LOCALITY PAY: Salary will be set in accordance with locality pay provisions. Refer to for locality pay tables.
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.
The evaluation you receive is based on your responses to the questionnaire. Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the occupation questionnaire, which is designed to capture the desired competencies for this position.
The following knowledge, skills, and abilities are necessary to perform the duties of this position:
- Knowledge of principles, objectives, policies and procedures of a benefits entitlement programs
- Ability to research, interpret and apply standards, directives, policies and legislation.
- Ability to communicate orally.
- Ability to communicate in writing.
- Skill in using online technology and automation tools.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and balance workloads.
Please make sure you answer all questions and follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your evaluation. The questionnaire takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. To preview the questions, click the following link:
https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12945944
Required Documents
Resumes exceeding two pages in length will not be considered, please visit the new resume guidance for more information.
You must submit supporting documentation by the closing date of the vacancy announcement to claim certain types of preference or qualify on the basis of education.
INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP): ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority for competitive service vacancies. To receive selection priority, candidates must meet the requirements for the Well Qualified category as described in the vacancy announcement. Candidates must also provide:
- proof of eligibility with your application. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation Notice of Personnel Action, (SF-50); and
- proof of your most recent performance rating of at least "fully successful" (Level III) or equivalent.
For more information visit
http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp.
PROOF OF EDUCATION: If you are qualifying on the basis of education or satisfying an educational requirement, submit a copy of your transcripts that includes your name, the name of the educational institution, course title(s), number of credits, grade, and date of completion. Unofficial transcripts or screenshots of electronic/web transcripts with the required information will be accepted at the time of application. You must submit your transcripts according to the application submission details of this announcement. Documents will not be accepted via email or regular mail. If selected, you may be required to provide your official college transcripts prior to the effective date of the personnel action placing you into the new position.
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.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
- Your Resume
- Proof of ICTAP eligibility
- Transcripts (if applicable)
- The Occupational Questionnaire
- Additional Required Documents, if applicable (see Required Documents section)
The complete Application Package must be submitted before midnight (ET) on 05/13/2026.
To begin the process, click the
Apply Online button to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account. Follow the prompts to complete the occupational questionnaire. Please ensure you click the
Submit My Answers button at the end of the process.
If you use assistive software or an adaptive device, or you are experiencing some other type of technical difficulty and/or otherwise require assistance with the application process, please contact Careers@ssa.gov.
Individuals with hearing or speech disabilities may use the listed email or 7-1-1 for TTY-based Telecommunications Relay Services to call the listed phone number. Additional Telecommunications Relay Services options are available in each state:
https://www.fcc.gov/general/trs-state-and-territories
Due to our security procedures, our office will not accept any applications submitted via email or standard mail. The email address is listed only for inquiries about the position or the How to Apply process.
To check the status of your application or return to a previous or incomplete application, log in to your
USAJOBS account.
Next steps
Once you have successfully submitted your application materials, you can expect to receive at least two or more of the following email notifications concerning your application status: (1) Receipt of application; (2) Qualifications status and whether your application has been Referred/Not Referred to the selecting official; and (3) Selection status for the position.
Selection interviews may be conducted with one or more of the candidates, but there is no requirement that interviews be conducted. The hiring office will contact candidates directly for interviews. Interviews may be conducted via video conferencing software, if technically feasible. Applicants referred for consideration will receive a final disposition notice after selections have been made.