Clarification from the agency

This opportunity is open to Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) employees ONLY.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: HR Specialist Total Rewards

The overall responsibilities of the Supervisory HR Specialist (OWCP) include, but are not limited to:

• Developing and managing the VISN Workers' Compensation Program.
• Actively facilitating methods and techniques to reduce and prevent unnecessary and costly expenditures related to the VISN Workers' Compensation Program.
• Ensure productive duty assignments for injured workers as soon as medically possible.
• Ensure all VISN supervisors are provided with training opportunities for their roles and responsibilities related to the Workers' Compensation Program.
• Interfacing with physicians, attorneys, employees, and management staff; making recommendations regarding aspects of decisions related to workers' compensation cases; coordinating return-to-work plans; coordinating and monitoring rehabilitation plans for injured employees; evaluating results of medical examinations and making appropriate determinations.
• Respond to and resolve difficult and sensitive inquiries and complaints.
• Evaluate problems and take appropriate action to resolve issues/concerns.
• Advise employees and supervisors of procedures to follow when an injury occurs and inform injured employees of their rights, benefits and responsibilities under the program.
• Stay abreast of trends and innovations in the field of workers' compensation administration and keeps current on legislative and regulatory issues at the State and Federal levels.
• Establishing and ensuring standards and procedures for all matters relating to workers' compensation regulations, policies, procedures, goals, objectives, and strategies are implemented throughout the VISN. Ensuring locally developed policy complies with applicable laws and regulations as well as VA and VHA policy.
• Identifying, evaluating, and assessing probability and severity of losses; developing, implementing and monitoring VISN-wide cost containment strategies to prevent and minimize losses.
• Attend and conduct meetings; lead or participate in discussions regarding workers' compensation issues; represent VISN Workers' Compensation Program before external groups and agencies and appeal boards.
• Plans work to be accomplished by subordinates, prepares schedules for completion of work, assigns work to subordinates and/or leads based on priorities, selective consideration of the difficulty and requirements of assignments and capabilities of employees, evaluates work performance of subordinates.
• Implement and review performance measures and collaborate with subordinates to develop action plans to address areas of inefficiency and improvement.
• Perform quality case review and regular consultation with subordinates on complex administrative cases, congressional correspondence, and other written program responses.
• Develop and provide subordinates with professional guidance, education, training, and orientation to ensure compliance with laws, regulations, and policies.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm, subject to change based on the needs of the facility.
Telework: This position may be authorized for Ad-Hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Human Resources Specialist (OWCP)/PD99961S
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.
Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-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.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary or 2-year trial 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 or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/19/2026.

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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12.

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.

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.

The BASIC REQUIREMENT for the HR Specialist GS-0201 series is presumed met if found qualified at the GS-0201-7 level and above.

To qualify for this position at the GS-13 level, you must meet one of the following listed Criteria:

Criteria 1 - Graduate Degree and Specialized Experience: Successful completion of a graduate level degree or higher and three years of progressive specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level. Such experience may be gained in administrative, professional, technical or other responsible work positions in the public (i.e., Government or military) or private sector. Qualifying specialized experience includes:

1. Researching and interpreting legal and regulatory program guidance to include case law, United States Code, Code of Federal Regulations, and VA Handbooks and Directives in order to apply advanced HR principles, concepts, and practices related to all aspects of employee and labor relations programs, including fact finding or types of inquiries.
2. Experience utilizing analytical and diagnostic techniques and qualitative and quantitative techniques sufficient to identify, evaluate, and recommend to management appropriate HR interventions to resolve complex interrelated HR problems and issues.
3. Advising employees and supervisors of procedures to follow when an injury occurs and inform injured employees of their rights, benefits and responsibilities under the program.
4. Experience utilizing consensus building, negotiating, coalition building, and conflict resolution techniques sufficient to interact appropriately in highly charged emotional situations.
5. Skilled in written and oral communication techniques sufficient to develop and deliver briefings, project papers, status/staff reports, and correspondence to managers to foster understanding and acceptance of findings and recommendations.

~OR~

Criteria 2 - Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in federal service that demonstrates HR management knowledge, concepts and principles and the performance of work in one or more of the HR specialty areas. Such experience may be gained in administrative, professional, technical or other responsible work positions in the public (i.e., Government or military) or private sector. Qualifying specialized experience includes:

1. Extensive knowledge of, and ability to apply, a wide range of Human Resources (HR) concepts, principles, laws, regulations and practices; VA Handbooks and policies, and collective bargaining agreements related to Workers' Compensation; United States Code; Code of Federal Regulations; pertinent state and local laws, codes, safety regulations, including the State Labor Code, Workers Compensation and Americans with Disability Act laws, OSHA, and employment laws, procedures and regulations sufficient to serve as a consultant in providing advice and guidance to managers, employees, union officials, and applicants.
2. Developing and providing professional guidance, education, training, and orientation for managers and employees to ensure compliance with laws, regulations, and policies.
3. Providing guidance and counsel to facility and VISN employees, managers and supervisors regarding their rights, responsibilities and requirements under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) immediately following the first report of work-related injury or illness.
4. Evaluating all claims against the five required elements of a compensable claim, i.e., Time elements, federal employee status, Fact of Injury (factual), Fact of Injury (medical, diagnosis), Performance of Duty, and Causal Relationship.
5. Representing and acting on behalf of the facility and agency workers' compensation program, both orally and in writing (including monitoring active cases and responding to correspondence, including providing appeals and other information pertinent to each case).

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Attention to Detail
• Problem Solving
• Reasoning
• Strategic Thinking

Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. 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. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR 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.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

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

• Performance Appraisal
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

Resume Requirement: Your resume must include the following information: Job title, description of duties, beginning and ending date (month/year) of employment, and average hours worked per week.

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please 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 ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• Time in Grade SF-50
• PCS Orders
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility):

• Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee
• 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 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; or
  • SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.

Veterans' Preference: Does not apply to internal merit promotion or CTAP only postings.

Next steps

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