Veterans Service Representative (Rating)

Clarification from the agency

This vacancy announcement is open ONLY to current, permanent VBA employees who are currently assigned to the Regional Office Veterans Service Center (VSC) Division they are applying to and current/former VA employees who are CTAP eligible.

This position is located in the Department of Veteran Affairs. The Rating Veterans Service Representative (RVSR) works as an employee in the Veterans Service Center (VSC). The Rating Veterans Service Representative analyzes claims, applies VA's Schedule for Rating Disabilities (Rating Schedule), and prepares rating decisions informing the VSR and/or claimant of the decision, the bases, and reason for it. They serve as a decision maker for claims involving rating decisions. They determine service connection, percentage of disability, permanent and total disability, entitlement to compensation, pension, vocational training, medical and dental treatment, automobiles, or other conveyances, insurance, specially adapted housing, dependent education allowances, and other ancillary benefits. Specifically, the RVSR will:

• Analyze claims to determine if diseases and injuries were incurred in or aggravated by the military service in the line of duty for purposes of compensation, hospital treatment, prosthetic appliances, and related employment and compensation benefits.

• Determine a need for examinations or re-examinations for observations of Veterans and their dependents and the character of such examinations.
• Determine the permanent incapacity and/or the competency of Veterans and their dependents.
• Apply VA's Schedule for Rating Disabilities (Rating Schedule) and prepare rating decisions informing the Veterans Service Representative and/or claimant of the decision and reasons and basis for it.
• As dictated by the circumstances of the claims case, may directly communicate and interact with Veterans and their representatives/advocates.

Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. GS-9, GS-10, GS-11, GS-12
Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday 7:30am-4pm
Compressed/Flexible: Available
Telework: Not Available;
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Veterans Service Representative (Rating), 32104A, 22104A,12104A, 02104A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Bargaining Unit: Yes

Conditions of employment

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period 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 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
• Required to attend an 8-week training session, which may require travel.
• RVSR Skill Certification required at the GS-12 level.
• 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:07/16/2026.

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.
• For a GS-10 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 level.
• For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-10 level.
• For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11 level.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE:

GS-09 Level: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level or higher in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as gathering or requesting evidence to respond to claimant inquiries for federal, state, or local benefits in areas such as but not limited to: burial benefits, education benefits, monetary benefits, welfare benefits, housing benefits and various other federal, state, or local programs.

Example of experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• Gathering and requesting evidence to build service program case files, respond to claimant inquiries, and identify errors, inconsistencies, or omissions.

Education Substitution: Applicants may substitute education for the experience required to qualify at the GS-9 grade level. Master's or equivalent graduate degree; or Two (2) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LLB. or J.D., if related.
OR
Applicants may combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-09 grade level: When substituting you can only use graduate level education you have earned. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned. Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. For example, an applicant who has 27 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education in excess of the first 18 semester credit hours earned) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the GS-09 grade level.
Example of experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• Explaining decisions to claimants, customers, special interest groups, dependents and/or representatives in an effort to gain understanding of determinations.

Two and a half years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in a field related to the duties of this position.
OR
Equivalent combinations of Specialized Experience (1) and Graduate level education (2). (To compute, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education beyond two years by 9. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 to qualify).

GS-11 Level: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-10 grade level or higher in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as (1) explaining federal or state-administered benefits decisions to claimants to help them gain an understanding of claim determinations; and (2) evaluating evidence and allegations to draw sound conclusions regarding benefit claims.

Examples of experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• Determining the eligibility for federal or state-administered benefits, such as: disability, education, housing, medical and/or veterans' benefits.
• Applying federal and state laws to process claims pertaining to a service, disability, or benefit program.

OR
Education substitution of a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree;
OR
Three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M, if related.
OR
Equivalent combinations of Specialized Experience ( 1) and Graduate level education (2). (To compute, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education beyond two years by 9. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 to qualify).

GS-12 Level: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level or higher in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as (1) determining the eligibility for federal, state, or local administered benefits, such as: disability, education, housing, medical and/or veterans' benefits; and (2) applying federal or state laws to process claims pertaining to an employment, disability, or benefit program.

Examples of experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• Processing claims for eligibility for workers' compensation benefits to determine appropriateness and amount of worker's compensation claims.
• Performing, ordering and/or evaluating diagnostic tests to identify and assess patient's condition, report symptoms or changes in patients' condition, maintain accurate detailed reports/charts.

There is no education substitution at GS-12 grade level.

Physical Requirements: The work normally involves mental rather than physical exertion. The work is mostly sedentary. Typically, the employee sits comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking; standing; bending; and carrying of light items, such as papers or books.

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.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.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 positionYou will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• 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.
• Oral Communication: Express information to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information; listens to others; asks questions and gains or shares information.
• Problem Solving: Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.
• 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.
• Written Communication: Recognizes and uses correct English grammar, punctuation, and spelling; communicates information in brief, clear, and organized manner; produces written information, which may include technical material, that is appropriate for the intended audience.

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 preview the application questionnaire, click the following link:https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12994827 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 not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or 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.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package to include the documents detailed below.
Failure to submit the required documents may result in your application being considered incomplete and you being deemed ineligible. It is your responsibility to ensure your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. We will not request additional documentation or accept late or missing documents after the announcement has closed.

• Resume, limited to 2-pages, 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 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 (e.g. Promotion, Appointment, etc.) in order to verify time-in-grade requirements.
• Transcript reflecting your degree.
  • 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

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 ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.

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 50s do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.
• Examples of appropriate SF-50s include:
  • Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
  • Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
  • SF-50s at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.

Next steps

Additional locations