Supervisory Workers' Compensation Claims Examiner (Office Director)

Supervisory Workers' Compensation Claims Examiner (Office Director)

All current Department of Labor employees with competitive status. This position is located within the Department of Labor (DOL), Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP), Division of Federal Employees', Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation (DFELHWC). The work carried out by this position is applicable throughout any of DFELHWC District Offices. This position is outside the bargaining unit.

• $122,198 - $191,900/year

All current Department of Labor employees with competitive status. This position is located within the Department of Labor (DOL), Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP), Division of Federal Employees', Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation (DFELHWC). The work carried out by this position is applicable throughout any of DFELHWC District Offices. This position is outside the bargaining unit.

Salary

• $122,198 - $191,900/year

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Must be at least 16 years old.
• Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level.
• Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• Subject to financial disclosure requirements.
• Requires a supervisory probationary period if the requirement has not been met.

Qualifications

In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. Position titles alone cannot be used to determine if you are qualified. Please list dates in MM/DD/YYYY format. This is imperative in determining if you have at least one year of creditable specialized experience. Dates will not be assumed.

Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-13, in the Federal Service.

Specialized Experience is the experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform the duties of the position successfully, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.

Applicants must have at least 52 weeks of experience at the next lower level in the position being filled. This experience must demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the Federal laws as it relates to the Federal Employees' Compensation Act. Examples of specialized experience would include work experience in all of the areas as follows:
· Managerial skills to provide direct supervision over subordinate staff
· Developing effective solutions to mitigate risks and using qualitative and/or quantitative methods to assess program effectiveness and recommend improvements.
· Management or oversight of complex and controversial problems associated with pharmaceutical benefits in the FECA program, to include opioid and compounded medications.
· Technical and administrative responsibility in processing workers' compensation claims/benefits cases and final adjudication of medical claims.

Duties

Duties include but are not limited to:

-Actively contribute to and support a comprehensive and integrated program to ensure effective implementation of workers' compensation provisions of the FECA. Oversee the overall planning, direction, and timely execution of the FECA program and several program segments (e.g., administrative operations, vocational rehabilitation services, communications, fiscal operations, information technology, medical coding, claims adjudication, etc.) at the field level.
-Monitor the performance of the Office Director with respect to the Operational Plan. Direct all activities that relate to receiving, reviewing, developing, and adjudicating all workers' compensation claims under the FECA that fall within his/her area of jurisdiction.
-Interact and meet with claimants, claimant representatives (to include attorneys and union representatives), employers, Congressional liaisons and
representatives, and union officials to address problems related to interpretations of the law, decisions of the Employees' Compensation Appeals Board (ECAB), and workers' compensation procedures as well as to resolve other critical challenges.
-Has delegated authority for directing, formulating, issuing, and implementing policies, procedures, and practices in connection with the Act to ensure the effective administration of Federal workers' compensation statutes and amendments. This involves reviewing, assessing, and recommending changes in FECA policy and implementing a strategy to effect those policies.
-Develop and implement internal policies and procedures for the Office Director for the efficient and economical administration of the FECA program that aid in minimizing improper payments.

EducationAny applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service. If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.Other Information

The mission of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to protect the welfare of workers and job seekers, improve working conditions, expand high-quality employment opportunities, and assure work-related benefits and rights for all workers. As such, the Department is committed to fostering a workplace and workforce that promote equal employment opportunity, reflects the diversity of the people we seek to serve, and models a culture of respect, equity, inclusion, and accessibility where every employee feels heard, supported, and empowered.

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION , REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION , ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION , FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

As a condition of employment, all personnel must undergo a background investigation for access to DOL facilities, systems, information and/or classified materials before they can enter on duty: BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION

Click here for Career Ladder Promotion Information

You may not be aware, but in the regulations for agency ethics programs, there are requirements for supervisors. Section 2638.103 of Title 5 of the CFR states: Every supervisor in the executive branch has a heightened personal responsibility for advancing government ethics. It is imperative that supervisors serve as models of ethical behavior for subordinates. Supervisors have a responsibility to help ensure that subordinates are aware of their ethical obligations under the Standards of Conduct and that subordinates know how to contact agency ethics officials. Supervisors are also responsible for working with agency ethics officials to help resolve conflicts of interests and enforce government ethics laws and regulations, including those requiring certain employees to file financial disclosure reports. In addition, supervisors are responsible, when requested, for assisting agency ethics officials in evaluating potential conflicts of interest and identifying positions subject to financial disclosure requirements.

Supervisory Financial Disclosure (If applicable): This position is subject to the confidential financial disclosure requirements of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (P.L. 95-521). Therefore, if selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) to determine if a conflict or an appearance of a conflict exists between your financial interest(s) and your prospective position with DOL. This information will be required annually.


Based on agency needs, additional positions may be filled using this vacancy.

The Department of Labor may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government to attract highly qualified candidates. Click here for Additional Information .

The Fair Chance Act (FCA) prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOL employee has violated your rights under the FCA, you may file a complaint of the alleged violation following our agency's complaint process Guidelines for Reporting Violations of the Fair Chance Act .

Note: The FCA does not apply to some positions specified under the Act, such as law enforcement or national security positions.

Required Documents

The following documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements of time-in-grade (52 weeks at the next lower grade), time-after-competitive-appointment (90 days), and minimum qualifications (52 weeks equivalent to the next lower grade in federal service). These requirements must be met within 30 days of 05/09/2024 the announcement closing date.

The following documents are required from all applicants (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY):

• STATUS FEDERAL EMPLOYEES: If applying as a status candidate with current or former Federal Service, please provide a copy of your last or most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action which shows your appointment eligibility for the position for which you are applying. Your SF-50 must identify the highest grade you held on a permanent basis, Pay Plan/Pay Schedule, Series, Grade/Pay Band, and career status. Multiple SF-50 may be submitted to demonstrate your highest previous rate and eligibility.

*WARNING: An award SF-50 (ex. cash or time off award) may not indicate grade, step, and competitive status. For current DOL employees, an award SF-50 DOES NOT indicate grade and step.

• Resumes are required- provide a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one from your profile. To receive full consideration for relevant and specialized experience, please list the month, year, and number of work hours worked for experience listed on your resume. We also suggest that you preview the vacancy questions, and confirm that your resume supports your question responses.
• Most recent performance appraisal/evaluation signed and dated within 18 months is requested by the agency, but will not disqualify candidates if not submitted. If not submitted during the application process, one may/will be requested at the time of the interview if the opportunity is extended. *In most cases, CTAP applicants must submit this document - see the CTAP link below for more details.

The following documents are required (if applicable):

• Displaced Employee Placement Documents: Only required if requesting priority consideration under Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP ) Eligibility. Click/Review this CTAP link to confirm what must be submitted as proof that the requirement has been met.

Cover Letters are not mandatory and will not be used to verify experience but may be submitted.

Do not upload password-protected documents.

Applicants selected for employment who are not current DOL employees will be required to provide proof of citizenship , and the E-Verify system will be used to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires.

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

Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or have speech disabilities, please dial 711 to access telecommunications relay services.

To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, including submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section.

Your application and ALL required supplemental documents MUST be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the vacancy closing date to receive consideration.

Paper applications and supplemental documents submitted in any other manner without prior approval from the vacancy contact will not be considered. Click here for information on Reasonable Accommodations.

Important - Save your information before the 30 minute system timeout! For help, go to USAJOBS Help Center .

STEP 1 - Create USAJOBS Account on www.usajobs.gov , including Resume and Saved Documents. Your resume must provide sufficient information to substantiate your responses to the self-assessment vacancy questions. If not, HR may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the competency indicated by resume content. For each employment period, include start/end month & year and note full-time or part-time (if part-time, include # of hours worked per week) otherwise, your application may be considered incomplete.

STEP 2 - Complete the 1st part of the application process (USAJOBS) Once you have identified a job on USAJOBS that you wish to apply for, click on the job title and then click the Apply button. For questions about the vacancy, contact the Agency Contact at the bottom of the announcement. Proceed through the steps noted at the top of the USAJOBS page. You will be able to select a resume and documents from your USAJOBS Account that you can submit as a package as part of your DOL application. In the final step, once you have certified your application, click the Continue to agency site button.

STEP 3 - Complete the 2nd part of the application process (DOL). On the Department of Labor (DOL) page, create a DOL Account if you have not already and click Apply to this vacancy. Continue through the progress steps at the top of the DOL page. The 2nd progress step is where you answer the vacancy-specific questions. The 3rd progress step Documents is where you submit the required documents (only if applicable to you) specified in the Required Documents section of this vacancy.

STEP 4 - On the Review and Submit step, verify each section of your application is complete and correct. In order to submit your application, you must have a check mark next to each section listed. If there is an X, return to the appropriate section and follow the prompts. When it is ready for submission, certify your application and click the Submit Application button.

STEP 5 - Edit Application as needed by 11:59 pm Eastern Time of Closing Date by returning to USAJOBS, clicking the vacancy, thenUpdate Application.

NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

For more detailed information on applying for positions with DOL click here to view the U.S. Department of Labor, How to Apply website.

Benefits

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. Learn 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.