Congressional Liaison Representative.

Veterans Benefits Administration; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Veterans Benefits Administration in Chicago seeks a Congressional Liaison Representative to manage inquiries from Congress and executive offices, coordinating responses on behalf of the Regional Director. This role involves researching issues, prioritizing actions, and communicating information about VBA benefits to constituents.

The incumbent will conduct briefings and trainings for congressional staff, represent the Regional Office at events, and prepare required reports.

Qualifications

• Specialized experience: 1 year (52 weeks) at GS-7 level or equivalent.
• Education substitution allows a master's degree for experience at the GS-09 level.
• Combining education & experience can total 100% of the requirement.
• Volunteer experience can count toward qualifying.
• Full-time employment defined as 35 hours per week.
• Physical requirements: mostly sedentary with occasional light movement.
• Education must be accredited; transcripts may be required.

Responsibilities

• Review inquiries from Congress, White House, Secretary, Office of the Director, Veterans Service Center and others.
• Respond to inquiries by phone or in writing on behalf of the Director of the Regional Office.
• Research and analyze inquiries to determine action and priority.
• Communicate with congressional constituents about VBA services and benefits.
• Conduct briefings and trainings for congressional staff on VBA benefits.
• Represent the Regional Office at events and may serve as guest speaker/panelist.
• Prepare reports in accordance with established priorities.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Counseling customers

Liaison between government & public

Briefings to large groups

Education

Master's degree or equivalent graduate degree

Job description

Duties

• Reviewing all Congressional, White House, Secretary, Office of the Director, Veterans Service Center, and other special inquiries received by letter, fax, email, and/or telephone.
• Responding to all inquiries by telephone or in writing on behalf of the Director of the Regional Office.
• Researching and analyzing inquiries to determine the correct course of action and priority.
• Communicating with congressional constituents to provide information pertaining to services and benefits available to Veterans.
• Conducting briefings and training sessions for congressional staff on VBA benefits.
• Representing the Regional Office at events and may serve as guest speaker/panelist.
• Preparing reports in accordance with established priorities.

Work Schedule

Full Time, M-F 8:00am - 4:30pm

Compressed/Flexible

No

Telework

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 Title/PD#

Congressional Liaison Representative; PD39706A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives

Not Authorized

Financial Disclosure Report

Not Required

Bargaining Unit

Yes

Requirements

• 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.
• 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
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements
• 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.
• Incumbent must be willing to report to the duty station indicated for this position

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement: 09/21/2026.

Time-In-Grade

• For a GS-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at or above the GS-7 grade level

Minimum Qualifications

• Specialized Experience: One (1) year (52 weeks) of Specialized Experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-7). Specialized experience is defined as experience in (1) analyzing submitted claims and initiating action to obtain all required evidence to support the claim. AND at least one of the following: (2) counseling customers and/or veterans, their dependents and their beneficiaries regarding their benefits, OR (3) serving as a liaison between government personnel (inside and outside the organization), representatives of business and industry, trade and professional associations, the media, or the public. OR (4) Conducting comprehensive briefings to large groups.
• Education: A master's or equivalent graduate degree (such as an LL.B. or J.D., if related) from an accredited college or university, or two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, may be substituted for experience at the GS-09 level. This graduate education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the duties of the position. Note: A transcript must be submitted with the application if all or part of the qualifications is based on education.
• 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.
• 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 normally involves mental rather than physical exertion. The work is mostly sedentary. However, there may be some walking, standing, and carrying of light items such as papers, books, claims folders, and files from one desk to another or for returning to storage. Carts are utilized to carry large number of claims folders. This will require the incumbent to push or pull the cart from one area to another.
• For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Education must be accredited by an

All education claimed by applicants will be verified upon appointment. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a

Note: You may submit unofficial transcripts when applying. However, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to provide an official transcript or a statement from the institution (e.g., from the registrar, dean, or other appropriate official) or equivalent documentation prior to the start date.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting your current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP),

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement.

To determine if you need a RA, please review the

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.

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.