Congressional Liaison Representative.

Veterans Benefits Administration; Fort Snelling Unorganized Territory (MN, WI); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Veterans Benefits Administration is seeking a Congressional Liaison Representative to manage inquiries from Congress and other offices. The role involves researching complex issues, drafting accurate responses, and coordinating with management to determine action paths.

You will train congressional staffers and new employees on relevant processes and policies. The position supports information provision on veterans services and benefits, with a standard work schedule and situational telework

Qualifications

• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Selective Service registration for males born after 12/31/1959 is required.
• Background and security investigation may be required.
• Time-in-grade rules apply for current Federal employees.

Responsibilities

• Review congressional, White House, Secretary, and other inquiries received by letter and telephone.
• Respond to inquiries by telephone or in writing.
• Research and analyze inquiries to determine the correct course of action.
• Discuss with management to determine the correct course of action.
• Provide information on services and benefits available to Veterans.
• Provide training for congressional staffers.
• Provide training to new employees on communication with Congressional Offices and special inquiries.
• Develop and process claims to assist in the completion of inquiries.

Skills

Effective communication

Policy interpretation

Customer service

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

• Reviews all Congressional, White House, Secretary, and other special inquiries received by letter and telephone.
• Responds to all inquiries by telephone or in writing.
• Researches and analyzes inquiries to determine the correct course of action.
• Discusses with management to determine the correct course of action.
• Provides information pertaining to services and benefits available to Veterans.
• Provides training for congressional staffers.
• Provides training to new employees regarding communication with Congressional Offices and special inquiries.
• Provides feedback and training on trends and issues which are presented by the Congressional Staff.
• Develops and processes claims to assist in the completion of the inquiry.

Duties

Specific Duties Include

• Reviews all Congressional, White House, Secretary, and other special inquiries received by letter and telephone.
• Responds to all inquiries by telephone or in writing.
• Researches and analyzes inquiries to determine the correct course of action.
• Discusses with management to determine the correct course of action.
• Provides information pertaining to services and benefits available to Veterans.
• Provides training for congressional staffers.
• Provides training to new employees regarding communication with Congressional Offices and special inquiries.
• Provides feedback and training on trends and issues which are presented by the Congressional Staff.
• Develops and processes claims to assist in the completion of the inquiry.

Promotion Potential

None

Work Schedule

8:00am- 4:30pm

Compressed/Flexible

Available

Telework

Yes - 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/PD#

Congressional Liaison Representative; PD39706A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives

Not Authorized

Financial Disclosure Report

Not Required

Requirements

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
• You may be required to serve a probationary 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 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:11/02/2026.

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.
• If you are a current VBA employee seeking reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS-09 (or higher) and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least GS-09. 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.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

GS-09 Grade Level

Specialized Experience: GS-9: Applicants must have One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-07) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is experience in:

• Explaining decisions and clearly communicating the rationale for these decisions to internal and external stakeholders.
• Preparing clear, accurate, and timely technical correspondence providing benefit related information, representation rights, and responses to miscellaneous inquiries, including sensitive or high-level inquiries.
• Analyzing complex inquiries, researching issues involved, consulting with federal, state and local agencies as necessary, and preparing accurate written and verbal responses to internal or external stakeholders, including congressional offices or other external entities.
• Education Substitution: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have master's or equivalent graduate degreeor 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degreeor LL.B. or J.D., if related

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 is primarily sedentary, with periods of standing, walking, and minimal lifting (under 20 pounds).

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

Additional information

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),

VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

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 current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy.

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.

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.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members

Please visit the

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.

Special Employment Consideration

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator.

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave

Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly‑appointed Federal employee's credit for their job‑related non‑federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

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.