Decision Review Officer

Veterans Benefits Administration; Guaynabo (PR); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Veterans Benefits Administration in the Department of Veterans Affairs seeks a Rating Quality Review Specialist located in a VARO Veterans Service Center or Pension Maintenance Center. The role supports the regional office quality assurance program and serves as a technical adviser to decision review officers and rating veterans service representatives.

The position is full-time, not remote, with requirements including time-in-grade rules and specialized experience in claims management or

Qualifications

• One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-12.
• Experience includes training, analysis, or information systems duties in a claims management process.
• Examples: conducting quality reviews, evaluating claims development programs, facilitating trainings, identifying training gaps, providing data for information systems, or guiding staff in systems operation.

Skills

Specialized Experience

Job description

This position is located in a Department of Veterans Affairs, Regional office (VARO) Veterans Service Center or Pension Maintenance Center. The Rating Quality Review Specialist is an integral part of the Veterans Service Center's quality assurance program, and is a key technical adviser to the decision review Officers (DROs) and Rating Veterans Service Representatives (RVSRs), in the Regional Office. This is NOT a remote position.

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 Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (https://appsupport-usastaffing.opm.gov/hc/en-us/sections/45063131363475-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information)

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:11/03/2026.

TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT

• For a GS-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12.
• If you are a current VBA employee requesting a reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS-13 (or higher) and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least GS-13.

NOTE: All current or former Federal employees must provide a copy of their SF-50 (you may need to submit more than one), "Notice of Personnel Action" that indicates proof of status and time-in-grade eligibility. The SF-50 must include your position, title, series, grade, step, tenure (1 or 2), and type of service (Competitive or Excepted).

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.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

GS-13 Grade Level:

Specialized Experience: You must have One (1) year of Specialized Experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12. Specialized Experience is defined as work that involves functioning in either a capacity performing training, analyst or information systems duties of a claims management process. The experience should be substantive and relevant and may have been gained in the federal, military, or private sector.

Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to:

• conducting reviews to analyze the quality of completed rated cases,
• conducting evaluations and reviews on a quantitative or qualitative basis of claims development programs and operations to determine the effectiveness in meeting established goals and objectives;
• preparing or conducting training activities;
• identifying knowledge/skill gaps and plan training strategies;
• providing and implementing data for one or more information management systems accurately and timely or providing technical guidance and direction to staff in the daily operation and maintenance of claims management systems.

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.

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/