Legal Administrative Specialist.

Veterans Benefits Administration; Wichita (KS); Hybrid; USD 42,000 - 66,000; Full time

Job summary

Veterans Benefits Administration seeks a Legal Administrative Specialist to coordinate counseling sessions with Veterans and dependents to explain VA and non-VA benefits. Responsibilities include preparing benefit explanations, handling inquiries, and supporting claims processing with in-depth regulatory knowledge.

The role supports a broad range of programs and may include occasional telework. Applicants must meet the GS criteria and demonstrate experience in customer service, research, and

Qualifications

• Experience delivering customer service and benefit counseling.
• Ability to research and interpret regulations and procedures.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills for complex benefit explanations.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate counseling sessions with Veterans and dependents, in person or by telephone.
• Explain VBA rating decisions and processing procedures to claimants.
• Assist with benefits programs including compensation, education, home loan, health care and more.
• Prepare technical correspondence with benefit information and rights.
• Explain legal provisions and administrative practices relevant to cases.
• Initiate inquiries to resolve errors or delays in benefits.

Skills

Customer service

Oral communication

Written communication

Research ability

Attention to detail

Education

Graduate degree or higher

Job description

Duties

• Coordinates counseling sessions with Veterans, their dependents, and their beneficiaries face to face, regarding all benefits available through the VA, as well as non-VA benefits available through other agencies. This is accomplished through in-person or telephone interviews, and correspondence. or telephone VBA facilities and provides broad outreach services.
• Explains in detail, VBA rating decisions and provides explanations for the decisions using extensive knowledge of VA benefits and services, claim and appeal processing procedures and benefit determination information and all pertinent information available in system of record.
• Assists with programs include, but are not limited to, compensation and pension benefits, home loan eligibility, education, health care, life insurance, burial benefits, vocational rehabilitation services, general Social Security Administration benefit programs, other federal, state, and local domestic relations, and assistance programs.
• Prepares technical correspondence to veterans and their dependents providing benefit information, representation rights and response to miscellaneous inquiries.
• Explains pertinent legal provisions, regulations, and related administrative practices and their application to specific cases
• Initiates inquiries to resolve errors, delays, or other problems in obtaining benefits. Completes claim and appeal related work.

Specific Duties Include

• Coordinates counseling sessions with Veterans, their dependents, and their beneficiaries face to face, regarding all benefits available through the VA, as well as non-VA benefits available through other agencies. This is accomplished through in-person or telephone interviews, and correspondence. or telephone VBA facilities and provides broad outreach services.
• Explains in detail, VBA rating decisions and provides explanations for the decisions using extensive knowledge of VA benefits and services, claim and appeal processing procedures and benefit determination information and all pertinent information available in system of record.
• Assists with programs include, but are not limited to, compensation and pension benefits, home loan eligibility, education, health care, life insurance, burial benefits, vocational rehabilitation services, general Social Security Administration benefit programs, other federal, state, and local domestic relations, and assistance programs.
• Prepares technical correspondence to veterans and their dependents providing benefit information, representation rights and response to miscellaneous inquiries.
• Explains pertinent legal provisions, regulations, and related administrative practices and their application to specific cases
• Initiates inquiries to resolve errors, delays, or other problems in obtaining benefits. Completes claim and appeal related work.

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. The grade progression for this position is GS-07/9.

Work Schedule

Full time, Monday through Friday (hours to be determined by hiring office)

Compressed/Flexible

May be available as determined by hiring office

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#

Legal Administrative Specialist; PD02109-A and PD40120-A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives

Not Authorized

Financial Disclosure Report

Not Required

Requirements

Conditions of employment

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period d 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 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.

• 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:10/12/2026.

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 (unless if in the commuting area and eligible for a non-competitive hiring authority such as Schedule A, VRA, or 30% or more disabled Veterans).

• For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05 level.
• For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07.
• If you are a current VBA employee outside of the commuting area seeking reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS-07 (or higher) and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least GS-9.

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. These requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement and those applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT:

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

GS-07 Grade Level

• Specialized Experience: For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. The grade may have been in any occupation but must have been held in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as (1) The ability to work with direct supervision or guidance when providing customer service, benefit counseling, and claim processing. (2) The individual must possess knowledge of researching relevant subject matter. (3) The experience should be significantly and directly derived from federal, military, or the private sector. Examples of specialized experience include but are not limited to orating to persons from a wide variety of backgrounds regarding VA benefits programs; performing research of local, state, and Federal laws and regulations to determine Veterans' eligibility for benefits programs.

Education Substitution:

One (1) full year of graduate level education. Graduate level education must demonstrate the competencies necessary to do the work of the position;

OR

GS-09 Grade Level

• Specialized Experience: For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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. Specialized experience is defined as (1) The ability to work with minimum supervision or guidance when providing customer service, benefit counseling, and claim processing. (2) The individual must possess moderate knowledge of researching relevant subject matter. (3) The experience should be significantly and directly derived from federal, military, or the private sector. Examples of specialized experience include but are not limited to orating to persons from a wide variety of backgrounds regarding VA benefits programs; performing research of local, state, and Federal laws and regulations to determine Veterans' eligibility for benefits programs.

OR

• Education Substitution: You may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education you must have:
• A Master's or equivalent graduate degree, 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LLB. or J.D., related fields of study. (You must provide transcripts);
• a combination of the required experience and education for this grade level.

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

No special physical demands are necessary. The work is mostly sedentary. However, there may be some walking, standing, and carrying of light items such as papers, books, claims folders, ad 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.

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

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