Veterans Service Representative (Rating)

Veterans Benefits Administration; Des Moines (IA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The Veterans Benefits Administration within the Department of Veterans Affairs seeks a Rating Veterans Service Representative (RVSR) to work in the Veterans Service Center (VSC), Pension Management Center (PMC), or Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES) Program Division. The role involves evaluating claims for federal benefits and communicating decisions to claimants.

Candidates must meet time-in-grade requirements and have one year specialized experience or acceptable education at GS

Qualifications

• Specialized experience gathering or requesting evidence to respond to claimant inquiries for federal, state, or local benefits.
• Experience explaining decisions to claimants, customers, or representatives to aid understanding of determinations.
• Education substitutions allow advanced degrees for experience at GS-9/10/11/12 levels; transcripts required.

Skills

Specialized Experience

Explain decisions

Gathering evidence

Education

Master's degree related to the work

Two years of graduate education related to the degree

Ph.D. or LL.M. in related field

Job description

This position is located in the Department of Veteran Affairs. The Rating Veterans Service Representative (RVSR) works as an employee in the Veterans Service Center (VSC) or Pension Management Center (PMC), or Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES) Program Division.

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 by the closing date of this announcement.

• For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07 level.
• For a GS-10 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 level.
• For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-10 level.
• For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11 level
• If you are a current VBA employee requesting 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-12.

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.

Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT

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

GS-09 Grade Level:

Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level or higher in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as experience gathering or requesting evidence to respond to claimant inquiries for federal, state, or local benefits in areas such as but not limited to: burial benefits, education benefits, monetary benefits, welfare benefits, housing benefits and various other federal, state, or local programs. Example of experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• Gathering and requesting evidence to build service program case files, respond to claimant inquiries, and identify errors, inconsistencies, or omissions.

OR

• Education Substitution: Applicants may substitute education for the experience required to qualify at the GS-9 grade level.
  • Master's or equivalent graduate degree, if related (You must provide transcripts); OR
  • Two (2) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LL.B. or J.D., if related (You must provide transcripts)

GS-10 Grade Level:

Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level or higher in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as (1) assisting claimants with applications for federal, state, or local benefits in areas such as but not limited to: burial benefits, education benefits, monetary benefits, welfare benefits, housing benefits and various other federal, state, or local programs; AND(2) identifying errors, inconsistencies, or omissions in federal or state-administered benefits request package. Example of experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• Explaining decisions to claimants, customers, special interest groups, dependents and/or representatives in an effort to gain understanding of determinations

OR

• Education Substitution: Applicants may substitute education for the experience required to qualify at the GS-10 grade level.
  • Two and a half (2.5) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a Ph.D., LL.M. or equivalent doctoral degree. Graduate-level education must demonstrate the competencies necessary to do the work of the position. (You must provide transcripts)

GS-11 Grade Level:

Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-10 grade level or higher in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as (1) explaining federal or state-administered benefits decisions to claimants to help them gain an understanding of claim determinations; AND (2) evaluating evidence and allegations to draw sound conclusions regarding benefit claims. Examples of experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• Determining the eligibility for federal or state-administered benefits, such as: disability, education, housing, medical and/or veterans' benefits.
• Applying federal and state laws to process claims pertaining to a service, disability, or benefit program.

OR

• Education Substitution: Applicants may substitute education for the experience required to qualify at the GS-11 grade level.
  • Education substitution of a Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree (You must provide transcripts); OR
  • Three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M, if related. (You must provide transcripts)

GS-12 Grade Level:

Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level or higher in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as (1) determining the eligibility for federal, state, or local administered benefits, such as: disability, education, housing, medical and/or veterans' benefits; AND (2) applying federal or state laws to process claims pertaining to an employment, disability, or benefit program. Examples of experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• Processing claims for eligibility for workers' compensation benefits to determine appropriateness and amount of worker's compensation claims.
• Performing, ordering and/or evaluating diagnostic tests to identify and assess patient's condition, report symptoms or changes in patients' condition, maintain accurate detailed reports/charts.

There is no educational substitution for the GS-12 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. Click here for more information.

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. Typically, the employee sits comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking; standing; bending; and carrying of light items, such as papers or books.

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/