Due to the high number of applications we anticipate for the vacancy, this announcement will close the day we receive 200 applications or after 5 days - whichever comes first. Regardless of the number of applications it will be open for a minimum of two days.
This is a Recent Graduate position part of the Retirement Services/ Retirement Operations/ Claims 1, Office of Personnel Management. If selected, you will be responsible for applying the laws and regulations of the Civil Service Retirement System, the Federal Employees Retirement System, and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, in interpreting and applying court orders that provide for the apportionment or garnishment of retirement annuities.
Successful applicants are placed in a dynamic 1 year developmental program with the potential to lead to a civil service career in the Federal Government. At the successful conclusion of this program, you may be eligible for non-competitive conversion to a Federal career or career-conditional position.
Summary
Due to the high number of applications we anticipate for the vacancy, this announcement will close the day we receive 200 applications or after 5 days - whichever comes first. Regardless of the number of applications it will be open for a minimum of two days.
This is a Recent Graduate position part of the Retirement Services/ Retirement Operations/ Claims 1, Office of Personnel Management. If selected, you will be responsible for applying the laws and regulations of the Civil Service Retirement System, the Federal Employees Retirement System, and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, in interpreting and applying court orders that provide for the apportionment or garnishment of retirement annuities.
Successful applicants are placed in a dynamic 1 year developmental program with the potential to lead to a civil service career in the Federal Government. At the successful conclusion of this program, you may be eligible for non-competitive conversion to a Federal career or career-conditional position.
As a Paralegal Specialist at the GS-0950-7/9, some of your typical work assignments may include under supervision:
Determines the validity and acceptability of the various types of court orders and related documents and their applicability under current Federal laws, rules and regulations. Determines the need for additional information and evidence and corresponds with the concerned parties and/or their legal counsel. Ensures that deadlines for compliance with the demands of the court are met.
Computes benefits for former spouses, etc. and effect on annuitant's benefits by interpreting formulas provided in qualifying court orders that direct the apportionment or garnishment or an annuitant's retirement benefit to provide monthly benefits to a former spouse or a dependent child.
Responds to written and oral inquiries from Members of Congress, Federal agencies, attorneys, employees, annuitants and their former spouses concerning court ordered benefits by explaining the laws and regulations of the Civil Service Retirement System, the Federal Employees Retirement Systems and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.
Interprets data from automated systems in order to provide appropriate guidance and information to inquirers.
Communicates relevant findings and conclusions to affected parties, citing applicable legal references and decisions.
Reviews and analyzes available precedents for relevancy to cases currently under consideration
Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation
May be required to successfully complete a probationary period
Recent Graduate Program Eligible
To meet the Recent Graduate Program Eligibility requirements, you must have obtained a qualifying Associates, Bachelor's, Master's, Professional, Doctorate, Vocational or Technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution, within the previous 2 years.
All Education must be accredited by an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement.) Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accredited institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants may verify accreditation at the following website: Accreditation. All education claimed by applicants will be verified by OPM accordingly.
ATTENTION VETERANS: A veteran, as defined in 5 U.S.C. 2108, who due to military service obligation, was precluded from applying to the Recent Graduates Program during any portion of the 2-year eligibility period shall have a full 2-year period of eligibility upon his or her release or discharge from active duty. In no event, however, may the individual's eligibility period extend beyond 6 years from the date on which the individual completed the requirements of an academic course of study.
You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Qualifications
For the GS-7: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is defined as reviewing files for completeness of record; conducting analysis to determine if action is needed; and experience responding to inquiries to provide explanations of the work OR a Bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.) OR one full year of graduate level education or law school.
For the GS-09 level: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is defined as determining validity and acceptability of various types of records; determining the need for additional information/evidence and corresponding with the concerned party; and knowledge of benefit programs OR related master's or equivalent graduate degree or LL.B or J.D.; OR 2 full academic years of progressively higher level related graduate education
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; religious; 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.
Education
ARE YOU USING YOUR EDUCATION TO QUALIFY? You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.
PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) was taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.
GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours that your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.
FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html
Additional information
Relocation expenses will not be paid.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across OPM.
If you are a veteran and you are claiming 5-point veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility. If you are a veteran and you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must also submit an SF-15, "Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference" plus the proof required by that form. For more information on veterans' preference (see https://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx).
PROGRAM COMPLETION AND CONVERSION ELIGIBILITY:
Program participants may be converted, without a break in service, to a term, career or career conditional appointment upon completion of program requirements.
To be eligible for conversion, Recent Graduates must:
- Complete one continuous year of work experience acquired through a Recent Graduate Program
- Complete 40 hours of formal interactive training
- Meet the qualification standards for the position to which the Recent Graduate will be converted
- Meet any agency-specific requirements specified in the Participant's Agreement
- Demonstrate successful job performance that results in a rating of record of at least Fully Successful and a recommendation for conversion by the first level supervisor.
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. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
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.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Once the application process is complete, your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement.
Qualified applicants will be placed in one of four groupings:
Preference eligible having a compensable service-connected disability of 10 percent or more
Other 10-point preference eligible
5-point preference eligible
No preference eligible
Selection will be made from the highest available preference group, as long as at least three candidates remain in that group. When fewer than three candidates remain in the highest group, consideration may be expanded to include the next grouping.
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. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
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.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
Your Resume showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment and duties performed.
Your final college transcripts showing that you are a Recent Graduate to meet eligibility for this position.
Other supporting documents:
Cover Letter, optional
Veterans? Preference documentation, if applicable (e.g. DD-214 Member Copy 4 showing type of discharge/character of service; Current Active Duty members must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions dated within 120 days; SF-15 Form and related documentation; VA letter.)
Failure to submit any of the above mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST)on 06/08/2017 to receive consideration.
To begin, click Apply Online to access an online application. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account.
You will be taken to an online application. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application.
You will receive an email notification when your application has been received for the announcement.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
Retirement Services/ Retirement Operations/ Claims 1
1900 E St., NW
Washington, DC 20415
US
Next steps
The questionnaire will assess your qualifications for the job, and will be used to identify the best qualified applicants to be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interviews. Your ratings in this Assessment Questionnaire are subject to evaluation and verification based on the documents and references you submit. Later steps in the selection process are specifically designed to verify your ratings. Deliberate attempts to falsify information may be grounds for not selecting you or for dismissing you from the position/agency during the probationary period.
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated. You will receive another notification about the status of your application.
We expect to make a job offer within 40 days after the closing date of the announcement. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
Your Resume showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment and duties performed.
Your final college transcripts showing that you are a Recent Graduate to meet eligibility for this position.
Other supporting documents:
Cover Letter, optional
Veterans? Preference documentation, if applicable (e.g. DD-214 Member Copy 4 showing type of discharge/character of service; Current Active Duty members must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions dated within 120 days; SF-15 Form and related documentation; VA letter.)
Failure to submit any of the above mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST)on 06/08/2017 to receive consideration.
To begin, click Apply Online to access an online application. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account.
You will be taken to an online application. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application.
You will receive an email notification when your application has been received for the announcement.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
Retirement Services/ Retirement Operations/ Claims 1
1900 E St., NW
Washington, DC 20415
US
Next steps
The questionnaire will assess your qualifications for the job, and will be used to identify the best qualified applicants to be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interviews. Your ratings in this Assessment Questionnaire are subject to evaluation and verification based on the documents and references you submit. Later steps in the selection process are specifically designed to verify your ratings. Deliberate attempts to falsify information may be grounds for not selecting you or for dismissing you from the position/agency during the probationary period.
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated. You will receive another notification about the status of your application.
We expect to make a job offer within 40 days after the closing date of the announcement. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
