Senior Attorney Adviser

This job is open to

Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of the hiring agency that posted the job announcement.

Clarification from the agency

AREA OF CONSIDERATION: Current permanent SSA employees in the Office of Hearings Operations (OHO) currently serving under an excepted service appointment nationwide.

Duties

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The position description number for this position is 672600. A summary of the major duties are listed below. You may also view the full position description on the Agency intranet at the following link: PD Search

Serves as a Senior Legal Advisor to Administrative Law Judges (ALJs), the Hearing Office Chief Administrative Law Judge (HOCALJ), the Hearing Office Director (HOD) and the Processing Group Supervisors in a Social Security Administration (SSA) Hearing office (HO). Renders professional legal advice and assistance to the ALJs in prehearing development and preparation of cases for hearing, post-hearing development and other post-hearing actions. Analyzes, researches and develops cases, formulates comprehensive decisions in the most legally complex cases and, otherwise, acts on requests for hearings held under Titles II, XI, XVI and XVIII of the Social Security Act, as amended. Legal issues related to the cases assigned pertain to the interpretation and research of the highly complex provisions of Titles II, XI, XVI and XVIII of the Social Security Act, as amended; implementing regulations; related Federal and State laws; the Administrative Procedures Act and precedent Social Security Rulings, court decisions, etc. Participates fully and assists the ALJ in the formulation of the case decision.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

All Application materials must be received by the closing date.
Applicants must be in good standing.
Applicants must have a fully successful rating of record.
Official Personnel Folders will not be reviewed.
Requests for copies of application documents will not be accepted.
All application forms submitted become the property of SSA Human Resources.
You must indicate on the SSA-45 if you are in/or have held a temp promotion/detail.

Qualifications

Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience at the GS-12 level, or equivalent, which is in or related to the work of the position to be filled and has equipped applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Examples of specialized experience include analyzing, interpreting and developing (pre-hearing and post-hearing) cases under Titles II and XVI of the Social Security Act, as amended; reviewing case law, legal opinions, rulings, and other sources of a legal nature with respect to the interpretation and application of the Social Security Act, as amended, the Administrative Procedure Act, State and foreign law, and other relevant statutes and regulations; performing legal research and analysis to identify and evaluate critical case factors to formulate legally defensible decisions, drafting decisions for sensitive and or legally complex cases involving policy issues and questions regarding court opinions and or rulings; and presenting findings, conclusions and recommendations in written analysis and through oral briefing to various contacts.

Applicants must also meet the following to qualify for this position:

Proof of current, active 2022 membership in the Bar of a State, Territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia is required. This documentation MUST be uploaded/included in your application package by the closing date of the announcement.

Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Applicants for promotion must have 52 weeks at GS-12.

Time in grade requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

There is no substitution of education for experience at this grade level.

Additional information

Applications for noncompetitive consideration will be accepted from SSA employees in the area of consideration who are currently serving under the following types of appointments: Schedule A, Reg. 213.3102 (U) appointments for individuals with disabilities; and time limited appointments for veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Applicants serving under these provisions do not need to submit copies of your disability or Veteran's documentation. However, you must submit a current SF-50 that provides information on the appointment authority under which you were hired. Otherwise, you will not receive non-competitive consideration.

NOTE: Excepted service employees serving under Pathways Programs appointments (Presidential Management Fellows, Recent Graduates, and Interns) are not eligible for consideration.

Position to be filled under the provisions of the SSA/AFGE Merit Promotion Plan. Additional selections may be made within 6 months of the date of the initial selection.

LOCALITY PAY: Salary will be set in accordance with locality pay provisions. Candidates currently receiving a higher locality pay than the office applied for are advised that should they be selected, they will lose entitlement to the higher locality pay.

OTHER NOTES:

This is not a career ladder position, GS-13 is the full performance level.

This position may be eligible for telework as determined by agency policy.

This is not a virtual position. Selected employee will be required to report to the office.

Relocation expenses will not be paid.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Applicants will be rated based on the following knowledge, skills, and abilities:

Knowledge of SSA/OHO programs, laws and policies.
Ability to perform legal research, review legal/medical documents, analyze issues, interpret and apply rules and regulations.
Knowledge of case law, SSA policies, legal opinions, rulings.
Ability to communicate in writing.

Applicants will be assessed using the rating criteria listed in the following link: Applicant Preview

Help

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. When answering the questionnaire, remember that your experience is subject to verification by the selecting official. You may be asked to provide specific examples or documentation of experience to support your answers, or you may be required to verify a response by a practical demonstration of your claimed ability to perform a task.

Notice Concerning Materially False, Fictitious, or Fraudulent Statements
Anything you claim in the occupational questionnaire or in your SSA-45 may be subject to verification. By completing the electronic application process, you are certifying that any statements you make are true, complete, and correct to the best of your knowledge and belief and are made in good faith. Materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or representations are subject to disciplinary action.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

SSA-45; You may upload a SSA 45.
The Occupational Questionnaire: Click on the Apply Online button to create an account or log into your existing USAJOBS account and follow the prompts to complete the occupational questionnaire.
Additional Required Documents, if applicable (See Required Documents section).

The complete Application Package must be submitted before 11:59 p.m. (EST) on 09/22/2022. Failure to upload any required documents will disqualify your application from consideration.

If you use assistive software or an adaptive device, or you are experiencing some other type of technical difficulty and/or otherwise require assistance with the application process, please contact Jesus Pedroza at jesus.pedroza@ssa.gov or 404-562-1172.

Individuals with disabilities may call us via Federal Relay using the (voice) contact telephone provided.

APPLYING FROM A PERSONAL COMPUTER OUTSIDE OF WORK
SSA employees may access Internal Vacancies On-Line (IVOL) postings and apply for vacancies from locations outside of SSA (e.g., from home, public computer, etc.). Please use the following link: http://ssai.usajobs.gov. Be sure to forward the link and other application materials (such as the SSA-45) to an email source accessible from outside of SSA (e.g. your personal computer, etc.).

Due to our security procedures, our office will not accept any applications submitted via email, standard mail, or facsimile sent directly to the Servicing Personnel Office. Applicants are required to file through the online application process. The email address is listed only for inquiries about the position or the How to Apply process.

To check the status of your application or return to a previous or incomplete application, log in to your USAJOBS account.

Agency contact information

Jesus Pedroza

Phone: 404-562-1172
Email: jesus.pedroza@ssa.gov

Address: Region IV OHO
61 Forsyth St SW
Suite 22T64
Atlanta, GA 30303
US

Next steps

After all of the applications have been evaluated, you will receive notification via email explaining the status of your application. If you applied incorrectly or submitted an incomplete application, we will be unable to send you an electronic receipt of your application. Please read the How to Apply instructions carefully to ensure that you submit a complete application.

To check the status of your application or return to a previous or incomplete application, log in to your USAJOBS account, select Application Status, and click on the more information link under the application status for this position.

Selection interviews may be conducted with one or more of the candidates, but there is no requirement that interviews be conducted. The hiring office will contact candidates directly for interviews. Interviews may be conducted via video conferencing software, if technically feasible. Applicants referred for consideration will receive a final disposition notice after selections have been made.

Required Documents

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The following section provides information on supporting documentation that must be submitted.

SSA-45

Your SSA-45 must provide all of the information necessary to make qualifications determinations (e.g., all experience related to your qualifications for this position, full performance level of your current position, the dates at each grade level of your current or prior career-ladder position(s), etc.). These documents will be referred to the selecting official if you are eligible for the best qualified list. Employees' Official Personnel Folders will not be reviewed.

Your SSA-45 must specifically demonstrate, in your own words, the possession of the required experience related to the minimum qualifications, selective placement factors and/or evaluation criteria. Information that is copied or restated language from the vacancy announcement, rating criteria, KSAs and/or position description will not be considered. If this occurs, you may lose consideration for one or more grade levels or found ineligible.

PROOF OF CURRENT, ACTIVE BAR MEMBERSHIP

Your proof of current, active membership in the Bar of a State, Territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia MUST show current status as ACTIVE as well as the current date of the active membership (e.g., 2022 or 2022-2023). If providing a copy from the state bar website and the current date of active membership is not present, the copy MUST include the date stamp of when the query was generated/printed.

If the appropriate proof of current, active membership is not uploaded/included in your application package by the closing date of the announcement, you will be ineligible for consideration for this position.

How to Apply

Help

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. When answering the questionnaire, remember that your experience is subject to verification by the selecting official. You may be asked to provide specific examples or documentation of experience to support your answers, or you may be required to verify a response by a practical demonstration of your claimed ability to perform a task.

Notice Concerning Materially False, Fictitious, or Fraudulent Statements
Anything you claim in the occupational questionnaire or in your SSA-45 may be subject to verification. By completing the electronic application process, you are certifying that any statements you make are true, complete, and correct to the best of your knowledge and belief and are made in good faith. Materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or representations are subject to disciplinary action.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

SSA-45; You may upload a SSA 45.
The Occupational Questionnaire: Click on the Apply Online button to create an account or log into your existing USAJOBS account and follow the prompts to complete the occupational questionnaire.
Additional Required Documents, if applicable (See Required Documents section).

The complete Application Package must be submitted before 11:59 p.m. (EST) on 09/22/2022. Failure to upload any required documents will disqualify your application from consideration.

If you use assistive software or an adaptive device, or you are experiencing some other type of technical difficulty and/or otherwise require assistance with the application process, please contact Jesus Pedroza at jesus.pedroza@ssa.gov or 404-562-1172.

Individuals with disabilities may call us via Federal Relay using the (voice) contact telephone provided.

APPLYING FROM A PERSONAL COMPUTER OUTSIDE OF WORK
SSA employees may access Internal Vacancies On-Line (IVOL) postings and apply for vacancies from locations outside of SSA (e.g., from home, public computer, etc.). Please use the following link: http://ssai.usajobs.gov. Be sure to forward the link and other application materials (such as the SSA-45) to an email source accessible from outside of SSA (e.g. your personal computer, etc.).

Due to our security procedures, our office will not accept any applications submitted via email, standard mail, or facsimile sent directly to the Servicing Personnel Office. Applicants are required to file through the online application process. The email address is listed only for inquiries about the position or the How to Apply process.

To check the status of your application or return to a previous or incomplete application, log in to your USAJOBS account.

Agency contact information

Jesus Pedroza

Phone: 404-562-1172
Email: jesus.pedroza@ssa.gov

Address: Region IV OHO
61 Forsyth St SW
Suite 22T64
Atlanta, GA 30303
US

Next steps

After all of the applications have been evaluated, you will receive notification via email explaining the status of your application. If you applied incorrectly or submitted an incomplete application, we will be unable to send you an electronic receipt of your application. Please read the How to Apply instructions carefully to ensure that you submit a complete application.

To check the status of your application or return to a previous or incomplete application, log in to your USAJOBS account, select Application Status, and click on the more information link under the application status for this position.

Selection interviews may be conducted with one or more of the candidates, but there is no requirement that interviews be conducted. The hiring office will contact candidates directly for interviews. Interviews may be conducted via video conferencing software, if technically feasible. Applicants referred for consideration will receive a final disposition notice after selections have been made.