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This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Students

Current students enrolled in an accredited high school, college or graduate institution.

Clarification from the agency

Open to students who are currently enrolled, or accepted for enrollment, and seeking a degree (diploma, certificate, etc.) in an accredited technical or vocational school, 2-year or 4-year college or university, graduate or professional school, on a full- or half-time basis (as defined by the academic institution in which the student is enrolled). Open to applicants in the local commuting area of Washington, D.C.

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Duties

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Incumbent serves as a paralegal specialist in the FEEWC Division and is responsible for his or her own personal case load of subrogation matters. The FEEWC Division is responsible for thousands of cases referred to FEEWC by OWCP in order to determine whether FECA claimants should be required to seek damages from third parties potentially liable for FECA-covered injuries and illnesses and for monitoring any litigation seeking such damages.

Incumbents make initial case analysis to determine that sufficient evidence exists to indicate third-party liability involving the injury or death of a Federal employee or other covered beneficiary. Incumbent also determines advisability of instituting proceedings against a third party given both the past and projected future expenditures of Government funds and the probable cost of securing a recovery.

Incumbent provides assistance in the development of the third-party claim by offering assistance to private attorneys and employees, providing copies of relevant documents from the employee's OWCP case file, and by explaining obligations imposed by the subrogation provisions of the FECA. For employees who are negotiating settlements without the assistance of a private attorney, incumbent advises employees of the applicable statute of limitations to their cause of action as well as how to present a claim. Incumbent also counsels employees to seek private counsel, if deemed appropriate.

Incumbent drafts a variety of legal correspondence concerning application of the subrogation provisions of the FECA and the calculation of the Government's statutory right of reimbursement for disbursements made in accordance with the provisions of the FECA.

This position is inside the bargaining unit.

The advancement of Interns to higher-graded positions, prior to conversion, is strictly at the agency's discretion. To qualify for promotions, the Interns must have the same level and type of experience and/or education usually required for an initial appointment.

The entire duration of the Student Intern Pathway Student Appointment constitutes a trial period.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Must be at least 16 years old and a U.S. Citizen.
Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level.
Requires a trial period for the duration of the Internship.
Appointees must sign a DOL pathways Program Participant agreement.
Must be enrolled at least half-time at a qualifying educational institution at the time of appointment and must maintain such enrollment throughout the duration of the appointment.
Must be in good academic standing as defined by the agency as 2.0 GPA or higher.

Qualifications

To be eligible for the DOL Pathways - Internship Program, an individual must be enrolled and seeking a degree (e.g. diploma, certificate, etc.) in a qualifying educational institution/program on a full or half-time basis for current semester. Additional proof of enrollment for the upcoming semester will be required before a final job offer can be extended. Click here for a definition of a qualifying education institution/program. Applicants for this position must meet the definition of a CURRENTLY ENROLLED STUDENT as outlined throughout this announcement. If you do not meet this definition, you will not be considered.

Must Possess and maintain a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 or higher on the unweighted 4.0 scale. GPA is based on current enrollment.

Applicants who graduate from their degree seeking programs in the current semester can be considered for internships only if they are enrolled and/or accepted for enrollment in the upcoming semester in a proceeding degree seeking program.

For GS-7: Completion of 1 full academic year of graduate level education; or Eligibility under the Superior Academic Achievement Provision and completion of a bachelor's degree.

One full academic year of undergraduate; graduate; vocational; trades; technical or high school education is the number of credit hours determined by the college, university, or school to represent 1 year of full-time study. The high school curriculum must be approved by a State or local governing body. All education beyond high school must be accredited by an accrediting body or organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Specialized Experience is the experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform the duties of the position successfully, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.

Qualifying specialized experience for GS-07 includes: One year of specialized work experience at the GS-05 level or equivalent. Specialized experience for this position includes: (1) knowledge of tort law and other legal references sufficient to gather and analyze data related to negligence issues; (2) utilize automated systems; (3) examine and analyze case files to identify significant factors, gather pertinent data, and recognize solutions; (4) the ability to plan and organize work and communicate effectively orally and in writing.

A student may be appointed to any position that leads to qualification in a two-grade interval professional, administrative, or technical occupational series and that provides an opportunity for the student's growth and development toward the target position.

Education

An academic year of undergraduate education is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in an accredited college or university.

You must submit an academic transcript from your academic institution showing the date that you most recently completed the academic requirements described above. See the Required Documents section of this announcement. If you do not submit a transcript indicating your possession of the required education, you will not be considered for this position.

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Additional information

The mission of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to protect the welfare of workers and job seekers, improve working conditions, expand high-quality employment opportunities, and assure work-related benefits and rights for all workers. As such, the Department is committed to fostering a workplace and workforce that promote equal employment opportunity, reflects the diversity of the people we seek to serve, and models a culture of respect, equity, inclusion, and accessibility where every employee feels heard, supported, and empowered.

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION, REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION, ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

As a condition of employment, all personnel must undergo a background investigation for access to DOL facilities, systems, information and/or classified materials before they can enter on duty: BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION

Applicants must meet all legal and regulatory requirements. Reference the Required Documents section for additional requirements.

The appointee must be a U.S. citizen in order to be eligible for conversion to a permanent position in the competitive service upon completion of the program. Upon successful completion of the program and at the agency's discretion, the appointee may be converted to a term or permanent position in the competitive service.

Click here for Career Ladder Promotion Information

Upon completion of requirements for graduation and successful completion of the internship, the appointee may become eligible for non-competitive conversion to a term or permanent position in the competitive service provided successful completion of a qualifying degree.

To be eligible for conversion, Interns must:

Be a United States Citizen.
Complete at least 640 hours of work experience acquired through the Internship Program while enrolled as a half- or full-time degree or certificate seeking student.
Complete their degree or certificate requirements.
Meet the qualification standards for the position to which the Intern will be converted.
Meet agency-specific requirements as specified in the Participant's Agreement, and
Perform their job successfully.
Agencies may waive up to 320 of the required 640 hours of work for Interns who demonstrate high potential as evidenced by outstanding academic achievement and exceptional job performance.

The Fair Chance Act (FCA) prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOL employee has violated your rights under the FCA, you may file a complaint of the alleged violation following our agency's complaint process Guidelines for Reporting Violations of the Fair Chance Act.

Note: The FCA does not apply to some positions specified under the Act, such as law enforcement or national security positions.

How you will be evaluated

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

Applicants meeting both eligibility and qualification requirements will be evaluated against the competencies described below and will be placed into one of the following quality categories, based on responses to the vacancy questionnaire:

Category A - Meets the basic qualification requirements for the vacancy and has successful experience in the same or similar job that has demonstrated superior proficiency in applying the critical competencies required by this position to work of increased levels of difficulty and complexity.

Category B - Meets the basic qualification requirements for the vacancy and demonstrates satisfactory proficiency in the critical competencies by this position.

Category C - Meets the specialized experience described in the minimum qualification requirements section of this announcement and demonstrates proficiency in the basic competencies.

Evaluation Factors (Competencies) - All qualified applicants will be evaluated on the following key competencies:

Case Management
Oral Communication
Written Communication

Click here for Evaluation details.

You may preview questions for this vacancy here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12334957

The information you provide may be verified by a review of your paid, unpaid, volunteer, and other lived experience, as it demonstrates the competencies or skills required for the position to be filled. Your evaluation may include an interview, reference checks, or other assessment conducted by HR specialists, subject matter experts, or panel members and may include other assessment tools (ex. interview, structured interview, written test, work sample, etc.).

The examining DOL-SOL Office of Human Resources (HRO) makes the final determination concerning applicant ratings. Your resume MUST provide sufficient information to substantiate your vacancy question responses. If not, the OHR may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the level of competency indicated by the content of your resume.

Required Documents

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The following documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date.

The following documents are required from ALL applicants (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY):

Resumes: Required and must provide a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one from your computer and USAJOBS profile. To receive full consideration for relevant and specialized experience, please list the month, year, and number of work hours worked for the experience listed on your resume. We also suggest that you preview the vacancy questions and confirm that your resume supports your question responses.
Proof of Eligibility: Academic transcript or other official documentation from the qualifying educational institution showing that you meet the eligibility requirements for a Pathways Internship appointment, as described in the Qualifications and Evaluations section of this announcement. If your school's transcripts, letter of acceptance, or other documentation does not provide all the necessary information listed above, you should include additional official academic documentation that meets the requirements.
Proof of Qualifications: Academic transcripts are sufficient to demonstrate that you meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, as described in this announcement, where you are seeking to qualify, at least in part, on the basis of your education. Unofficial Transcripts must state the student's name, name of the school, current GPA/academic standing, past and current coursework with credits for each course, enrollment status, degree program, and proof of enrollment for the current semester. See Qualifications and Evaluations. If you are a graduate-level student, you should also submit your undergrad transcripts with your application.
Proof of Enrollment: Academic transcript or other official documentation from the educational institution proving your status as a student who is currently enrolled or accepted for enrollment on at least a half-time basis at a qualifying educational institution. See Qualifications and Evaluations.

The following documents are required if applicable:

Veterans' Preference Documents (if applicable): To be considered as a 5-point preference eligible, you must submit a copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, DD214. Your DD-214 must show the type of discharge and dates of active duty. To claim 10-point preference, you must submit a copy of your DD214; an Application for 10-point Veteran's Preference, SF15; and the proof of entitlement of this preference which is normally an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability. (For active-duty service members expecting to be honorably discharged or released within 120 days, click Active Duty) Without this documentation, you will not receive the veteran's preference. For more information, go to Feds Hire Vets - Veterans Preference
Unofficial Transcript(s) (in English)- If you are using education as a basis for qualifying for this position, you must submit all applicable academic transcripts demonstrating that you meet the qualifying educational requirements (ex. BA/BS, MA, JD, Ph.D., etc.). If specific coursework is required to qualify, you must supply an unofficial transcript from each academic institution in which the required courses were taken in order to receive credit. You may upload your unofficial transcript(s) as one document with a maximum size limit of 5 MB.

NOTE: The OFFICIAL Transcript(s) MUST BE RECEIVED, if you are selected, and prior to receiving the firm offer with a start date.

Cover Letters are not mandatory and will not be used to verify experience but may be submitted.

Reference the Education Section for College Transcript and Evaluation of Foreign Education.

Do not upload password-protected documents.

Applicants selected for employment who are not current DOL employees will be required to provide proof of citizenship, and the E-Verify system will be used to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

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.

Help

Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or have speech disabilities, please dial 711 to access telecommunications relay services.

To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, including submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section.

Your application and ALL required supplemental documents MUST be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the vacancy closing date to receive consideration.

Paper applications and supplemental documents submitted in any other manner without prior approval from the vacancy contact will not be considered. Click here for information on Reasonable Accommodations.

Important - Save your information before the 30 minute system timeout! For help, go to USAJOBS Help Center.

STEP 1 - Create USAJOBS Account on www.usajobs.gov, including Resume and Saved Documents. Your resume must provide sufficient information to substantiate your responses to the self-assessment vacancy questions. If not, HR may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the competency indicated by resume content. For each employment period, include start/end month & year and note full-time or part-time (if part-time, include # of hours worked per week) otherwise, your application may be considered incomplete.

STEP 2 - Complete the 1st part of the application process (USAJOBS) Once you have identified a job on USAJOBS that you wish to apply for, click on the job title and then click the Apply button. For questions about the vacancy, contact the Agency Contact at the bottom of the announcement. Proceed through the steps noted at the top of the USAJOBS page. You will be able to select a resume and documents from your USAJOBS Account that you can submit as a package as part of your DOL application. In the final step, once you have certified your application, click the Continue to agency site button.

STEP 3 - Complete the 2nd part of the application process (DOL). On the Department of Labor (DOL) page, create a DOL Account if you have not already and click Apply to this vacancy. Continue through the progress steps at the top of the DOL page. The 2nd progress step is where you answer the vacancy-specific questions. The 3rd progress step Documents is where you submit the required documents (only if applicable to you) specified in the Required Documents section of this vacancy.

STEP 4 - On the Review and Submit step, verify each section of your application is complete and correct. In order to submit your application, you must have a check mark next to each section listed. If there is an X, return to the appropriate section and follow the prompts. When it is ready for submission, certify your application and click the Submit Application button.

STEP 5 - Edit Application as needed by 11:59 pm Eastern Time of Closing Date by returning to USAJOBS, clicking the vacancy, thenUpdate Application.

NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

For more detailed information on applying for positions with DOL click here to view the U.S. Department of Labor, How to Apply website.

Agency contact information

Camille Britt

Phone: 202-693-5415
Email: Britt.Camille.L@dol.gov

Address: Office of the Solicitor
200 Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20210
US

Next steps

Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications and refer candidates for selection consideration. Candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interviews. You will be notified of the outcome. A selection is expected to be made within 30 calendar days of the issuance date of the certificate.

For instructions on how to check the status of your application, go to USAJOBS Help Guide.

USAJOBS will no longer send status alert email notifications. You can check your application status in the TAS by logging into USAJOBS and in the Applicant Dashboard, click the hiring agency Talent Acquisition System (TAS). If the TAS does not provide application tracking information, contact the agency's point of contact on the job announcement.

To verify your application is complete, 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 page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

Required Documents

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The following documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date.

The following documents are required from ALL applicants (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY):

Resumes: Required and must provide a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one from your computer and USAJOBS profile. To receive full consideration for relevant and specialized experience, please list the month, year, and number of work hours worked for the experience listed on your resume. We also suggest that you preview the vacancy questions and confirm that your resume supports your question responses.
Proof of Eligibility: Academic transcript or other official documentation from the qualifying educational institution showing that you meet the eligibility requirements for a Pathways Internship appointment, as described in the Qualifications and Evaluations section of this announcement. If your school's transcripts, letter of acceptance, or other documentation does not provide all the necessary information listed above, you should include additional official academic documentation that meets the requirements.
Proof of Qualifications: Academic transcripts are sufficient to demonstrate that you meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, as described in this announcement, where you are seeking to qualify, at least in part, on the basis of your education. Unofficial Transcripts must state the student's name, name of the school, current GPA/academic standing, past and current coursework with credits for each course, enrollment status, degree program, and proof of enrollment for the current semester. See Qualifications and Evaluations. If you are a graduate-level student, you should also submit your undergrad transcripts with your application.
Proof of Enrollment: Academic transcript or other official documentation from the educational institution proving your status as a student who is currently enrolled or accepted for enrollment on at least a half-time basis at a qualifying educational institution. See Qualifications and Evaluations.

The following documents are required if applicable:

Veterans' Preference Documents (if applicable): To be considered as a 5-point preference eligible, you must submit a copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, DD214. Your DD-214 must show the type of discharge and dates of active duty. To claim 10-point preference, you must submit a copy of your DD214; an Application for 10-point Veteran's Preference, SF15; and the proof of entitlement of this preference which is normally an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability. (For active-duty service members expecting to be honorably discharged or released within 120 days, click Active Duty) Without this documentation, you will not receive the veteran's preference. For more information, go to Feds Hire Vets - Veterans Preference
Unofficial Transcript(s) (in English)- If you are using education as a basis for qualifying for this position, you must submit all applicable academic transcripts demonstrating that you meet the qualifying educational requirements (ex. BA/BS, MA, JD, Ph.D., etc.). If specific coursework is required to qualify, you must supply an unofficial transcript from each academic institution in which the required courses were taken in order to receive credit. You may upload your unofficial transcript(s) as one document with a maximum size limit of 5 MB.

NOTE: The OFFICIAL Transcript(s) MUST BE RECEIVED, if you are selected, and prior to receiving the firm offer with a start date.

Cover Letters are not mandatory and will not be used to verify experience but may be submitted.

Reference the Education Section for College Transcript and Evaluation of Foreign Education.

Do not upload password-protected documents.

Applicants selected for employment who are not current DOL employees will be required to provide proof of citizenship, and the E-Verify system will be used to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

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.

How to Apply