Clarification from the agency

Applicants must be accepted for enrollment or currently enrolled and seeking a degree (diploma, certificate, etc.) in a qualifying educational institution to be considered. In accordance with Pathways regulations, Veterans will be given preference for these positions. If there are no Veteran qualified applicants, non-Veterans will be referred as needed.

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This position is being filled under the Pathways Internship Program. The program is designed to provide students enrolled in a wide variety of educational institutions, from high school to graduate level, with paid work opportunities in agencies to explore Federal careers while still in school. The Internship provides managers a ready source of student employees and potential permanent employees upon completion of the program requirements. It also provides the student with work experience directly related to the curriculum studies or career goals while offering eligibility for non-competitive conversion to permanent employment upon completion. For more information on Internship opportunities within the Department of Veterans Affairs, please visit: https://www.va.gov/EMPLOYEE/pathways-internship-program/.

Duties include but not limited to:

• Receives telephone inquiries and provides proper information or directing the call.
• Prepares, composes, or reviews correspondence prepared for the purpose of obtaining or supplying information.
• Types policies and procedures in proper VA format for final review by leadership.
• Composes and prepares correspondences related to administrative or clerical functions of the office.
• Adapts model letters to answer inquiries, or prepares reports where judgment is required in the selection of the proper letter or format.
• Composes statements or develops factual information which supplement model letters or standard paragraphs.
• Reviews outgoing correspondence for procedural and grammatical accuracy.
• Processes incoming or outgoing mail, including the processing of express mail..
• Performs other duties as assigned.

YOU MUST INCLUDE AN OFFICIAL ENROLLMENT VERIFICATION FROM YOUR SCHOOL THAT SHOWS YOUR CURRENT ENROLLMENT STATUS (FULL TIME, HALF TIME, PART TIME, ETC.) AND YOUR ANTICIPATED GRADUATION DATE. THE ENROLLMENT VERIFICATION IS NOT TRANSCRIPTS, WHICH ARE ALSO REQUIRED.

Note: A written agreement is required between the service and student. Within 120 calendar days after completing educational requirements, the employing agency may non-competitively promote and convert a student to a career/career-conditional or term appointment. Conversion is NOT guaranteed and is based on the needs of the agency.

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.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• You must be at least 16 years old (by closing date of this vacancy announcement)
• Selective Service Registration-required males (over 18) born after 12/31/59
• Must be accepted for/currently enrolled in a qualified educational institution
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Pre-employment physical required
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period 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 the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/23/2026.

Internship Program: To be eligible, applicants must be accepted for enrollment or currently enrolled and seeking a degree (diploma, certificate, etc.) in a qualifying educational institution, on a full or half-time basis as defined by the institution in which you are enrolled.

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

• You must be a student accepted for enrollment or enrolled in a degree or certificate program on a full- or half-time basis as defined by the school. (certificate program means post-secondary education, in a qualifying educational institution, equivalent to at least one academic year of full-time study that is part of an accredited college-level, technical, trade, vocational, or business school curriculum). AND,
• Enrollment is with a qualifying educational institution such as a high school or state-approved homeschool; or accredited technical or vocational school; a 2- or 4-year college or university; a graduate or professional school (e.g., law school, medical school); or a post-secondary home school curriculum. AND,
• Students currently enrolled must be in good academic standing maintaining a 2.0 grade point average on a cumulative basis.

Minimum Qualification Requirement:

GS-04 Level

• General Experience: You must have one year of general experience related to this position. Examples include, but are not limited to: Answers and directs phone calls. Prepares office correspondence. Maintains inventory of office supplies and equipment. Searches records or files. Utilizes automation equipment and computer software. OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the experience required. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed 4 full academic years of post-high school education leading to a bachelor's degree or equivalent degree. OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond the high school level.

NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial/official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
Customer Service,
Computer Skills and Clerical

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.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary

How you will be evaluated

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

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

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. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.