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Program Specialist

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Benefits Administration
Columbia Regional Office

Summary

Incumbent carries out various aspects of rehabilitation and employment service case management which include: interviewing clients, employers, officials of training facilities, and other persons involved in the vocational rehabilitation process. This work activity comprises approximately 40% of the incumbent's time.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Posted this week · Apply by 07/07/26
Due by 11:59 p.m. ET on July 7, 2026
Location
3 vacancies in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$50,460 - $80,243 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7 - 9
Promotion potential
9
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
Yes
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Other
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
319-26-AF-12993344-BU
Control number
874816700

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Duties

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Typical duties include, but are not limited to:

  • Notifies claimants and other interested persons or organizations in layman terms relative to their rights and benefits, the submission of evidence, considered and all subsequent actions.
  • Prepares certification of eligibility for services. Develops claims files and schedules appointments. Prepares awards, stop payments, resume payments change of name notice, change of fiduciary notice and all adjustment actions on claims as required. process application, creating appropriate controls for action and initiating a general eligibility determination (GED) as appropriate.
  • Through the guidance of subject matter experts (SME), makes decisions regarding input of awards, EAAs, and other data into the master record. Inputs the data timely and accurately and keeps supervisory personnel informed of any problems. Must be able to audit benefits paid and due. Writes replies explaining decisions in a manner that shows sensitivity, compassion, accuracy, completeness, and timeliness.
  • Received visitors and telephone calls from claimants, their representatives, staff and others on issues which include but are not limited to status of applications, subsistence allowance, services entitlement consumed, benefit pay inquiries, etc.
  • Maintains diaries, collects and analyzes data, and prepares recurring reports as directed by their direct chain of command. Utilizes data analysis to identify areas of program weakness, then prepares spreadsheets, graphs , reports , and recommends courses of action to be taken to correct identified weakness.
  • Make determinations to establish a claim and evaluate evidence regarding eligibility for; Original and reopened basic eligibility issues for disallowances of claims and claims under other chapters such as 18,30,33,35,36 and 1606.
  • Administers participants beneficiary travel program, Coordinates travel arrangements, prepares travel vouchers, and maintains fiscal records.
  • Work with and conduct training for work-study, volunteers, and non-paid work experience trainees.
  • Other duties assigned by direct chain of command .


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. The full performance level of this position is GS - 09.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Compressed/Flexible: Not Available
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist GS-07: 386240, GS-09: 386230
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Bargaining Unit: Yes

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness & 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.

Additional Conditions of Employment are as follows:
  • You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
  • You may be required to serve a probationary or trial period
  • Subject to background/security investigation
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements I-9 Acceptable Documents.
  • Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:07/07/2026.

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.
  • For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05.
  • For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07.
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.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE:

GS-7 Level: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-05). Specialized experience is typically defined as, but not limited to experience with knowledge of skills in reference to the vocational objectives, training programs, potential employment, and knowledge of contract billing for quality and accuracy and fiscal procedures in compliance with Federal regulations. Recommends certification of invoices for payment.

GS-9 Level: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-07). Specialized experience is defined as experience with knowledge of VA laws and regulations, knowledge of skills in reference to the vocational objectives, training programs, potential employment, and knowledge of contract billing for quality and accuracy and fiscal procedures in compliance with Federal and VA regulations. Recommends certification of invoices for payment.

Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. to qualify based on education for the GS-7: one full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement. For GS-9: a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related;

OR

Combination of specialized experience and education (only graduate education in excess of 18 semester hours may be used to qualify applicants for this grade level).


INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT (IOR):
There are no Individual Occupational Requirements for this series.


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

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 is mostly sedentary; however, some walking and bending will be required.

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/.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to be credited towards qualifications. Provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
All education claimed by applicants will be verified upon appointment. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript to receive credit.

Note: You may submit unofficial transcripts when applying. However, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to provide an official transcript or a statement from the institution (e.g., from the registrar, dean, or other appropriate official) or equivalent documentation prior to the start date.

Additional information

The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. Information about CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

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.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

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.

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

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), https://www.va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (https://appsupport.usastaffing.gov/hc/en-us/sections/28980686389652-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information)

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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.
You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  1. Project Management: Plans and/or accomplish special projects. Performs a variety of duties related to special projects involving program issues that contain complicating elements.
  2. Analysis and Problem Solving: Knowledge and skill in applying analytical and evaluative methods and techniques in order to plan, schedule and analyze projects and recommend ways to improve effectiveness and efficiency of VR&E operations.
  3. Communication: Ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing with people , both clients and peers, from a variety of backgrounds.
  4. Interpersonal Skills: Ability to promote cooperation and relationships with all levels of management and supervision.
  5. Manages and Organizes Information: Skill in organizing information systems in order to convert data to information and analysis for decision making purposes

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.
To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link:https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12993344

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.

Veterans Benefits Administration

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate care to Veterans?

The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) provides a variety of benefits and services to service members, veterans and their families. The VBA has been undergoing a major transformation that is people-centric, results-oriented and forward-looking, and which includes integration of solutions that will ensure total lifelong engagement with service members, veterans and their families.

The VA has adopted Core Values and Characteristics that apply universally across the Department. The five Core Values define "who we are," our culture, and how we care for Veterans, their families and other beneficiaries. The Values are Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect and Excellence ("I CARE").

As a VA professional, your opportunities are endless. With many openings in the multiple functions of VA, you will have a wide range of opportunities and leadership positions at your fingertips.

Agency contact information

Aerial Foster
Phone
601-364-7271
Email
aerial.foster@va.gov
Address
Columbia Regional Benefit Office
6437 Garners Ferry Rd
Columbia, SC 29209
US

Visit our careers page

Learn more about what it's like to work at Veterans Benefits Administration, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

http://www.va.gov/jobs

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