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Lead Veterans Claims Examiner

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Benefits Administration
Compensation Service

Summary

The incumbent represents and acts as the Chief and may represent the Assistant Director at meetings and conferences within VA, at other Government agencies, with VA contractors and with representatives of service, civic and fraternal organizations. Provides status reports on the progress of the training-related initiatives and establishes goals and tracks the progress of those efforts toward meeting established milestones.

Overview

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Accepting applications
This job will close when we have received 50 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Location
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$107,446 - $139,684 per year

Salary shown is the basic pay WITHOUT locality pay. Locality pay WILL BE added to salary based on the duty location.

Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Promotion potential
14
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
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
101-CS-13046026-26-LC-NBU
Control number
881999800

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This vacancy is open ONLY to current, permanent (career/career conditional) employees of the Veterans Benefits Administration and is open to CTAP eligible who are living in the local commuting area of the Washington DC, Nashville, TN, and Denver CO only.

Duties

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Specific duties include:

  • The incumbent represents and acts as the Chief and may represent the Assistant Director at meetings and conferences within VA, at other Government agencies, with VA contractors and with representatives of service, civic and fraternal organizations. Provides status reports on the progress of the training-related initiatives and establishes goals and tracks the progress of those efforts toward meeting established milestones.
  • Manages projects: typical projects include(1) Performance of needs assessments to identify or validating requirements for training; (2) Data analysis and/or evaluation of training programs and instructors; (3) Creation of and/or revision of training products, such as guidebook, and job aids, to be distributed to the field; (4) Selection of subject matter experts utilized for course development, classroom training, and broadcast duties; and (5) Management and administration of training, projects, and workload (6) Effectively makes recommendations pertaining to hiring.
  • Provides status reports on the progress of the training-related initiatives and establishes goals and tracks the progress of those efforts toward meeting established milestones. Ensures that the organization's strategic plan, mission, vision, and values are communicated to the team and integrated into the team's strategies, goals, objectives, work plans and work product and services.
  • Monitors and reports the status and progress of staff workload, checking on work in progress and reviewing completed work to ensure that leadership instructions on work priorities, methods, deadlines, and quality have been met timely.
  • Responds to inquiries related to compensation training issues requiring specific knowledge of training programs and systems as they relate to VBA training curriculum training events and Veterans Service Center activities.
  • Serves as a mentor and lead over assigned team. Address day to day inquiries on a variety of issues from workload to simple personnel issues and ensures that appropriate leadership is engaged in all activities on the team.
  • Identifies field training needs through review and analysis of quality findings, surveys, focus groups, and similar tools that provide feedback and priorities from employees, managers, and supervisors. Analyzes the results of these needs assessments and makes plans for training to meet the identified needs.
  • Recommends innovative programs and new approaches that improve the effectiveness of training. Considers training objectives, program needs and associated costs, VA priorities, and the availability of subject matter experts in formulating recommendations.
  • Plans, coordinates, executes, and oversees national training initiatives. This includes setting up national training sites, surveys, selecting and coordinating instructors, assignment of students, in conjunction with other VBA staff elements. This also includes the creation and maintenance of a national computer student-training database.
  • Represents the Director at meetings and conferences within VA, at other government agencies, with VA contractors and with representatives of service, civic and fraternal organizations. Has the authority to speak for and commit the Director to courses of action that involve training plans and operations.
  • Advises on Compensation Service training policy and planning. This includes providing service-connected disability claims processing subject matter expertise, guidance, and advice on issues with compensation claims, processing, and technical training.
Work Schedule: Full Time, Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Compressed/Flexible: Not Available.
Telework: This position is eligible for situational (ad hoc) telework only. The selectee is required to report to the official duty station each scheduled workday. Telework may be approved only on a case-by-case basis with supervisory approval. Routine or recurring telework is not authorized for this position.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Lead Veterans Claims Examiner; PD37681A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized.
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary 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, 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:08/31/2026.

TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT: As a current Federal, GS employee you must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

  • For a GS-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13 level.
  • If you are a current VBA employee requesting reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS- 14 or higher and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least GS-14.
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.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience as described below:
GS-14 Grade Level:
  • Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience to at least the next lower grade GS-13 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Incumbent must show a mastery of planning, effective communication orally and in the written format, in order to provide cohesive training necessary to facilitate training wide information to both seasoned and new employees. The incumbent must possess knowledge of Federal, state, and local laws, regulations, procedures, and judicial determinations applicable to administering compensation, pension, and related benefits. The incumbent must have experience in the methods and techniques of instruction, which includes: a subject matter expert writer/instructor developing training materials through analysis, such as, but not limited to ELITE certification.
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 primarily sedentary, however, may include significant periods of standing while providing classroom instruction or course managing.

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

There is no education substitution for the GS-14 grade level.

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 your 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 ICTAP and 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.

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/documents/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: Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (https://appsupport-usastaffing.opm.gov/hc/en-us/sections/45063131363475-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information)

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

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):

  • PROGRAM MANAGEMENT: Set priorities, coordinates work operations among teams, develops internal procedures to ensure that supervisors and employees are informed of aspects of human resources programs, reviews evaluations prepared by supervisors, takes disciplinary action, approves, and disapproves leave and supervises the day - to - day operations.et priorities, coordinates work operations among teams, develops internal procedures to ensure.
  • PROBLEM SOLVING: Ability to research and analyze complex issues and to formulate and present recommendations, based upon such research.
  • ORAL COMMUNICATION: Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
  • TEAMWORK: Ability to work in and lead a group and/or work independently, managing and prioritizing multiple assignments concurrently. Skill in identifying, distributing, and balancing workload and tasks amongst staff members to ensure that deadlines are met.
  • PLANNING AND EVALUATING: Skill in developing and maintaining information systems to track, monitor, analyze, and support an assigned area of responsibility to include schedules and course updates. The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.
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/13046026

The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

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 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 those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors." How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate care to Veterans?

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

Laketia Carter
Phone
(202) 461-7479
Email
laketia.carter@va.gov
Address
VBA Human Resources Center - Central Office
810 Vermont Ave NW
Washington, DC 20420
US

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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.

https://vacareers.va.gov/

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