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Veterans Claims Examiner

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Benefits Administration
Veterans Benefits Administration, Buffalo Regional Benefit Office

Summary

The Veterans Claims Examiner (VCE) position is located in the Education Division of the Buffalo Regional Office. The VCE serves as the primary contact and subject matter expert for the Veteran, the claimant, and/or their representative or advocate and is the main decision-maker for the full range of education claims.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Location
Many vacancies in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—Ad-hoc telework may be authorized as determined by the agency policy.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$52,766 - $68,597 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7
Promotion potential
9
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Not required
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
Yes - 1272/AFGE
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
CASK-13047747-26-AT
Control number
882108000

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens

Duties

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The Veterans Claims Examiner (VCE) is the main point of contact and subject matter expert who develops, examines, adjusts, reconsiders, or authorizes the settlement of claims. They are responsible for the following duties but are limited to:

  • Adjudicating claims for education benefits involving difficult issues.
  • Analyzing, develops and requests required evidence for miscellaneous inquiries which do not require an adjudicative action.
  • Reviewing legal and factual issues, search precedent decisions and other reference material; applies laws, regulations, policies and procedures; drafts letters, decisions, notices and other documents to effect actions required.
  • May conduct interviews in person or by phone with Veterans, representatives and advocates to explain the full range of VA benefits and related programs
  • Preparing decisions notices to claimants and other stakeholders.
  • Evaluating and analyze numerous types of documents and determine the validity of such evidence in the adjudication of a claim.
  • Explaining complex laws, regulations and procedures to individuals who are often inexperienced in such matters so that their rights under the law are protected.
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 grade progression for this position is GS-07/09.
Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Compressed/Flexible: 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#: Veterans Claims Examiner (VCE) 42196A & 42197A
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 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, 09/02/2026.

The Office of Personnel Management's (OPM's) group qualification standards covering white collar occupations in the Federal competitive service can be found: Here

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

GS-07 Grade Level:

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level or higher. Specialized experience is defined as the interpretation or application of laws, regulations, or procedures to analyze evidence to make determinations and research routine issues to resolve discrepancies. Examples of experience include: (1) Experience reading, analyzing, interpreting and applying laws, regulations, directives manuals, or training materials; (2) Experience in developing information and evaluating evidence to determine a decision; (3) Maintain pertinent files/documents electronically in a claims process; (4) Monitor case files for compliance with legal regulations.

OR

Education Substitution: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education you must have:

  • One (1) full year of graduate level education. Graduate level education must demonstrate the competencies necessary to do the work of the position;

OR

  • A Bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement (3.0 GPA or higher). Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) is based on: 1) class standing, 2) grade point average or 3) honor society membership. For more information on calculating SAA please visit www.opm.gov.
OR

Combining Education & Experience:
If you do not fully meet the length of experience and education described for a specific grade level (e.g. have six months of experience and some coursework but not a degree), the two can be combined to total 100% of the requirement. Click here for more information.

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 normally involves mental rather than physical exertion. The work is mostly sedentary; however, there may be some walking, standing, and carrying of light items.

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

An unofficial or official copy of your transcripts must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/

If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | U.S. Department of Education

Additional information

VA supports the use of ad-hoc telework to attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for ad-hoc telework. Eligibility may be discussed during the interview process. Ad-hoc telework is subject to approval by individual supervisors and managers, is considered a privilege not a right, is subject to approval based on performance and other varying factors, and is not guaranteed.

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. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

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-Inform…)

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/.

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

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

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.

Applicants who do not fully address in their resumes the experience needed for the position (as described in the job opportunity announcement), or who do not possess the education to substitute for it, will not be referred for further consideration. After you have met the minimum qualifications, if you are referred for consideration you will be rated on the following the USA Hire competencies (KSAs) based on your application for this position:

  • Attention to Detail
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management


If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job-related information, which may include, but is not limited to responses to the KSAs; completion of a work sample, and/or an interview. You will also be rated on the following agency-specific competencies (KSAs):
  • Reasoning
  • Decision Making
  • Self-Management
  • Computer Skills
  • Oral and Written Communication
  • Customer Service

You may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities identified in the announcement; and/or 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 your further consideration for employment.

After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. During our review, if your résumé and application package does not support your questionnaire answers, we will adjust your rating accordingly.

Your application will be evaluated using the category rating method based on your responses to the assessment questions and the documents you submit. If you meet the basic requirements for the position, your application will be evaluated and placed into one of three categories:
  1. Best Qualified Category - Candidates who meet the minimum qualification requirements and demonstrate a high level of the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.
  2. Well Qualified Category - Candidates who meet the minimum qualification requirements and demonstrate a satisfactory level of the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.
  3. Qualified Category - Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications requirements.
Note: Candidates eligible for Veterans' preference will be placed ahead of other candidates in the appropriate category for which they have been rated. Additionally, preference eligibles who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent and who meet the minimum qualification requirements will automatically be placed in the best qualified category.

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 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

HRC-Detroit DEU
Phone
313-596-7213
Email
HRCDDEU.VBADET@va.gov
Address
Buffalo Regional Benefit Office
130 S. Elmwood Ave.
Buffalo, NY 14202
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.

https://vacareers.va.gov/

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