This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/471783100. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Join SSA, one of the top 10 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government!
Once selected for the Claims Specialist position in SSA, you will contribute to the Agency's mission through direct and personal service to the public. This includes speaking with beneficiaries about their rights under the Social Security laws, gathering facts and evidence to establish eligibility for benefits, making critical decisions to determine the amount of benefits paid to individuals, and using state-of-the-art computer technology to access and update information about claims.
Desired skills: written and oral communication, interpersonal, analytical, problem solving, decisiveness and automation.
ANNOUNCEMENT MAY CLOSE PRIOR TO CLOSING DATE OF 6-23-2017 WHEN SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS ARE RECEIVED. THE ANNOUNCEMENT WILL CLOSE UPON RECEIPT OF 100 APPLICATIONS OR ON 6-23-2017, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST.
This position is located in the Social Security Administration, Norfolk, Virginia district office located at 5850 Lake Herbert Drive, First Floor, Norfolk, VA 23502.
NOTE: This position is being filled on a Full-Time, Permanent basis.
Additional selections may be made within six months from the closing date of this announcement.
This is a career-ladder position leading to the GS-11 grade level.
06/19/2017 to 06/20/2017
$32,844 - $52,893 per year
GS 05 - 07
1 vacancy in the following location:
Not required
No
Permanent
Full-time - Full Time
11
No
SA1972027
471783100
Claims Specialists conduct interviews with the public to obtain, clarify, and verify information about initial and continuing eligibility for retirement, survivors, disability, health insurance benefits, and eligibility for supplemental security income including State supplements. In addition, they resolve discrepancies, clarify issues and make final decisions for initial and post-entitlement for benefits and payments; adjudicate and authorize entitlement or disallowance actions at all levels of difficulty and complexity under programs administered by SSA; and use state of-the-art technology to access and update claims information.
Graduated with a 3.5 GPA or higher based on the average of all the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; ORElection to membership in a national scholastic honor society that meets the minimum requirements of the Association of College Honor Societies (except for freshman honor societies).
Experience and education as described above may be combined to meet the minimum qualification requirements. Experience and education should be computed as percentages of the overall requirements and must equal to 100 percent when combined.
If you are selected for the position, you must provide your official college transcripts prior to being appointed.
SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR
Meet and Deal Panel Interview: Applicants will be required to participate in a panel interview (after basic eligibility determination) to demonstrate an aptitude for meeting and dealing with the public. Applicants must pass this interview process in order to be found fully qualified for this position and receive further consideration for selection. This interview will cover typical situations, which might be encountered on the job, in person or over the telephone. Candidates must demonstrate qualities such as clarity of speech, ability to listen, ability to establish confidence and put others at ease and the ability to organize and express thoughts clearly. If you do not pass the Meet and Deal panel interview, you will not qualify for the job.
All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
If you are using experience to qualify, you must have:
GS-5: Three years of general experience that demonstrates the ability to 1) analyze problems, identify significant factors, gather pertinent data, and recognize solutions; 2) plan and organize work; and 3) communicate effectively orally and in writing; and using online technology and automation tools. Examples of qualifying experience include analyzing, explaining, applying or interpreting laws, rules, regulation or policies.
For GS-7: Fifty-two weeks of specialized experience in 1) assisting individuals in establishing their entitlement to receive benefits; 2) adjudicating, authorizing or reconsidering claims; 3) representing benefit programs before the general public; 4)evaluating benefit program operations to assess the integrity and quality; or 5) interpreting program requirements and formulating policies, procedures and guidelines.
Note: Part-time work is prorated in crediting experience (e.g., if you work 20 hours per week for a 12 month period, you will be credited with 6 months of experience).
SUBSTITUTING EDUCATION: If you are qualifying for this position based on completed education at an accredited U.S. college, university, or other educational institution, you must provide a copy of your transcripts or other proof of education. NOTE: Education completed in a foreign institution must be deemed equivalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. education programs. It is the applicant's responsibility to acquire U.S. Certification and provide it at the time of application. For a list of Credential Evaluation Services, log on to: Credential Evaluation Services.
GS-5: Completion of a full 4-year course of study in any field leading to a bachelor's degree OR a combination of post-high school education and the general experience described above. One year of study is defined as 30 earned semester hours or 45 earned quarter hours. (Note: Experience and education will be computed as percentages of the overall requirements and must equal to 100 percent when combined.)
GS-7: One full year of graduate level education in any field. One year of full-time graduate education is defined as 18 earned semester hours or 27 earned quarter hours. A combination of graduate level education and the specialized experience as described above OR a Bachelor's degree and superior academic achievement in any field can be applied as a substitution. Superior academic achievement is based on:
Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you are registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.
Individuals with disabilities may call us via Federal Relay using the (voice) contact telephone provided.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your application will be evaluated under the Category Rating method, based on your responses to the occupational questions in this document, which is designed to capture the desired competencies for this position. If you meet the basic requirements for the position, your application will be evaluated and placed into one of three categories:
1) Qualified Category - Candidates who meet the Minimum Qualification Requirements.
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) 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.
The Category Rating Method does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three," but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. 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.
We recommend you use USA Jobs resume builder for submitting a resume to ensure you include dates of employment for each job listed (month/year) as well as average number of hours (e.g., 40 hours, 20 hours) worked per week. Note: You can copy and paste your existing resume into resume builder. Please review the Tips for Applying for additional guidance.
Note: Please make sure you answer all questions and follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your evaluation. To preview the questions, click the following link: View Assessment Questions
All supporting documentation must be received by the closing date of the vacancy announcement to claim certain types of preference or qualify on the basis of education.
INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP): ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority for competitive service vacancies. To receive selection priority, candidates must meet the requirements for the Well Qualified category as described in the vacancy announcement. Candidates must also provide:
For more information visit http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp.
VETERANS' PREFERENCE: If you are claiming veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your military discharge certificate (DD 214 member 4 copy), official statement of service from your command if you are currently on active duty, or other proof of eligibility. To be acceptable, the document must show Character of Service. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference based on a service-connected disability, you must submit the required documentation specified on the reverse of the Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference (SF 15). Applicants claiming derived preference must submit the SF-15 and the required documentation specified on the reverse of the SF 15. Preference will be granted based on the documents received. For more information visit: Feds Hire Vets Vet Guide
PROOF OF EDUCATION: If you are qualifying on the basis of education or satisfying an educational requirement, submit a copy of your transcripts with the course title, number of credits, grade, and date of completion. To qualify, the degree must be from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Education completed in a foreign institution must be certified as equivalent to coursework completed at a U.S. college or university. Certification of equivalency must be submitted at the time of application.
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.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on Friday, June 23, 2017.
To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log into your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents to upload your documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package.
It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application.
NOTE : 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.
NOTE: If you applied online and your application is complete, do not fax the paper application (1203FX) as this will overwrite your prior online responses and may result in an ineligible rating.
To fax supporting documents you are unable to upload, complete the United States Government Application Cover Page using the following 1972027. Fax your documents to 1-478-757-3144.
If you cannot apply online:
1. View and print the occupational questionnaire: View Occupational Questionnaire,
2. Print the 1203FX (Form C) to provide your responses to the occupational questionnaire; and
3. Fax the completed 1203FX and supporting documents to 1-478-757-3144. Your 1203FX will serve as a cover page for your fax transmission.
Due to our security procedures, our office will not accept any applications submitted via email or standard mail. The email address is listed only for inquiries about the position or the How to Apply process.
Once you have successfully submitted your occupational questionnaire, you will receive the following email notifications concerning your application status: (1) Receipt of application; (2) Result of qualifications review and if Referred/Not Referred to the selecting official; and (3) Selected/Not Selected for the position.
If you applied incorrectly or submitted an incomplete application, we will be unable to send you notifications regarding the status of your application. Please read the How to Apply instructions carefully to ensure that you submit a complete application.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/471783100. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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