Summary As an Insurance Specialist you will have telephone contacts with the public for the purposes of (1) advising and providing information on insurance programs; (2) explaining pertinent legal provisions, regulations, and related administrative practices and their application to specific cases; and (3) assisting individuals regarding how best to provide needed documents and evidence required, or to initiate inquiries to resolve errors, delays, or other problems related to the VA Insurance program. Responsibilities Fields telephone calls pertaining to a wide range of issues. On occasion, these matters involve other VA and Federal benefits. Researches and interprets regulations governing life insurance policies in order to reply to inquiries from policyholders on the VA administered insurance programs. Responds to inquiries varying in complexity and counsels callers on topics including but not limited to dividends, premiums, non-medical and medical underwriting issues, matured endowments, cash surrenders, loans, death claim processing and tax issues relating to the insurance programs. Advises policyholders and beneficiaries with estimates and compares benefits of the various options that are available relating to conversions, changes of plan, matured endowment, cash surrenders, death award payments and dividend options, etc. Computes reserves, differences in reserve, surrender and loan values, and determines effective date of changes. Prepares detailed statement of account and conducts extensive audits of individual policies. Responds to inquiries in relation to Servicemembers'/Veterans' Group Life Insurance (SGLI/VGLI) and Veterans Affairs Life Insurance (VALife) which are supervised by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Takes all servicing and maintenance actions in responding to requests or inquiries from policyholders or their authorized representatives, including posting premiums, loan and dividend payments and refunds. Performs post entitlement actions, including release of Treasury Form 712 and release of correspondence to claimants, Veterans Service Officers, and attorneys and third parties concerning general inquiries about payment of the proceeds. Processes beneficiary designations requests, releases copies of beneficiary designations on file, and provides copies of the policy. This position has been re-engineered for recruitment and training purposes. The incumbent will receive assignments that are designed to develop their skills and knowledge until reaching a full promotion potential of grade GS-09. Upon successful completion of training, meeting all regulatory requirements and demonstrated ability to perform duties at the higher level, the incumbent may be promoted without further competition to the full performance level position of grade GS-09. Work assignments are designed to introduce the incumbent to a full range of duties and responsibilities required by the full performance level. As experience and knowledge are gained and competency is demonstrated, the employee is gradually given more freedom to make independent judgments and decisions. The incumbent will perform duties similar to those described in full performance but under closer supervision, more specific guidelines, less complexity, and decreased scope and effect as described above. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job. Selectees are subject to a background/suitability investigation. Selective Service registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. 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. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, if applicable, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or a 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 or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications Applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Time-In-Grade (TIG) Requirement Time-in-grade (TIG) requirements apply to applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade at any time in the past 52 weeks, current Federal employees applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) appointment, and former Federal employees applying for reinstatement. Applicants who must meet TIG must submit their most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50): Official SF-50 that shows you held the grade (or higher) for the full performance level of the position you are applying for, or Official SF-50 that shows you held the next lower grade for at least one year for the position you are applying for. (Multiple SF-50 may need to be submitted to show this.) Examples of appropriate SF-50s to include which show TIG requirements have been met include: Within grade increases (WGI) at the highest grade held; or Promotions with an effective date that occurred more than one year from the closing date of the job opportunity announcement; or SF-50s at the highest grade held with an effective date that occurred more than 1 year from the closing date of the job opportunity announcement. NOTE: Do not submit Award SF-50s, as they do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05 level. Specialized Experience To qualify, applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-05) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: (1) Experience that may have been gained in technical assignments that involved the application of laws, rules, regulations or procedures involving a benefit or entitlement program. (2) Responsibility for examination, investigation or authorization of claims under programs such as life or health insurance, pension plan, disability retirement, income maintenance or other related programs. OR Applicants may substitute education for the experience required to qualify at the GS-7 level: Undergraduate Degree and Superior Academic Achievement. You have successfully completed a full 4-year course of study in any field leading to an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university or you possess an undergraduate degree in any field from an accredited college or university, AND you meet one of the following Superior Academic Achievement provisions: a. Ranked in the upper 1/3 of your college class or major subdivision at the time you apply; b. Earned election to a national scholastic honor society that meets the requirements of the Association of College Honor Societies other than freshman honor societies; OR c. Earned a grade point average (GPA) of 2.95 or higher on a 4.0 scale based on all completed undergraduate courses, or all undergraduate classes completed during the final two years; or earned a GPA of 3.45 or higher on a 4.0 scale based on all completed undergraduate courses in your major, or all undergraduate courses in your major completed during the final two years. Regarding the Superior Academic Achievement provisions, if more than 10% of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) was taken on a pass/fail or similar basis, you can qualify only on the basis of your class standing or membership in an honor society. If you qualify based on your education, you must upload or fax a copy of your college transcript along with your application. If you are selected for the position, an official college transcript(s) will be required at your start date. OR Graduate Education. You must have at least one full academic year of graduate level education that demonstrates you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to satisfactorily perform the work. One year of full-time graduate education is normally determined by the school you attended. If that number cannot be determined, 18 semester hours should be considered equivalent to one academic year of graduate study. Part-time graduate education is creditable on a pro-rated basis. If you qualify based on your education, you must upload or fax a copy of your college transcript along with your application. If you are selected for the position, an official college transcript(s) will be required at your start date. OR Applicants can combine education and specialized experience to qualify for the position. If you have some, but not all, of the graduate education AND specialized experience described above, you may still qualify by combining the amount of creditable education and experience that you do have. To do so, first calculate the percentage of qualifying education you have as a percentage of the education required. Next, calculate the percentage of specialized experience you have as a percentage of the experience required. Then, add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100% for you to qualify for the position at the GS-7 grade level. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate education (i.e., 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of acceptable specialized experience (i.e., 50% of the experience required) would satisfy the qualification requirements for the position. If you qualify based on a combination of graduate education and specialized experience, you must submit a copy of your official college transcript with your application. 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. The Office of Personnel Management's group coverage qualification standards, associated individual occupational requirements (IOR), and individual qualification standards covering white collar occupations in the Federal competitive service can be found here Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. 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 here. 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. Additional Information Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday Title/PD#: Insurance Specialist GS-7; PD 03735A Flexible: Available (8:00am-4:30pm, 8:30am-5:00pm, and 9:00am-5:30pm) Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. 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. Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Typically, the employee may sit comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking; standing; bending; carrying of light items such as papers, books, small parts; driving an automobile, etc. No special physical demands are required to perform the work. 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. Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Please contact the special placement coordinator or the human resources specialist listed on this vacancy for more information regarding applying for consideration under schedule A or as a 30% disabled Veteran. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. A well-qualified candidate is defined as meeting all of the minimum qualification standards and eligibility requirements as well as possessing skills that clearly exceed the minimum qualifications requirements for this position. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility can be found here. VA supports the use of telework as a way to help 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 telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. 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. 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."
