Summary This position is located in the Little Rock Regional Office, Little Rock, Arkansas, Veterans Benefits Administration. The person in this position serves as Veterans Service Representative (Senior Authorizer) for a claims team within a section of the BEST Division. Responsibilities Major duties and responsibilities of the Veterans Service Representative include, but are not limited to: Reviews and authorizes a full range of claims of a larger scope of responsibility which are unusually complex cases or those of a very sensitive nature involving novel issues, to include any appellate reviews related to contested claims. Serves as the team mentor to lower-graded Veterans Service Representatives (VSRs) providing a comprehensive level of technical advice and guidance on complex authorization issues. Serves as the final signatory with the power to rate and award benefits on claims that are unusually complex, or to terminate, change, or deny benefits. Analyzes available data which reflects quality levels to determine training needs of lower-graded VSRs. Ensures all program requirements imposed by Compensation and Pension Service and the Court of Veterans Appeals are met or implemented. Distributes and balances the workload among the employees in accordance with established workflow and assures timely accomplishment of assigned workload Monitors qualitative and quantitative metrics to spot patterns in quality program delivery and pinpoint areas that need more investigation. Cases being reviewed may entail contentious issues that call for the application of legal precedents and, occasionally, the requirement for a new decision. Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Central Standard Time.(CST) Subject to change the meet the needs of the agency. Compressed/Flexible: Available Remote: This is not a remote position. Successful candidates should expect to work Monday through Friday Telework: Yes, Ad-hoc telework may be authorized as determined by the agency policy. 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 it is not guaranteed. Position Description/PD#: Veterans Service Representative; 30077A , GS-0996-12 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Bargaining Unit Position: Yes Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Requirements Conditions of Employment As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 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 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 dentification 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 06/19/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees must meet the time-in-grade requirements. GS-12 grade level you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11 grade level. If you are a current VBA employee requesting a reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS- 12 (or higher) and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least GS-12. 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. 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 REQUIREMENTS: You may qualify based on your experience below: GS-12 grade Level: You must possess at least one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service). Specialized Experience is defined as but not limited to to experience that demonstrates competence in adjudicating and authorizing veterans' claims. Specialized experience is typically gained in positions that have involved experience in the development, examination, investigation, adjudication, and authorization of claims for disability compensation, disability pension, death compensation, death pension benefits, life insurance benefits, etc. Such experience is to be substantive and relevant and may have been gained in the practice of law or working with a Federal or state agency, insurance company, retirement, disability, or insurance program. Note: There is no education substitution at the GS-12 Grade level. 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; religious; 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited based on time spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The work normally involves mental rather than physical exertion. The work is mostly sedentary. 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 this position. Additional Information 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. 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: VA is committed to ensuring all applicants have equal access to the assessment process. If you require reasonable accommodation to complete the VA Supervisory Situational Judgment Test (SSJT), please contact sandra.hicks8@va.gov as soon as possible. Requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. 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)
