Summary The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) manages six insurance programs covering approximately 3 million policies that provide life, disability, mortgage and annuity benefits to its' policyholders. VA is also responsible for the supervision of the Servicemembers and Veterans Group Life Insurance programs that cover approximately 6 million active-duty personnel, reservists, veterans, and family members. Responsibilities Specific duties include: Conducting studies of insurance technical matters and lead projects in the Insurance Program and its operating divisions. Developing written guidance or instructional materials that translate policy decisions and system requirements into clear procedural direction for internal users. Conducting quality review and validation of Insurance operations in compliance with statutory, regulatory and Insurance policies. Analyzing and evaluate the effectiveness of programs or operations in meeting established goals and objectives as well as prepare reports to management relating to initiative implementation and performance progress. Assisting in the data collection for audits of Insurance financial transactions and accounting records for accuracy, completeness and compliance with applicable regulations and procedures. Identifying regulations which need amendment to ensure consistency as well as apply laws, guidelines, regulations and precedent opinions necessary to analyze, evaluate and make decisions related to the VA Life Insurance program. Assisting in the development of training materials as well as assist in the preparation and scoring of testing by usability studies, efficacy testing of new applications and classroom training. 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-12. Work Schedule: Full-Time, Monday - Friday Compressed/Flexible: Available (6:00am - 6:00pm). Telework: Ad-hoc telework may be authorized as determined by the agency policy. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Insurance Specialist; PD42209A and PD42210A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. 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 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 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:07/07/2026. TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 level. For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11 level. 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. MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-11 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: You must have one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level. Specialized experience includes experience that demonstrates (1) developing written analyses, drafting recommendation papers for leadership, preparing policy options, or producing other high impact written products requiring clarity, accuracy, and interpretation of complex statutory, regulatory, or operational issues; (2) coordinating projects, managing timelines, facilitating workgroups, or developing project documentation such as plans, milestones, and progress reports. OR Education Substitution: Applicants must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or have completed 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., IF RELATED. Note: A copy of your transcripts from an accredited college or university must be submitted at the time of application. 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. GS-12 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: You must have one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level. Specialized experience includes experience that demonstrates (1) substantial responsibility for developing written analyses, drafting recommendation papers for leadership, preparing policy options, or producing other high impact written products requiring clarity, accuracy, and interpretation of complex statutory, regulatory, or operational issues; (2) coordinating multifaceted projects, managing timelines, facilitating cross functional workgroups, or developing project documentation such as plans, milestones, and progress reports. 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 sedentary and is usually accomplished while seated at a desk. Some walking and standing may occur in the course of a normal workday in connection with attendance of conferences, meetings, presentations, and/or while researching information. 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 Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to be credited towards qualifications. Provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. All education claimed by applicants will be verified upon appointment. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript to receive credit. 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. 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: 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-Information) For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document. 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.
