Summary The Legal Administrative Specialist (Contact Representation) serves as a member of the public Contact Team, located in the Veteran Service Center. The incumbent will provide specific information and comprehensive assistance with Veterans, their dependents and beneficiaries concerning any matter within the scope of VA benefits and related non-VA benefits. Responsibilities Representing the Regional Office as a liaison with local VA and non-profit community homeless specific organizations, homeless advocacy groups, and other support activities. Assigning include outreach activities and/or events out of the office requiring travel. A major portion of the service provided will be conducted away from the office, in the office of other agencies, and in Non-Traditional settings and/or in the Veterans Health Administration Facilities. The nature of the job requires travel throughout an assigned geographical area away from the work setting. Providing specific information and comprehensive assistance to Veterans, their dependents and beneficiaries concerning any matter within the scope of VA benefits and related non-VA benefits, to include those cases in which issues require an advanced technical proficiency. Interviewing persons who visit or telephone VA facilities and provides designated outreach services. Counseling Veterans, their dependents, and their beneficiaries regarding all benefits available through the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as non-VA benefits available through other agencies. Obtaining the necessary information and completes a claim while the Veteran and/or family member is present. Providing away from office counseling and as necessary provides in-home counseling to those who are geographically isolated or physically unable to come to the VBA office due to physical or mental incapacity. Preparing technical correspondence to veterans and their dependents providing benefit information, representation rights, and response to miscellaneous inquiries. Speaking to individuals or groups, or otherwise represents the agency on medica programs involving matters of interest to Veterans and their dependents. Maintaining extensive and comprehensive information systems relating to specialized Veteran groups to identify opportunities for improvement. Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday (8:00am - 4:30pm). 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#: Legal Administrative Specialist (Contact Representative); PD02108A 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 or 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 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. Must possess and maintain a valid stateside driver's license Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:09/03/2026. TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT: As a current Federal, GS employee you must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-10 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 level. If you are a current VBA employee requesting reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS-10 or higher and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least GS-10 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. 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 and/or education as described below: GS-10 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 Specialized experience is defined as: (1) knowledge of Federal laws, regulations and procedures pertaining to compensation, pension and other VA benefits in order to accurately advise Veterans and/or their dependents of entitlements and eligibility; (2) ability to effectively listen and communicate verbally with people in person and via telephone in order to conduct interviews, explain benefits, present claims appeals, and foster an overall positive relationship between the public and VA; (3) ability to communicate in writing; and (4) ability to work independently in order to plan and organize work activities. OR Education Substitution: A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited college or university, or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.M., if related may be substituted for experience at the GS-10 level. This graduate education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform he duties of the position. Note: A transcript must be submitted with the application if all or part of the qualifications is based on education. 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. 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 mostly sedentary. The incumbent will be required to talk for long periods of time which occasionally puts a strain on the throat/vocal cords. There are no other special physical demands required to perform the work. There may be some walking, standing, and carrying of light items such as papers, books, and files from one location to another. Extensive use of a computer and a telephone is required and may often involve high levels of stress and pressures. 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 A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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. Note: You may submit unofficial transcripts when applying. However, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to provide an official transcript or a statement from the institution (e.g., from the registrar, dean, or other appropriate official) or equivalent documentation prior to the start date. Additional Information 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. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) provides eligible displaced Federal/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 your 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 ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at ICTAP/CTAP - OPM. 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. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. 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.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), VA - The Fair Chance to Compete 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. RA Support For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM document.
