Summary This position is in the Education Call Center Division within the Department of Veterans Affairs, Regional Processing Office (RPO) in Muskogee, OK. Employees review education awards to ensure proper payment, eligibility, and entitlement regulations and laws have been applied in processing the education award. Advises education claimants and their representatives via telephone of their benefits, rights, and privileges which they are entitled to under the law administered by VA. Responsibilities Specific duties include: Assists individuals in developing needed evidence, preparing required documentation, and resolving errors and/or delays in obtaining benefits. Explains the @types of documents necessary to facilitate timely processing of claims and assists in obtaining and completing such documents and forms in accordance with the @type of claim being submitted. Responsible for counseling veterans, their dependents and beneficiaries via telephone in a high-volume call center regarding the full range of education benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs. The incumbent explores all avenues of assistance available to veterans, beneficiaries, and dependents and takes initiative to encourage individuals to fully utilize these benefits. Researches issue(s) to include direct contact with RO of jurisdiction if warranted, or in course of research, with other Federal or state agencies as necessary. Explains decisions and reasons for decisions made by the VA and communicates verbally this information to the claimant. Informs individuals of their right to appeal decisions and explains the appeal process. Provides advice, expertise and problem-solving assistance to claimants who call the National Education Call Center using discretion and tact when communicating negative or stressful information. Exhibits the ability to complete the contact independently and refer few calls to a higher level. 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-09. Work Schedule: Training Hours 8:00 am - 4:30 pm CST / Full Time Duty Hours 10:00am - 6:30pm CST Telework: Not available Virtual: This is a REMOTE Position Position Description/PD#: Veterans Claims Examiner - Education Benefits Specialist (EBS); PD37924A Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required Requirements Conditions of Employment As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may 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 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. 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 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. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:09/08/2026. 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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05 level. OR Superior Academic Achievement Bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement for two-grade interval positions in a course of study that directly reflects the job-related KSAs/competencies necessary to satisfy the minimum qualifications and perform the duties of the position. OR 1 academic year of graduate education (or law school, as specified in qualification standards or individual occupational requirements) in a course of study that directly reflects the job-related KSAs/competencies necessary to satisfy the minimum qualifications and perform the duties of the position 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 as described below: GS- 07 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one year of specialize experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade in the normal line of progression (GS-5). Specialized experience for this position is defined as: Counseling individuals about federal, state, or local benefits by explaining legal provisions, regulations, or decisions to a variety of audiences. 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: This work is primarily sedentary. The EBS 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 performed the work. There may be some walking, standing, and carrying of light items such as papers, book, claim folders, and files from one desk to another or for returning to storage. Extensive use of a computer and a telephone with a headset is required. 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. Additional Information 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.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information. 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 ICTAP and 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. 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. For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document. 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)
