Summary The Military Service Coordinator at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) will service the Seattle VA Regional Office (VARO) Disability Rating Activity Site (DRAS-IDES) performing direct veteran benefit counseling to include information on the full range of VA and non-VA benefits to which separating, retiring service-members and their spouses may be entitled to. Responsibilities Specific duties include: Performs direct veteran benefit counseling to include information on the full range of VA and non-VA benefits to which separating and retiring service-members and their spouses may be entitled to. Performs liaison activities with the Command and Service Organization Staff at the Army Career Advancement Program and the Transition Assistance Program (TAP), as well as providing assistance for those service members participating in these programs. Provides individual counseling on specific VA related information to disabled veterans about specially designated employment assistance for service members being separated for medical reasons. Obtains and reviews Service Medical Records (SMRs) of disabled veterans to ensure appropriate disabilities are included on forms and/or applications for compensation claims. In addition, incumbent obtains appropriate military separation forms, dependency documents, and/or any other accompanying evidence needed for the claims submission process and submits evidence to appropriate offices or rating sites for the veteran. Serves as the point of contact to assist transitioning Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) Veterans and their families, and safeguards and insures statutory and congressional rights of these veterans is maintained. Ensures that OIF/OEF veterans who have complex health and mental problems, including traumatic brain injury, amputations, bums, combat stress, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have a dedicated VA personal advocate to act in favor of their well-being. Incumbent is responsible for coordination of outreach services to incarcerated veterans at federal and state correctional institutions and local county prisons within the Regional Offices' jurisdiction. Incumbent exercises authority to take affidavits, administer oaths and affirmations, make investigations, examine records and witnesses, certify to the correctness of papers and documents upon matters within the jurisdiction of VA Regional Offices, and release official information to appropriate offices or personnel. Develops comprehensive resources of transition service providers among the military, other federal, state, and local governments, educational institutions, and VA medical centers. Initiates contacts with potential service providers to determine what assistance is available, establishes and encourages working relationships with Regional Office personnel at all levels, including management, supervision, professional staff, technicians, administrative and clerical staff. Ability to communicate with individuals of different education, environmental, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds is essential. Responsible for arranging and conducting workshops, seminars, and other meetings with a wide variety of service organizations, Congressional staff, and state and local government veteran's offices to address all VA benefits, as well as concerns and issues with those benefits, thus generating a strong presence within the community and good will towards the VA. Extensive and frequent travel is required, including some evening and weekend activity. Collects, analyzes, and evaluates data that is generated by Regional Offices, and produces meaningful reports to be then sent to the VA Central Office. The incumbent is also responsible for providing the Office of Field Operations (OFO) with detailed reports of program activities for the Regional Office. Serves as the Casualty Assistance Coordinator for the Regional Office and establishes and maintains strong working relationships with the Casualty Assistance Offices at various military installations located within the RO's jurisdiction. Schedules and facilitates personal visits with surviving family members of in-service death victims and provides personal counseling as well as benefits counseling for VA and non-VA benefits. Provides comprehensive information on the full range of VA and non-VA benefits that are available to surviving family members. Acts on behalf of the Director and Special Mission Program Officer (SMPO) as liaison between Regional Offices (RO) and employees of ROs, veterans, and the community. As liaison, the incumbent acts as a veteran's advocate to communicate, facilitate, and problem solve by utilizing administrative, educational, and organizational skills effectively. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 07:30 am - 04:00 pm. Compressed/Flexible: Available 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#: Military Services Coordinator; PD41942-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. 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 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. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:09/23/2026. 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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 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. 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 REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-11 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: Is defined as experience that has equipped the applicant with the knowledge of a complex field of laws, regulations and Federal legislation pertaining to the full range of Veterans benefits and a comprehensive and thorough knowledge of state, federal and local benefit programs in order to be able to explain them, both orally and in writing, to individuals of all educational backgrounds. Specialized experience includes knowledge of anatomy and physiology, diseases and disabilities to assess sources of evidence and information to arrive at claims related decisions; this includes the ability to read, understand, and interpret medical and legal terminology. Education Substitution: A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related 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: A high level of physical energy is required, as the incumbent will be expected to meet with many people in many different locations in the course of a workday. 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. Note: 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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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. For further information, visit: https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications. 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 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 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 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. 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/documents/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: Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (https://appsupport-usastaffing.opm.gov/hc/en-us/sections/45063131363475-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information)
