Summary

Incumbent serves as a Lead Insurance Specialist for the Accounts Services Section. The Division is responsible for the oversight, and exception reporting review, of the check processing activity and preparing and imagining incoming correspondence, and documentation, into the workflow system and the Veterans Insurance Claims Tracking & Response System (VICTARS). The Incumbent will assist Policyholders Services Division supervisory personnel by leading the work and resolving work related issues.

This job is open to

• Internal to an agency
  
  Current federal employees of this agency.

Clarification from the agency

Open only to current Career/Career Conditional Veterans Benefits Administration Philadelphia Facility (Insurance or Regional Office) employees.

Duties

• Under the supervision of the Section Chief, the incumbent leads a team of five or more individuals in performing the work within the Policyholders Services Division. The Team Leader will be flexible and support any of the individual teams established in the Policyholders Services Division.
• The incumbent also participates in the work of the team, which includes: Provides technical advice and guidance on all aspects of the Insurance program from policyholders, their representatives, their beneficiaries, and other third party representatives on behalf of the Chiefs, Policyholders Services and Insurance Claims Divisions. Contacts relate to the Government Life insurance programs administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
• Researches and Interprets regulations governing life insurance policies in order to reply to inquiries from policyholders on the VA administered insurance programs. Such inquiries may relate to policy maintenance, disability claim, medical underwriting, and/or death awards. As such, the incumbent must be able to respond to inquiries varying in complexity and counsel callers on a variety of topics, including but not limited to, dividends, premiums, non-medical and medical underwriting issues, matured endowments, cash surrenders, loans, death claim processing and tax issues relating to the insurance programs.
• Uses initiative and judgment when reviewing and analyzing and/or developing facts and evidence submitted on a broad range of insurance claims. Determines 1 f information is sufficient to support payment authorization. Makes decision to approve and authorize payment of claims. Explains the agency's positron to those protesting adverse determinations and defines appeal rights under the existing laws and regulations.
• Leads the team in assessing its strengths and weaknesses and provides leadership to the team by exploring alternatives and determining improvements in work methods, processes or procedures. Coaches team members on the technical aspects of their required duties; provides advice on work methods, practices and procedures of the Division. Solves work problems and assists the team and/or individual members in identifying.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
• Selectees are subject to a background/suitability investigation
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• A probationary period may be required for employees and supervisors

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Time-in-grade:

Applicants who are/were 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-9 level. To support your claim of time in grade, you must submit your most recent appointment, promotion, or within grade increase SF-50 (not an award or general adjustment SF-50). Some applicants may have to submit more than one SF-50 to demonstrate their eligibility. See the required documents section for more information.

And

Specialized Experience:

Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-09) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as:

(1) Knowledge of group facilitation methods; problem-solving techniques; team building; leadership; motivation, innovation and flexibility, quality measurement tools, planning and organizing skills, subject matter expertise; and coaching and counseling methods and techniques.

(2) Incumbent uses skills to plan, organize and direct team work and to negotiate effectively with management to gain acceptance and implementation of recommendations. This knowledge and skills are also applied to lead the assessment of the team's program effectiveness by reviewing selected work samples and projects, identifying problems, and determining and implementing actions to Improve operations.

(3) A broad knowledge of all aspects of the six insurance programs administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

(4) In addition, the Incumbent must have knowledge of the Servicemembers' Group Life, Traumatic Servicemembers Group Life Insurance, and Veterans Group Life insurance programs.

OR

Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-11 level. 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. Such education must demonstrate the competencies necessary to do the work.

OR

Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-11 level: Equivalent combinations of specialized experience and PH.D. graduate education. To compute, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education beyond two years by 18. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify.

The Office of Personnel Management's group coverage qualification standards, associated individual occupational requirements (IOR), and individual qualification standards covering white collar occupations in the Federal competitive service can be found here.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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. 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.

Additional information

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 6:00am - 6:00pm, flexible schedules available

Title/PD#: Lead Insurance Specialist GS - 11; PD #03808-A

Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Typically, the employee may sit comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking; standing; bending; carrying of light items such as papers, books, small parts; driving an automobile, etc. No special physical demands are required to perform the work.

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.

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.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

If you are unable to apply online view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

• Benefits
  
  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  
  Review our benefits
  
  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience. Applicants who do not fully address the specialized experience needed for the position (as described above in the job announcement) in their resume or who do not possess the education to substitute for it will not be referred for consideration.

• Organizational Awareness: Knows the organization's mission and functions, and how its social, political, and technological systems work and operates effectively within them; this includes the programs, policies, procedures, rules, and regulations of the organization.
• Analytical Reasoning: Identifies issues and analyzes information to draw accurate conclusions, ensuring careful attention to detail. Dissects problems and information into their meaningful parts and uses logic and judgment to evaluate alternatives and develop solutions.
• Communication: Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
• Team building: Manages group processes; encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals.

After you have met the minimum qualifications, you will be rated on the following competencies based on your application for this position:

If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job-related information, which may include, but is not limited to responses to the knowledge, skills, and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or an interview.

Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

Notice to Applicants: It is the policy of the Government not to deny employment simply because an individual has been unemployed or has had financial difficulties that have arisen through no fault of the individual. Information about an individual's employment experience will be used only to determine the person's qualifications and to assess his or her relative level of knowledge, skills, and abilities. Although an individual's personal conduct may be relevant in any employment decision, including conduct during periods of unemployment or evidence of dishonesty in handling financial matters, financial difficulty that has arisen through no fault of the individual will generally not itself be the basis of an unfavorable suitability or fitness determination.

• Benefits
  
  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  
  Review our benefits
  
  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
• Required Documents
  
  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.
  
  The following documents are required for all applicants:
  
  
  • Resume
  • SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
  
  
  Review the information below and submit any additional documents (as needed) to demonstrate your eligibility and/or qualifications for the position:
  
  Current Federal Employees:
  
  • If you are applying using your status as a current federal employee you must submit an SF-50.
  • To support your claim that you have the required time-in-grade, you must submit your most recent promotion, within-grade increase, or appointment SF-50 (not an award or general adjustment SF-50). Some applicants may have to submit more than one SF-50 in order to demonstrate their eligibility.
  • If you previously held a higher grade, you must also submit an SF-50 showing that grade.
  
  Resume
  
  
  • Your resume may be submitted in any format, however we strongly recommend using USA Jobs resume builder as it contains all of the information required on federal resumes.
  • For qualifications determinations your resume must contain hours worked per week, the dates of employment, and the level of your experience. If your resume does not contain this information you will not receive consideration for this position.
  • If you submit more than one copy of your resume, only the most recent version will be reviewed. The latest timestamp will be used to determine which version of your resume is "most recent." It is your responsibility to check the status and timestamp of all documents you submit as part of your application.
  • If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
  
  Transcripts
  
  
  • If you are basing all or some of your qualifications on education or if a degree is required for the position, a transcript must be included as part of your application package.
  • Unofficial transcript(s) may be submitted, however it must contain the course names, levels, credits earned, and grades received.
  • Your transcript must contain the degree conferred date if you are substituting a degree for experience.
  • If you are claiming superior academic achievement (SAA) ensure you submit completed transcript(s) to demonstrate it. The requirements for superior academic achievement can be viewed here.
  • A photocopy of your degree is not acceptable in place of a transcript.
  • An official transcript will be required at a later date if you are selected for the position.
  
  Failure to submit any of the above mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted. You will not be contacted for additional information.
  
  In addition to the information listed above, please use this checklist to ensure you have included other documents required for your application.
  
  
  If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
  
  Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
  schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
  
  Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
• How to Apply
  
  To apply for this position, you must complete the https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12452205 and submit the documentation specified in the job announcement. Documents will not be accepted after the closing date of the announcement.
  
  The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 07/05/2024 to receive consideration.
  
  1. To begin, click apply online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
  
  2. Click submit my answers to submit your application package.
  
  Note: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
  
  To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, select the application status link and then select the more information link for this position. The details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
  
  To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS accountand click update application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
  
  Agency contact information
  
  Janelle Phillips
  
  Phone
  
  (313) 471-3888
  
  Email
  
  janelle.phillips@va.gov
  
  Address
  
  Philadelphia VBA Regional Office
  
  5000 Wissahickon Ave
  
  Philadelphia, PA 19144
  
  US
  
  Next steps
  
  After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. During our review, if your resume and application package do not support your questionnaire answers, we will adjust your rating accordingly. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email (if provided). Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.
  
  You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USAJOBS account and clicking on "Application Status." For a more detailed update of your status, click on "more information." Information regarding applicant notification points can be found in the USAJOBS Resource Center.
• Fair and Transparent
  
  The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
  
  
  • Criminal history inquiries
  • Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
  • Financial suitability
  • New employee probationary period
  • Privacy Act
  • Reasonable accommodation policy
  • Selective Service
  • Signature and false statements
  • Social security number request

Required Documents

The following documents are required for all applicants:

• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

Review the information below and submit any additional documents (as needed) to demonstrate your eligibility and/or qualifications for the position:

Current Federal Employees:

• If you are applying using your status as a current federal employee you must submit an SF-50.
• To support your claim that you have the required time-in-grade, you must submit your most recent promotion, within-grade increase, or appointment SF-50 (not an award or general adjustment SF-50). Some applicants may have to submit more than one SF-50 in order to demonstrate their eligibility.
• If you previously held a higher grade, you must also submit an SF-50 showing that grade.

Resume

• Your resume may be submitted in any format, however we strongly recommend using USA Jobs resume builder as it contains all of the information required on federal resumes.
• For qualifications determinations your resume must contain hours worked per week, the dates of employment, and the level of your experience. If your resume does not contain this information you will not receive consideration for this position.
• If you submit more than one copy of your resume, only the most recent version will be reviewed. The latest timestamp will be used to determine which version of your resume is "most recent." It is your responsibility to check the status and timestamp of all documents you submit as part of your application.
• If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy.

Transcripts

• If you are basing all or some of your qualifications on education or if a degree is required for the position, a transcript must be included as part of your application package.
• Unofficial transcript(s) may be submitted, however it must contain the course names, levels, credits earned, and grades received.
• Your transcript must contain the degree conferred date if you are substituting a degree for experience.
• If you are claiming superior academic achievement (SAA) ensure you submit completed transcript(s) to demonstrate it. The requirements for superior academic achievement can be viewed here.
• A photocopy of your degree is not acceptable in place of a transcript.
• An official transcript will be required at a later date if you are selected for the position.

Failure to submit any of the above mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted. You will not be contacted for additional information.

In addition to the information listed above, please use this checklist to ensure you have included other documents required for your application.


If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12452205 and submit the documentation specified in the job announcement. Documents will not be accepted after the closing date of the announcement.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 07/05/2024 to receive consideration.

1. To begin, click apply online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.

2. Click submit my answers to submit your application package.

Note: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, select the application status link and then select the more information link for this position. The details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS accountand click update application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

Agency contact information

Janelle Phillips

Phone

(313) 471-3888

Email

janelle.phillips@va.gov

Address

Philadelphia VBA Regional Office

5000 Wissahickon Ave

Philadelphia, PA 19144

US

Next steps

After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. During our review, if your resume and application package do not support your questionnaire answers, we will adjust your rating accordingly. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email (if provided). Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.

You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USAJOBS account and clicking on "Application Status." For a more detailed update of your status, click on "more information." Information regarding applicant notification points can be found in the USAJOBS Resource Center.

Fair & Transparent

The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

• Criminal history inquiries
• Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
• Financial suitability
• New employee probationary period
• Privacy Act
• Reasonable accommodation policy
• Selective Service
• Signature and false statements
• Social security number request