Summary

The incumbent serves as Assistant Director & principal leader to the Senior Principal Advisor & other leadership on a wide array of Pre-Discharge Program activities. The incumbent is the responsible leader of the Pre-Discharge Programs staff members, who are integrally involved in the facilitation of partnership between VBA's Compensation Program Office & other federal agencies for the ownership of the Benefits Delivery at Discharge Program & the Integrated Disability Evaluation System.

This job is open to

• Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
  
  Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.
• Internal to an agency
  
  Current federal employees of this agency.

Clarification from the agency

This vacancy announcement is open ONLY to current, permanent Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) employees AND Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) eligible.

Duties

Specific duties include:

• Responsible leader of the Pre-discharge Programs staff members, who are integrally involved in the facilitation of partnership between VBA's Compensation Program Office and other federal agencies (Department of Defense, U.S. Coast Guard, etc.).
• Leads staff in establishing procedures, collaborating in joint workgroups and drafting agreements that ensure interagency operations in support of transitioning service members, VA's military evidence gathering (for disability claims) and other applicable federal records.
• Serves as the primary leader for initial coordination and collaboration of respective program groups to address procedures, along with leading the implementation of changes affecting CS programs, field offices, and claims processing.
• Serves as a subject matter expert to recommend Pre-discharge Programs (Benefits Delivery at Discharge and Integrated Disability Evaluation System) policies and procedural interpretations; and, where necessary, formulates, VA's procedural guidance in support of efficient delivery of information and related compensation benefits to Veterans and their dependents.
• Manages Pre-Discharge Programs and program staff, working with executive leadership and maintains an efficient flow of operational requirements to meet mission demands.
• Uses expert analytical ability and skill in completing daily duties.
• The incumbent is responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and controlling all areas related to Pre-Discharge Programs and other special projects, as assigned.
• Develops and evaluates significant policies and proposals, prior to their consideration by the Senior Principal Advisor, to ensure that balanced and accurate documentation of all options are presented.
• Maintains a critical awareness of sensitive program developments and problems involving risk management for Pre-Discharge Program activities.
• Possesses extensive knowledge of VBA/VA programs and operations, as well as Integrated Disability Evaluation System and Separation Health Assessment Initiatives.
• Performs statistical analysis, comparatives studies and comprehensive reports to develop and recommend solutions to complex problems having national scope and applicability.
• Assesses the impact and significance of new or revised legislation, policies, procedures, and program requirements for compensation benefits. Analyzes management techniques, processes, and trends and developing and implementing comprehensive strategies for improving organizational effectiveness of Pre-Discharge Programs.
• The incumbent carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with policies and applicable laws.

Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm

Compressed/Flexible: Not Available

Telework: Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Program Specialist/ Pre-Discharge Program Staff Assistant Director; PD389111-0

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• 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
• Selectees are required to service a one-year supervisory probationary period if not previously completed in a Federal position.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:07/08/2024.

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.

To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50). The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. You must provide a copy of your most recent SF-50 that indicates proof of status, and shows Time in Grade (for example, you were a career or career-conditional employee) and identifies your position title, series, grade, step, salary, tenure, and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). 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 also submit your most recent promotion or within-grade increase in addition to your recent SF-50. If you previously held a higher grade, you must also submit any SF-50 showing that grade. DO NOT submit Award SF-50's and/or General Adjustment SF-50's as they cannot be used to prove time-in-grade.

• For a GS-15 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-14 level.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

GS-15 Grade Level:

• Specialized Experience: is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position(s), and that is typically IN OR RELATED TO the work of the position to be filled. The applicant must document one year of experience which includes managing and assigning workload related to the application of Veterans benefits programing such as compensation, pension, fiduciary, and/or appeals; explaining benefit programs or decisions to multiple audience through various communication means such as orally or in writing.

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 primarily sedentary.

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

There is no education substitution at the GS 15.

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 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.

• 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 will not be referred for consideration.

1. Communication - Ability to interact and cooperate with all employees, partners, and other stakeholders of various backgrounds and positions.
2. Attention to Detail - Skill in performing thorough work and being conscientious about attending to detail.
3. Analytical Thinking - Ability to identify and analyze problems using sound reasoning to arrive at conclusions.
4. Supervision - Ability to manage and/or supervise (plan, organize, direct, control, review, etc) the work activities of subordinates.
5. Organizational Awareness - Knowledge of 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.
6. Problem Solving - Ability to solve problems/issues quickly and effectively, involving a methodical step-by-step approach to thinking.

After you have met the minimum qualifications, you will be rated on the following competencies based on your application for this position: Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or an interview.

• 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.
  
  To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package to include the documents detailed below. Your resume and supporting documentation will be verified. Failure to submit the documents as specified may result in loss of consideration for this job announcement.
  
  • Resume detailing specialized experience and competencies as they relate to this position.
    
    • For each position in your resume, you must specify the start and end dates (month/year) and a description of duties. If the position was Federal, you should also indicate the grade level. Resumes containing a general summary of all positions held, not specifying start/end dates, and/or not including documentation supporting Federal grade level(s) are insufficient to determine basic qualifications.
  • Your most recent NON-AWARD SF-50. The SF-50 must indicate proof of status and should identify your position title, series, grade, step, salary, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted).
  • Your SF-50 reflecting when you entered your highest grade (e.g. Promotion, Appointment, etc.) in order to verify time-in-grade requirements.
  
  Additional Documents accepted:
  
  
  • 2 most recent Annual Performance Appraisals (2022 & 2023)
  • CTAP documentation - RIF notice, SF-50 showing VA employee, and performance appraisal
  
  Please use this checklist to make sure you have included all documents required for your application. You will not be contacted for additional information.
• How to Apply
  
  Complete the questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 07/08/2024 to receive consideration. It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12463352.
  
  1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
  2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
  
  Click here for instructions on viewing your application status.
  
  Agency contact information
  
  Masika Mccoy
  
  Phone
  
  410-230-4400 X3102
  
  Email
  
  masika.mccoy@va.gov
  
  Address
  
  VBA Human Resources Center - Central Office
  
  810 Vermont Ave NW
  
  Washington, DC 20420
  
  US
  
  Next steps
  
  Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. 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. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. 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 USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help 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

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package to include the documents detailed below. Your resume and supporting documentation will be verified. Failure to submit the documents as specified may result in loss of consideration for this job announcement.

• Resume detailing specialized experience and competencies as they relate to this position.
  
  • For each position in your resume, you must specify the start and end dates (month/year) and a description of duties. If the position was Federal, you should also indicate the grade level. Resumes containing a general summary of all positions held, not specifying start/end dates, and/or not including documentation supporting Federal grade level(s) are insufficient to determine basic qualifications.
• Your most recent NON-AWARD SF-50. The SF-50 must indicate proof of status and should identify your position title, series, grade, step, salary, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted).
• Your SF-50 reflecting when you entered your highest grade (e.g. Promotion, Appointment, etc.) in order to verify time-in-grade requirements.

Additional Documents accepted:

• 2 most recent Annual Performance Appraisals (2022 & 2023)
• CTAP documentation - RIF notice, SF-50 showing VA employee, and performance appraisal

Please use this checklist to make sure you have included all documents required for your application. You will not be contacted for additional information.

How to Apply

Complete the questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 07/08/2024 to receive consideration. It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12463352.

1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.

Click here for instructions on viewing your application status.

Agency contact information

Masika Mccoy

Phone

410-230-4400 X3102

Email

masika.mccoy@va.gov

Address

VBA Human Resources Center - Central Office

810 Vermont Ave NW

Washington, DC 20420

US

Next steps

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. 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. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. 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 USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help 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