Veterans Service Representative

Summary This position is located in the Veterans Benefits Administration. The Veterans Service Representative works in a Veterans Service Center, Pension Management Center, Benefits Eligibility Support Team, or Integrated Disability Evaluation System Program Division. The position explains benefit programs and entitlement criteria, reviews claims, identifies issues, gathers evidence, conducts interviews, adjudicates claims, inputs award data, and prepares decision letters for Veterans. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the cut-off date/and or of this announcement. This Standing Register Job Announcement establishes an applicant pool to fill full-time permanent positions as vacancies occur. The announcement will remain open as stated in the vacancy notice. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be on or about November 9, 2026 with subsequent reviews every three weeks as additional vacancies occur, or on an as-needed basis, until positions are filled. Applicants remain eligible for consideration for up to six months after the announcement closes or until they withdraw. Eligible applicants may also be considered for additional vacancies as new certificates are issued. To qualify for the GS-0996-07 position you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level or higher in the federal, state and/or private setting. Specialized experience is defined as the interpretation or application of laws, regulations, or procedures to analyze evidence to make determinations and research routine issues to resolve discrepancies. Examples of experience include: Interpreting and applying applicable laws, regulations, and policies for processing compensation and benefits claims across agency programs, including dependency status, health insurance, workers' compensation, disability, retirement, pension systems, social service, Medicaid or special income based programs administered through private, local, state or federal agencies. Determining basic employment qualifications and eligibility for benefit programs Providing written communication to inform claimants of decisions, the reason and bases for decisions, appeal rights, and evidence requirements. Utilizing a variety of electronic data processing (EDP) systems and applications related to claims processing, monitoring, and correspondence preparation. OR Education Substitution: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education you must have: One full year of graduate level education. Graduate level education must demonstrate the competencies necessary to do the work of the position; OR A Bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement (2.95 GPA or higher) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum. Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) is based on: 1.) class standing, 2.) grade point average or 3.) honor society membership. OR 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. 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 normally involves mental rather than physical exertion. The work is mostly sedentary; however, there may be some walking, standing, and carrying of light items. 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. 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. Requirements As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year or 2-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 Required to attend an 8 week training session, which may require travel. 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. How You Will Be Evaluated IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational application questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position. Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received. Referral listings will be created every 3-weeks. Final disposition will be completed once the position has been filled or the announcement reaches the end of the open period stated in the announcement. See schedule below. First cut-off date: November 9, 2026 Second cut-off: November 30th, 2026 Close Date: December 21, 2026 THIS IS A DIRECT HIRE ANNOUNCEMENT. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Direct Hire Authority, authorized by 5 United States Code (U.S.C.), Section 3304 and 5 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 337, Subpart B. Veterans' preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to the Direct Hire process. Your application will be considered based on education, training, and quality of your experience. The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received. Your resume will be evaluated to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications required and on the extent; to which your application shows that you possess the competencies associated with this position. To determine if you are qualified for the job, a review of your resume and supporting documentation may be made and compared against your responses to the vacancy questionnaire. USA Hire competencies based on your application for this position: Attention to Detail Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Required Documents Required Documents: Resume (limited to 2 pages) You must provide a resume detailing your specialized experience and competencies relevant to the position. For qualifications determinations your resume must reflect hours worked per week, the inclusive dates of employment, and the level of your experience. If your resume does not reflect this information you will not receive credit for the experience. If you submit more than one copy of your resume, 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. We would recommend that you not submit more than one version of your resume. If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, we will not use it to make eligibility and qualification determinations, and you may not be considered further for the vacancy. Accepted Documents: Cover Letter DD-214/ Statement of Service Disability Letter (Schedule A) Disability Letter (VA) ICTAP/CTAP Documentation PCS Orders Performance Appraisal Proof of Marriage Status Resume Separation Notice (RIF) SF-15 SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Transcript 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. An unofficial transcript may be submitted, however, it must reflect the name of the school, course names, levels, credits earned, grades received, and degree conferred if applicable. Your transcript (official of unofficial) must reflect the degree conferred date if you are substituting a degree for experience. A photocopy of your degree is not acceptable in lieu of a transcript. An official transcript will be required at a later date if you are selected for the position. Whenever possible it is preferable that you submit copies of official transcripts. Unofficial transcripts may lack essential information necessary for a full evaluation of your qualifications. Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified Veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position. Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must also submit: Certification of expected separation or reduction-in-force separation notice, your most recent performance evaluation, and an SF-50 demonstrating your separation or the position you will be separated from; or Worker's compensation separation (agency certification of inability to place employee and notification of separation or a separation SF-50; or Disability annuity termination (notification from OPM of disability annuity termination and separation SF-50 of the last position held); or Military reserve or National Guard technician special disability retirement annuity under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456 (certification of special disability retirement annuity from a military department or National Guard bureau and separation SF-50 of the last position held). 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 that all required documents have been submitted by the cut-off date/and or of the announcement. You will not be contacted for additional information. How to Apply Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 12/21/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13091263.The application process is as follows: Click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside about two (2) hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. This announcement does not permit updates, edits, or modifications to your application documents or questions related to your application once your initial application package has been submitted. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed. Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started. Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume: Prioritize most relevant and recent experience Use concise, results focused language Align language from the job announcement Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies Remove outdated or unrelated experience Use the USAJOBS resume builder Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at: USA Jobs Help Center - Resume Page Limit Applicant Guidance on the Two-Page Resume Limit