Veterans Service Representative
What you'd do
This position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs. 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.
Major duties
The Veterans Service Representative (VSR) explains benefit programs and entitlement criteria, analyzes claims materials, identifies issues, gathers relevant evidence, conducts interviews, adjudicates claims, and inputs data necessary to generate the award and notification letter to the Veteran describing the decision and the reason for it. Specifically, the VSR will: Making determinations as to the eligibility for the type of benefit sought to include questions relating to adequacy of military service, medical evidence and the evaluation of evidence of income, employability, dependence and relationship Requesting examinations, re-examination or opinions to evaluate disabilities resulting from diseases or injuries Reviewing claims cases to assure all issues have been addressed, applies and interprets VA laws, including Veterans' case law, existing statutes and procedures, precedent rulings and state law in the adjudication process May conduct interviews in person or by phone with Veterans, representatives and advocates to explain the full range of VA benefits and related programs Preparing and releasing correspondences for use by other federal, state and local agencies Utilizing various electronic data processing systems to input data for processing claims and generating automated correspondence. 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-07/09/10. Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: No. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Veterans Service Representative, 37300A, 37301A, 37233A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Bargaining Unit: Yes
What you need to qualify
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:07/10/2026. 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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05 level. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07 level. For a GS-10 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 QUALIFICATIONS To qualify for the Veterans Service Representative (GS-0996-07/09/10) position, you must have at least one year (52 weeks) of qualifying specialized experience, qualifying education or a combination of the two. The following section is used to determine your job-related experience. Select the response that best represents your experience for this position. Select only one response. Do not overstate or understate your level of experience or demonstrated capability. You should be aware that your selections are subject to evaluation and verification based on the resume and other relevant documents you submit. Later steps in the selection process are specifically designed to verify your stated level of experience and demonstrated capability. Deliberate attempts to falsify information may be grounds for not selecting you or for dismissing you from the position following acceptance. 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 service. 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: Using various computer systems for data entry and maintaining/monitoring case files. Applies use of federal laws when processing compensation and benefit claims for a state or federal agency, insurance company, worker's compensation, disability, retirement or pension programs; Determines basic employment qualifications and eligibility for benefit programs 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 (3.0 GPA or higher). 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. To qualify for the GS-0996-09 position you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level or higher in the federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience which requires the interpretation of legal and medical documentation to determine the claimant's eligibility for services and benefits programs. Examples of specialized experience include: Determining the eligibility for Federal or State-administered benefits, such as disability, education, housing, medical, and/or Veterans' benefits; Interpreting and applying Federal and State laws, including case law, existing statutes and procedures, and precedent rulings, to process claims pertaining to a service program; Gathering and requesting evidence to build service program case files, respond to claimant inquiries and identify errors, inconsistencies, or omissions; Explaining Federal or State claims decisions to claimants, special interest groups, dependents and/or representatives in an effort to gain acceptance of the determination. OR Education Substitution: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education you must have: A master's or equivalent graduate degree in an accredited or pre-accredited college or university; OR 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or possession of an LL.B. or J.D. degree, if related. Graduate-level education must demonstrate the competencies necessary to do the work of the position. 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. To qualify for the GS-0996-10 position you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level or higher in the federal service. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrating competence in adjudicating Veterans' claims. Specialized experience is typically gained in positions that involve the development, examination, investigation, adjudication, and authorization of claims for disability compensation, disability pension, death compensation, death pension benefits, life insurance benefits, etc. Such experience is to be substantive and relevant and requires a high degree of independence and judgment in the interpretation of more complex legal and medical documentation to determine claimant's eligibility and supporting evidence for services and benefits. OR Education Substitution: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education you must have: Two and a half years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D, or equivalent doctoral degree. Graduate-level education must demonstrate the competencies necessary to do the work of the position. 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. 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 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/.
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