Pathways Recent Graduates Claims Examiner (Sickness/ Unemployment)
What you'd do
This position is located in the Office of Programs, Railroad Retirement Board. The incumbent will be responsible for developing and adjudicating cases involving complex, developmental, or follow-up actions, as well as initial applications and claims for unemployment and sickness benefits under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (RUIA). This job announcement may be used to fill one or more vacancies.
Major duties
This is a bargaining unit position. This position is represented by the Council of AFGE Locals in the Board. WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE PATHWAYS PROGRAM? For additional information regarding the Pathways Program, please refer to the following website: Students & Recent Graduates The RRB Recent Graduates Program affords developmental experiences in the Federal Government intended to promote possible careers in the civil service to individuals who have recently graduated from qualifying educational institutions or programs. Successful applicants are placed in a dynamic, developmental program with the potential to lead to a civil service career in the Federal Government. Following the completion of program requirements, selectees may be considered for non-competitive conversion to a career-conditional or term appointment. All conversion requirements will be identified in the Participant Agreement. Program requirements include but are not limited to: Successful completion of at least 1-year of continuous service Completion of at least 40 hours of interactive training Demonstration of successful job performance Meet the qualification standards for the position to which the Recent Graduate may be converted Conversion to the competitive service is not implied nor guaranteed. As a Pathways Recent Graduates Claims Examiner (Sickness/ Unemployment), you will: Examine and adjudicate supplemental medical statements to make determinations on continued entitlement to sickness benefits. Determine the sufficiency, relevancy, and validity of evidence submitted in the adjudication of initial applications and claims for unemployment and/or sickness benefits. Review cases referred to the section for possible recovery of erroneous payments and collection of debts from claimants. Respond to inquiries via telephone, written replies, or electronic means from labor or railroad officials, government agencies, welfare organizations, claimants, attorneys, and others. Access various computer systems to enter, view, route, retrieve, and print data/documents used in the adjudicative processes and process various miscellaneous work items. Note: This posting is for the purpose of announcing a course of training leading to assignment to positions of Railroad Retirement Sickness and Unemployment Claims Examiner, GS-08, for successful applicants. These positions will be filled at the GS-05 level only. Upon successful completion of the 38-week training, selectees will be promoted to the GS-07 level. Selectees will be promoted to the GS-08 level after successfully completing one year at the GS-07 position.
What you need to qualify
Minimum Qualifications for the GS-05 level: A. One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-04 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience which involves analyzing, explaining, processing, or interpreting claims, benefits, laws, regulations, or detailed technical procedures. -OR- B. Four years of education above the high school level. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. -OR- C. A combination of education and experience as listed above. Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. One full academic year (30 semester hours) beyond the second year equals 6 months of specialized experience. In addition to the above, you must have, within the previous 2 years*, completed all educational requirements for a qualifying associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying institution. Education requirements must be met by 6/30/2026. *Veterans who, due to a military service obligation, were precluded from applying to a Recent Graduates Program during any portion of the 2 year eligibility period may have their eligibility period extended so that they receive the full 2 years of eligibility. The remaining 2-year eligibility period will begin upon his or her release or discharge from active duty. The veteran's eligibility period may not extend beyond 6 years from the date of completion of all requirements of an academic course of study. 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, religious, 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. Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered. Documenting experience: IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Qualifications are based on breadth/level of experience. In addition to describing duties performed, applicants must provide the exact dates of each period of employment (from MM/YY to MM/YY) and the number of hours worked per week if part time. As qualification determinations cannot be made when resumes do not include the required information, failure to provide this information may result in disqualification. Applicants are encouraged to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder to develop their federal resume. Do not copy and paste the duties or specialized experience from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.
Before you apply
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