Employee Benefits Law Specialist
What you'd do
EBSA plays a vital role in protecting the retirement, health, and other job-based benefits of America's workers, retirees, and their families. We issue effective regulations, offer comprehensive education and assistance to workers, plan sponsors, fiduciaries, and service providers, and rigorously enforce the law. We serve workers, families, and the broader employee benefits community by protecting the security and integrity of the nation's benefit systems.
Major duties
The position serves as an Employee Benefits Law Specialist responsible for the drafting major precedential interpretations, variances, opinions, and advisory rulings; providing technical assistance to EBSA, DOL, and Federal agencies; conducting extensive research; recommending office policies and positions; participating in the revisions and development of regulations, interpretations, advisory opinion, procedures, and forms. Duties include but are not limited to the following: Research and draft interpretations, advisory opinions, variances, forms, procedures, and technical memoranda on ERISA and related laws affecting employer-sponsored group health plans. Identify, analyze, and resolve stakeholder issues by reviewing legislative history, regulations, and court/administrative rulings; evaluates the sufficiency of submissions; and conduct conferences to obtain necessary facts. Develop final guidance and recommend agency policy positions; participate in the development, revision, and promulgation of regulations and subregulatory guidance through intra- and interagency efforts. Provide authoritative technical assistance to EBSA components, including assessing enforcement case materials and recommending interpretations, policy positions, and investigative strategies. Maintains liaison with federal and state agencies and industry stakeholders to exchange information, interpret related laws, address regulatory conflicts, and persuade adoption of EBSA interpretations. Monitors legislative, judicial, and policy developments impacting group health plans and designs and delivers training and ad hoc reports to inform EBSA staff and stakeholders.
What you need to qualify
Basic Requirements: Education: Undergraduate AND graduate education: Major study in one or a combination of the following fields- finance, banking, business administration, economics, mathematics, accounting or auditing, pension plan administration, law, industrial relations, public administration, or other related fields. OR Specialized Experience: Progressively responsible experience that demonstrated the ability to perform work in the field of pension and welfare plans. Such experience may have been gained in (1) management, administration, development, analysis, audit, financial management, or termination of such plans or their funds; or (2) in closely related work such as taxation, securities, and investments. Specialized experience may have been gained in government, a welfare and pension plan administration or consulting firm, law firm, actuarial or accounting firm, labor union, welfare and pension association or research service, banking trust department, or investment firm. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: Analysis and application of fiduciary, reporting and disclosure, bonding, funding, vesting, administration, and termination provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and related laws, regulations, court decisions, and precedent rulings. Development of proposals for new or revised pension or welfare plans, petitions for exemptions, or requests for rulings under governing law. Legal work, a substantial portion of which required interpretation of Federal laws and legal requirements concerning welfare and pension plans, or in such related fields as taxation, securities, real estate, corporations, trusts, bankruptcy, and investments. Auditing or accounting work that involved determining compliance with Federal and State laws governing welfare and pension plans, securities, banking, insurance, or corporations. Analysis of Federal laws or regulations, development of policy, and drafting of proposed changes in an employee welfare and benefit plan or a related function. In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, you must also meet the specialized experience requirement listed below: Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-12 in the Federal Service. Specialized Experience is the experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform the duties of the position successfully, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. Applicants must meet 3 out of the 4 examples of experience listed below. Qualifying specialized experience is defined as: 1. Experience providing authoritative written analyses and delivering technical guidance in meetings, consultations, or presentations to help employers, plan sponsors, or group health plans comply with statutory and regulatory requirements under ERISA, the Affordable Care Act, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, and the No Surprises Act. 2. Experience leading or serving as a senior contributor on the development, review, and evaluation of legislative, regulatory, and administrative proposals affecting group health plans, including assessing legal, policy, operational, and compliance impacts on plan sponsors, fiduciaries, participants, beneficiaries, insurers, and service providers. 3. Experience representing an agency or organization in intra- or interagency meetings, committees, working groups, or consultations with Federal or State officials, congressional staff, regulated entities, industry groups, or other stakeholders to resolve complex health plan policy or compliance issues and to develop coordinated positions or recommendations. 4. Experience conducting extensive legal research and analysis of Federal and State statutes, regulations, case law, and policy guidance governing group health plans, welfare plans, or related health insurance matters, and using that analysis to develop regulations, policy interpretations, compliance assistance materials, testimony, briefing papers, or other authoritative documents. Note: Specialized experience must be clearly documented in your resume; merely copying this statement into your application does not demonstrate that you possess the required experience.
Before you apply
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