Program Specialist
What you'd do
This position is located in the Veterans Benefits Administration, Winston-Salem Regional Office, Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) Division. The primary purpose of this position is to provide administrative and technical functions by assisting the Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC) with technical management of the VR&E caseload and providing assistance to Veteran clients
Major duties
Typical duties include, but are not limited to: The incumbent is responsible for determining VR&E program eligibility, ensuring all necessary information is accurate regarding date of claim, initial rating notification date etc. Fiscal responsibilities include authorizing subsistence allowance awards, Veteran supply purchasing, beneficiary travel and contract administration such as processing referral requests, review QA reports, and authorizing contracting invoices. Responsible clerical duties such as scheduling counseling appointments, distributing mail, managing VR&E electronic files, maintaining office supplies and responding to a variety of personal, telephone and written inquiries from VR&E participants and staff. Organizes work to meet internal controls, deadlines and mandatory timelines for service delivery. Responsible for researching, developing responses, and answering inquiries received from the AVA system or similar VA online inquiry system. Under the direct supervision and guidance of the VR&E Officer and/or Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC), assists in providing administrative case management services for disabled veterans and their dependents. 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 full performance level of this position is GS-09. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: This position is eligible for situational (ad hoc) telework only. The selectee is required to report to the official duty station each scheduled workday. Telework may be approved only on a case-by-case basis with supervisory approval. Routine or recurring telework is not authorized for this position. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist GS-07: 39971A , GS-09: 39970A 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:07/24/2026. 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. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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 QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: GS-07 Level: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-05). Specialized experience is typically defined as, but not limited to experience with knowledge of skills in reference to the vocational objectives, training programs, potential employment, and knowledge of contract billing for quality and accuracy and fiscal procedures in compliance with Federal regulations. Recommends certification of invoices for payment. GS-09 Level: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-07). Specialized experience is defined as experience with knowledge of VA laws and regulations, knowledge of skills in reference to the vocational objectives, training programs, potential employment, and knowledge of contract billing for quality and accuracy and fiscal procedures in compliance with Federal and VA regulations. Recommends certification of invoices for payment. EDUCATION: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. to qualify based on education for the GS-07: one full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement. For GS-09: a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related; 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 is mostly sedentary; however, some walking and bending will be required. 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/.
Before you apply
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