Senior Veterans Claims Examiner (Education)
What you'd do
This position is located within the Department of Veterans Affairs. Specifically, the work within the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) to review, develop, and adjudicate claims filed by Veterans, their dependents, and beneficiaries.
Major duties
The Senior Veterans Claims Examiner serves as the primary contact and subject matter expert for the Veteran and/or the claimant and/or his/her representative or advocate and is the main decision-maker for the full range of education claims. They are responsible for the following duties but are not limited to: Interprets and applies regulations: Utilize federal laws, VA regulations, and procedural guidance to resolve issues and ensure compliance in benefit administration. Provides technical guidance to less experienced staff, offering advice and clarification on policy, procedures, and casework. Responds to inquiries from veterans, educational institutions, and other parties regarding benefit eligibility, payment, and program requirements. Reviews completed claims for accuracy, and completeness while adhering to the standards. Recommending corrective actions as needed. Writes reports and correspondence. Create summaries, memos, and letters to support program operations, explain findings, and record decisions. Participates in training and development. Attend and sometimes deliver training sessions to maintain proficiency and share knowledge with colleagues. Adjudicates claims due to sensitive or complex issues such as mitigating circumstances, overlapping terms, multiple source Transfer of Entitlement (TOE), appeals, notices of disagreement, compliance survey correction, Inspector General (OIG) audits, Committee on Waivers and Compromises (COWC) decisions, incarcerated claimants and audits of benefits received. Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Compressed/Flexible: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Senior Veterans Claim Examiner, 42202A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Bargaining Unit: Yes 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.
What you need to qualify
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:07/29/2026. TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT: As a current/former Federal GS employee you must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9 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. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-11 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one (1) year of Education Benefit specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level or higher in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as experience that typically include, but are not limited to: Gathering and requesting evidence to build service program case files, respond to claimant inquires and identify errors, inconsistencies, or omissions. OR Education Substitution for GS-11: Applicants must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or three full years (54 semester hours or 81 quarter hours) of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M, if related. This graduate education (or completed degree) must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to do the work for this position. Note: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. OR Combine Education and Experience to qualify for GS-11: Applicants may combine specialized experience and education beyond two full years of graduate level education. If you have some, but not all, of the graduate education described above AND less than one full year of the specialized experience described above, you may qualify by combining the amount of creditable education and experience that you do have. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grade GS-11. To calculate, first identify the education you have earned beyond your first two years of study as a percentage of a total of three years of study. Then identify the number of months of specialized experience you have as a percentage of 12 months. Add the two percentages. The total must be equal at least 100 percent in order to be qualified. For example, an applicant who has 45 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required beyond the first two years) and who has 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e., 50% of the one year of specialized experience required) would meet 100% and thus be qualified for the position. Note: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for the GS-09 grade level you must have: A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related. Transcripts (official or unofficial) must be submitted when using any part of education to qualify. 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. Typically, the employee sits comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking; standing; bending; and carrying of light items, such as papers or books. 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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