Legal Administrative Specialist (Contact Representation)

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/29/2024. The Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM’s) group qualification standards covering white collar occupations in the Federal competitive service can be found: Here Specialized Experience: GS-10: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-09) in the federal service. Specialized experience is work experience that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA’s) to perform successfully the duties of the position. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: (1) working independently to provide benefits counseling and claims processing; (2) researching local, state, Federal laws, and regulations to determine eligibility for a variety of benefits programs (i.e. compensation/pension, home loans, education, health care, social security administration, etc.); (3) providing explanations for decisions using extensive knowledge of benefits claim and appeal processing procedures; AND (4) communicating via email or verbally in-person, video, or chat. OR Applicants may substitute education for experience at grade GS-10: Applicants may substitute education for experience with two and a half years (45 semester hours or 68 quarter hours) of progressively higher level graduate education leading to Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree (such as an LL.M.). This graduate education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities to do the work of this position. If you are claiming to qualify based on your education, your application must include an official or unofficial copy of graduate level transcripts that demonstrate this information. OR Applicants may combine education and experience to qualify for grade GS-10: 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-10. To calculate, first identify the education you have earned beyond your first two years of study as a percentage of a total of two and a half 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 equal at least 100 percent in order to be qualifying. For example, an applicant who has 41 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 55% 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 105% and thus be qualified for the position. If you are claiming to qualify based on your education, your application must include an official or unofficial copy of graduate level transcripts that demonstrate this information. Note: 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 you document, to include volunteer experience.
The Legal Administrative Specialist (LAS) serves as a member of the Public Contact Team, located in the Veterans Service Center. The incumbent provides in-depth information and comprehensive assistance to veterans their dependents and beneficiaries concerning any matter within the scope of VA benefits and related non-VA benefits.