Field Examiner

Summary

The Field Examiner position is for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Benefits Administration, located in the Fiduciary Hub. The Field Examiner (FE) determines the payee (fiduciary), best suited to the needs and situation of VA beneficiaries, who are incompetent due to legal disability, mental disability, physical disability or minority. The Field Examiner ensures that beneficiaries receive all the benefits they are entitled to and takes necessary actions to protect their assets.

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Overview

• Accepting applications

• Open & closing dates

07/03/2024 to 07/12/2024

• Salary

$59,966 - $94,317 per year

• Pay scale & grade

GS 9 - 11

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Locations

6 vacancies in the following locations:

• Gainesville, FL

• Atlanta, GA

• Antioch, TN

• Fairfax, VA

• Show more locations (2)

• Martinsburg, WV

• Morgantown, WV

• Remote job

No

• Telework eligible

Yes-as determined by the agency policy.

• Travel Required

76% or greater

• You may be expected to travel for this position.

• Relocation expenses reimbursed

No

• Appointment type

Permanent

• Work schedule

Full-time

• Service

Competitive

• Promotion potential

11

• Job family (Series)

1801 General Inspection, Investigation, Enforcement, And Compliance Series

• Supervisory status

No

• Security clearance

Other

• Drug test

No

• Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

• Trust determination process

Suitability/Fitness

• Announcement number

IMP-12450875-24-BU-LS

• Control number

798393500

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This job is open to

• Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of this agency.

Clarification from the agency

This vacancy is open ONLY to current, permanent employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Benefits Administration Columbia, SC or Louisville, KY Regional Office and CTAP eligibles.

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Duties

• Performs visits to veterans and beneficiaries to evaluate physical and mental conditions or capacity; independently determine ability to handle or manage funds

• Conducts field examinations to determine who to appoint as fiduciaries for incompetent or minor beneficiaries

• Verify the welfare and adequate living conditions of veterans under fiduciary care and make arrangements for deficiencies

• Conduct background investigations on proposed fiduciaries

• Reviews and reports on fiduciary performance; conduct investigations involving the misuse of VA funds

• Explain laws and regulations governing fiduciary responsibilities to veteran, beneficiary and fiduciary

• Investigate and make determinations on identified misuse, complaints, allegations, contested claims for benefits, special apportionments, eligibility for VA compensation, etc.

• Work with representatives of other Federal, State, and local police, social and protective services agencies and courts regarding the safety, protection and living conditions of veterans

• Supervises veterans transitioning to financial independence under the direct pay program

Position Requirement: On a routine basis, the incumbent in this position will be required to operate a government owned motor vehicle: therefore, incumbent must possess a valid state driver's license.

Travel Required: Periodic overnight travel may be required based on mission needs; up to two to three weeks travel per month is possible. Please note, all selectees must live within 50 miles of the location being announced

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You MUST be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.

• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.

• You may be required to serve a probationary period.

• Subject to background/security investigation.

• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/12/2024.

Applicants must meet both time-in-grade and specialized experience requirements to be eligible for this vacancy announcement.

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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07 level.

• For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 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.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

GS-09 Grade Level:

Specialized Experience: To qualify, applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-07) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as use of fact finding sources (i.e., conducting interviews, researching court records, etc.) to verify facts and obtain specific pieces of information; or, experience applying Federal, state and/or local laws and regulations to administer benefits programs or services; or, financial management experience for individuals or businesses.

• Examples include, but are not limited to: Conducting investigations into allegations of misconduct, compiling findings, and composing reports of recommended action; Determining an applicant's eligibility for welfare programs in accordance with state laws and program regulations; Conducting professional interviews or investigations involving issues/cases such as benefit claims, workplace safety claims, employee/labor allegations, fraud, abuse, or embezzlement for the purpose of gathering factual information to make a determination; Interpretation and application of Federal, State and/or Local benefit programs (i.e. compensation/pension, healthcare, mortgage/lending, insurance, etc.) that comply with related laws, policy, regulations; and establishing and reviewing budgets for expenditures, verifying or monitoring the use of funds and balancing or reconciling finances for individual or business.

Education Substitution: At the GS-09 level, education substitution may be used for the Field Examiner

• 1801 series. Education substitution of a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in Social Work, Counseling Rehabilitation, Criminal Justice, or another degree specifically related to the duties of this position which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work (submit your transcripts).

GS-11 Grade Level:

Specialized Experience: To qualify for a GS-11, applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-09) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as experience conducting interviews in a state and/or Federal benefit/services program capacity to obtain essential information and assess an individual's competency to make valid decisions; Expertise in personal financial management for individuals in exceptionally unique or complex financial situations.

• Examples include, but are not limited to: Conducting professional interviews or investigations involving issues/cases such as benefit; Establishing and reviewing budgets for expenditures, verifying or monitoring the use of funds, personal financial management, balancing or reconciling finances for disabled individuals or minors who are unable to legally manage their own accounts claims, and Interpretation and application of Federal, State and Local benefit programs (i.e. compensation/pension, healthcare, mortgage/lending, insurance, etc.) that comply with related laws, policy, regulations.

Education Substitution: At the GS-11 level, education substitution may be used for the Field Examiner

• 1801 series. Education substitution of a PhD. or equivalent doctoral degree or three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in Social Work, Counseling Rehabilitation, Criminal Justice, or another degree specifically related to the duties of this position which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work (submit your transcripts).

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 job requires driving in government owned automobiles, often very long distances requiring overnight lodging. Some walking and climbing of stairs is required since interviews with VA beneficiaries are conducted at the residences of the beneficiaries.

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/.

Education

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education.

For further information, visit:http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Additional information

VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

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• Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new window

Learn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

• INVESTIGATION: Conduct interviews, interrogations, investigations and inspections involving issues such as contested benefit claims, fraud, abuse, embezzlement, special apportionment, dependent status, etc.·
• JUDGMENT/DECISION: Demonstrate cognitive thinking for the purpose of reaching a decision, drawing sound conclusions, or making critical distinctions about people, situations, ideas or events through assessment, comparison and/or deliberation.
• ORAL COMMUNICATION/INTERPERSONAL: Verbally explain laws, programs and processes clearly to individuals/corporations; communicate to obtain info, coordinate services/benefits; verbally report facts and findings to represent claimant and/or government.
• FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT/BUDGETING: Apply basic budget, accounting and fund control principles to estimate spending and manage funds.
• CONFLICT MANAGEMENT: Demonstrate objective, unbiased views, promote calm dialogue/cooperation, exhibit foresight to identify and defuse conflict before it occur.
• RESEARCH/ANALYSIS: Conduct research by reviewing info/records of financial/bank statements, case files, correspondence for compliance or investigative purposes, analyze info/data to make appropriate decisions and referrals.
• SELF-MANAGEMENT: Sets well defined and realistic goals; monitor progress and time, self motivated to achieve and deal with stress effectively/appropriately.
• TECHNICAL COMPETENCE: Knowledge of Federal, state and local laws, regulations, policies, guidelines, procedures and judicial determinations applicable to benefits program. (Describe situations in which you assessed benefits eligibility and applied applicable laws, rules, regulations, and procedures.)

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.