Duties

The VREO manages the VR&E operations through a staff of personnel responsible for claims processing, providing information, advice, and assistance on all types of VA benefits to veterans and their dependents and for providing outreach services to stakeholders. The incumbent:

• Plans, organizes, coordinates, directs, and controls the work of the division.
• Directs staffing, placement, assignment, and training of division personnel to manage division workflow/productivity.
• Directs program activities for the delivery of VA benefit programs for veterans, their dependents, and beneficiaries.
• Exercises final authority for the full-range of division's personnel actions.
• Ensures proficient resource utilization and quality of work performed and services rendered; writes/establishes policies and procedures within division.
• Maintains the highest technical and professional authority to make final decisions in the types of claims considered most difficult or critical which commit the Federal Government to unusual liability.
• Forecasts both short and long range workload of the division so adequate funds, staffing, space, equipment and supplies will be planned for, budgeted, and provided.
• Approves written responses to Congressional, White House, and other special inquiries concerning VA benefits.
• Serves as technical advisor to Regional Office Director for the administration of Veterans Readiness and Employment programs.
• Establishes and maintains effective relationships with various civic and veteran organizations.
• Ensures equal opportunities for all division employees and supports Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) policy/goals.
• Reviews the most complex cases prior to final claims determination.

Promotion Potential: This position is advertised at the full performance level.

Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Compressed/Flexible: As determined by Station Policy
Telework: As determined by Station Policy
Virtual: This is NOT a virtual position
Position Description/ PD#Supervisory VRC (VREO)/38428A
Bargaining Unit Position: This is not a position in the bargaining unit
Relocation Benefit: Relocation expenses benefit is authorized
Relocation Incentive: Relocation Incentive May be authorized (paid in 3 equal payments annually with 3 obligated years of service)
Financial Disclosure Report: Selectee will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-450, under 5 CFR 2634.904(a) prior to entering on duty and annually thereafter.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a supervisory/managerial probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/07/2022.

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 by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13. The grade may have been in any occupation but must have been held in the Federal service.

To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50). You must provide a copy of your most recent SF-50 that indicates proof of status, and shows Time in Grade (for example, you were a career or career-conditional employee) and identifies your position title, series, grade, step, salary, tenure, and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). 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 also submit your most recent promotion or within-grade increase in addition to your recent SF-50. If you previously held a higher grade, you must also submit any SF-50 showing that grade. DO NOT submit Award SF-50's and/or General Adjustment SF-50's as they cannot be used to prove time-in-grade.

Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade of GS-13 that has equipped them with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.

To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to a level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes expert knowledge of wide range of qualitative and quantitative methods for the assessment and improvement of program effectiveness or the improvement of complex management processes and systems. Experience providing effective leadership, management, and oversight to optimize deployment of programs and services to achieve goals; experience in reviewing policies and procedures to determine the impact of field operations or conducting evaluative studies of field offices to determine field strengths, weaknesses and best practices and making recommendations.

Candidates must also have demonstrated in their work experience or training that they possess the qualities to successfully supervise subordinates and to operate and manage a successful program area.

In addition, to the specialized experience requirement above, applicants must ALSO meet the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR):

INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT (IOR): There is an Individual Occupational Requirement that must be met to be found minimally qualified for this series, please read the requirement description carefully. This positive education requirement is IN ADDITION to specialized experience requirements and legible transcripts MUST BE SUBMITTED with your application.

A. Satisfactory completion in an accredited college or university of all the requirements of a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling (including a supervised internship); OR

B. A master's degree in counseling psychology (or related field) that included an internship in rehabilitation counseling and was supplemented by at least 30 semester hours of course work in a majority of the following areas (coursework MUST have an emphasis on vocational rehabilitation counseling): foundations of rehabilitation counseling, human growth and development, counseling theories and techniques, vocational assessment, career development, job placement, case management, and medical/psycho-social aspects of disability (transcript required); OR

C. A master's degree listed in A or B WITHOUT a rehabilitation counseling internship. Where the internship was substituted for professional experience following completion of the master's degree. [Experience suitable for substitution must be one full year in direct delivery of vocational rehabilitation services to adults with disabilities in rehabilitation programs, other than those in correctional facilities. The experience or internship/practicum must have been supervised by a professional in vocational rehabilitation or a closely related professional field that typically has oversight for vocational rehabilitation programs.]

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.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Physical Requirements: This position is primarily sedentary with some walking, standing, bending, stooping and carrying of lightweight items (i.e. folders, claims files). This position requires mental rather than physical exertion.

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

There is an educational REQUIREMENT for this position.

Transcripts (unofficial and/or official) must show evidence of a supervised internship and must also show that the degree has been awarded/conferred and the date awarded.

An Unofficial or Official transcript must be submitted with your application to validate that you meet all Basic Education Requirements for this position--failure to submit will render you as ineligible.

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

COVID-19 Pandemic Expanded Telework Program
Due to COVID-19, VA is currently in an expanded telework posture. If selected, you may be expected to temporarily telework, even if your home is located outside the local commuting area. Once employees are permitted to return to the office, you will be expected to report to the duty station listed on this announcement. Management officials will provide information about returning to the official, pre-pandemic worksite, when applicable. At that time, you may be eligible to request to continue to telework depending upon the terms of your organization's telework policy and the duties of the position.

Supervisory/Managerial Probationary Period: This is a supervisory/managerial position. If appointed to this position, you must serve a one-year probationary period, unless you have already completed one as a supervisor or manager.

Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses are authorized for this position. The Department of Veterans Affairs offers Permanent Change of Station (PCS) relocation services. Permanent Change of Station is the relocation of a household due to government convenience in connection with the transfer between duty stations or facilities. In consideration of the payment of expenses for travel and transportation, the selectee agrees to remain in federal service for twelve (12) months following the date of transfer. Failure to complete all conditions of the obligated service may result in repayment of travel/transportation expenses. For more information go to http://vaww.fscdirect.fsc.va.gov/pcs.asp.

The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced 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.

Financial Disclosure: Selectee will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-450, under 5 CFR 2634.904(a) prior to entering on duty and annually thereafter.

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 view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application .