Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Center for Employee Benefits and Services (CEBS), Headquarters Main Complex, Woodlawn, MD.

This is a developmental position leading to the full performance level of GS-12. Closer supervision and technical guidance and/or on-the-job training are provided. Duties are gradually broadened so the incumbent is eventually performing all of the duties of the full performance level.
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Responsibilities

• At the full performance level, the incumbent will serve as a Human Resources Specialist in the Center for Employee Benefits and Services (CEBS) providing interpretation and application of SSA's Benefit Programs.
• Provides advisory services and technical support for Workers Compensation Program and may support Medical, Retirement, Insurance, Transit Subsidy, and other government-wide benefit programs as designated.
• Makes recommendations on ways to improve services for employees.
• Plans high priority projects/special assignments that require negotiation with SSA and non-SSA personnel such as the Office of Personnel Management, the Department of Transportation, the U.S. Department Labor and Health Plan Representatives.
• Develops high priority projects/special assignments that require negotiation with SSA and non-SSA personnel such as the Office of Personnel Management, the Department of Transportation, the U.S. Department Labor and Health Plan Representatives.
• Develops and updates content for CEBS's webpages on benefit programs. Ensures Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and Personnel Policy Manual (PPM) are current in regard to benefit programs.
• Assists in the briefing of top level Agency officials on any aspect of program responsibility.
• Works with the Team Leader and/or Center Director to disseminate information and respond to inquiries from a nationwide network of agency benefits liaisons and coordinators, as well as external agencies (OPM, TSP, DOT, IRS, DOL, etc.).

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
12

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Selective Service Registration: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov
• Background and/or security investigation may be required.
• Job offers are contingent on background / security investigation results.
• Federal employees must be in good standing.
• Federal employees must have a successful performance rating.
• Selectees may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period.
• All application materials must be received by the closing date.
• Official Personnel Folders will not be reviewed.
• Requests for copies of application documents will not be accepted.
• All application forms submitted become the property of SSA Human Resources.

Qualifications

Applicants must have at least ONE of the following:

Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience at the GS-9 level, or equivalent, which is in or related to the work of the position to be filled and has equipped applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Such experience must involve providing guidance and consultation to agencies, supervisors, employees, former employees, annuitants, survivors, or eligible family members regarding injury compensation. Additionally, experience must include applying laws and regulations that govern Workers' Compensation Programs.

OR

A Ph.D., equivalent doctoral degree or LL.M., if related.

OR

Three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.

OR

A combination of graduate level education and specialized experience that together meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.

Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Applicants for promotion must have 52 weeks at GS-9 or higher.

Time in grade requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

PROOF OF EDUCATION: If you are qualifying on the basis of education or satisfying an educational requirement, submit a copy of your transcripts that includes your name, the name of the educational institution, course title(s), number of credits, grade, and date of completion. Unofficial transcripts or screenshots of electronic/web transcripts with the required information will be accepted at the time of application. You must submit your transcripts according to the application submission details of this announcement. Documents will not be accepted via email or regular mail. If selected, you may be required to provide your official college transcripts prior to the effective date of the personnel action placing you into the new position.

Foreign Education: If your transcripts show education completed in foreign colleges or universities, you must also provide documentation that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in a conventional/accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

For GS-11: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent degree, or LL.M. in a field that is directly related to the position.

Combining Education and Experience: Experience and education as described above may be combined to meet the minimum qualification requirements. Experience and education will be computed as percentages of the overall requirements and must equal to 100 percent when combined. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9 and GS-11.

Note: One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school you attended has determined to represent one year of study. If this information cannot be obtained from your school, we will consider 18 semester/27 quarter hours to be equal to one year of full-time study.

Additional information

WHO MAY APPLY: Applications will only be accepted from applicants eligible for one of the following categories.

• Federal employees currently serving under career or career conditional appointments;
• Federal employees currently serving under the following types of appointments: Schedule A, Reg. 213.3102 (U) appointments for individuals with disabilities; Veterans Recruitment Appointments; and time limited appointments for veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more;
• Former Federal employees eligible for reinstatement (i.e., those who have career status or separated from a career-conditional appointment less than 3 years ago);
• Current or former Federal employees eligible under the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP); or
• Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) Eligibles (i.e., Preference-eligible veterans OR veterans who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after 3 years or more of continuous service).
• Federal employees serving under excepted service appointments with competitive service compatibility (e.g. Postal Service, Foreign Service, an agency with an interchange agreement, etc.) may be eligible to apply. Please visit Excepted Service Appointments with Competitive Service Compatibility for more information.

NOTE: Excepted service employees serving under Schedule A appointments for Attorney positions or Pathways Programs appointments (Presidential Management Fellows, Recent Graduates, and Interns) are not eligible for consideration.

Position to be filled under the provisions of the Management Officials Promotion Plan . The best-qualified list for this vacancy may be used to fill the same or similar positions in a component(s) under the same Deputy Commissioner. Additional selections may be made within 6 months of the date the best qualified list is issued.

LOCALITY PAY: Salary will be set in accordance with locality pay provisions. Candidates currently receiving a higher locality pay than the office applied for are advised that should they be selected, they will lose entitlement to the higher locality pay.

OTHER NOTES:

This position is a career ladder leading to GS-12.

This position is eligible for telework | Relocation expenses will not be paid.

This is a moderate risk public trust position. The selected employee will be required to complete a Standard Form 85P, Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions, in order to have the appropriate investigation conducted, unless the employee has been previously certified eligible to occupy a position at this level.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Applicants will be rated based on the following knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Knowledge of the laws and regulations, which governs the Workers' Compensation Program. (Maximum 60 Points)
• Ability to process and manage new and existing Workers' Compensation claims Employees' Compensation Operations and Management Portal (ECOMP) and Agency Query System (AQS). (Maximum 60 Points)
• Ability to manage workers' compensation program chargeback reports to reduce and prevent unnecessary and costly expenditures. (Maximum 60 Points)
• Skill in using computers to research, gather, input, analyze data, and summarize information. (Maximum 60 Points)
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing. (Maximum 60 Points)

Total Possible Points: 300

Applicants will be assessed using the rating criteria listed in the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10547844

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk

Trust determination process
Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

RESUME
Your resume must provide all of the information necessary to make qualifications and eligibility determinations (e.g., experience related to your qualifications for this position, grade levels and dates of your current and prior positions, etc.). SSA employees may submit an SSA-45 .

Your resume must specifically demonstrate, in your own words, the possession of the required experience related to the minimum qualifications, selective placement factors and/or evaluation criteria. Information that is copied or restated language from the vacancy announcement, rating criteria, KSAs and/or position description will not be considered. If this occurs, you may lose consideration for one or more grade levels or found ineligible.

NOTE: If your federal payscale is not "GS" please provide a copy of your agency's payscale.

PROOF OF EDUCATION
See information provided in the Education section of this announcement for details and requirements.

SF-50
If you are a current or former Federal employee, you must submit a Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) that that reflects your grade/step, possession of time-in-grade (e.g. a Within-Grade Increase or Promotion/Reassignment dated more than one year ago), and career or career-conditional tenure in the competitive service. You may need to submit more than one SF-50 to prove possession of time-in-grade. Current SSA employees are not required to submit an SF-50.

If you are a former Federal employee with reinstatement eligibility, you must also submit your separation SF-50 showing your separation was not for performance or conduct reasons.

PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL
If you are a current Federal employee, you must submit a signed/dated copy of your most recent performance appraisal (within the last FY) and must indicate a rating of satisfactory or better. If you are a new Federal employee who has not yet received a performance rating, you must upload an explanation (e.g., new to federal employment or new to your position).

Current SSA employees and VEOA applicants are not required to submit performance appraisals.

COMPETITIVE SERVICE EMPLOYEES -- (1) SF-50 documenting current competitive status, grade (including highest grade held and/or time-in-grade), and career tenure; AND (2) performance appraisal.

EXCEPTED SERVICE EMPLOYEES (USPS, Foreign Service, agencies with interchange agreements, etc) -- (1) SF-50 documenting current grade (including highest grade held and/or time-in-grade) and career tenure; (2) performance appraisal; AND (3) a copy of your agency's Interchange Agreement. See Excepted Service Appointments with Competitive Service Compatibility for more information.

SCHEDULE A/VRA/TIME-LIMITED VETERAN -- (1) Appointment SF-50; (2) SF-50s (current grade, highest grade held and/or time-in-grade); AND (3) performance appraisal.

If you are applying for noncompetitive referral based on grade, you must also submit an SF-50 showing your permanent placement at that grade level (e.g., the 702 action that placed you in that position).

FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES -- (1) separation SF-50 showing that separation was not for performance or conduct reasons AND (2) (if different) SF-50 showing highest grade/step and career tenure in the competitive service. You must have served in a competitive service position AND have permanent tenure OR have separated less than 3 years ago with conditional tenure (or at any time with veterans preference). You are not required to submit an explanation for not having a federal performance appraisal.

VETERANS EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES ACT (VEOA) - you must submit (1) DD-214s (member 4 copy only) showing honorable discharge after serving 3+ years of continuous active duty and (2) if applicable, and any other documentation demonstrating your preference eligibility (such as a disability letter). Federal employees who opt to apply under VEOA are still bound by the requirements for federal employees. If you are still on active duty, you must submit a recently dated official statement of service from your command. For more information visit the Vet Guide .

NOTE: If you are a current Federal employee eligible under VEOA, you are subject to the time-in-grade requirement and must submit an SF-50 as required above.

CTAP/ICTAP - you must submit one of the following as proof of eligibility: a separation notice; a Notice of Personnel Action (SF-50) documenting your separation; an agency certification that you cannot be placed after injury compensation has been terminated; an OPM notification that your disability annuity has been terminated; or a Military Department or National Guard Bureau notification that you are retired under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456. For more information visit http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp .

MILITARY SPOUSES: For more information please visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/military-spouses/.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.