Duties

Summary

As a Paralegal Specialist at the GS-0950-7/9 with a full performance level of GS-11, you will be part of Office of Personnel
Management, Retirement Services. If selected, you will be responsible for applying the laws and regulations of the Civil Service Retirement
System, the Federal Employees Retirement System, and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

• Determines the validity and acceptability of the various types of court orders and related documents and their applicability under current Federal laws, rules and regulations.
• Determines the need for additional information and evidence and corresponds with the concerned parties and/or their legal counsel. Ensures that deadlines for compliance with the demands of the court are met.
• Computes benefits for former spouses, etc. and effect on annuitant's benefits by interpreting formulas provided in qualifying court orders that direct the apportionment or garnishment.
• Responds to written and oral inquiries from Members of Congress, Federal agencies, attorneys, employees, annuitants and their former spouses concerning court ordered benefits.
• Interprets data from automated systems in order to provide appropriate guidance and information to inquirers.
• Communicates relevant findings and conclusions to affected parties, citing applicable legal references and decisions.
• Reviews and analyzes available precedents for relevancy to cases currently under consideration.
• Processes work assignments accurately. Uses tracking systems to document assignments and retrieve information.
• Receives and records fraud allegations and data into tracking systems and submits it to the appropriate personnel for follow-up.

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
11

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
• Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary period

Qualifications

For GS-07: Applicants must meet at least ONE of the qualification requirements described under A, B or C below.

[A] EDUCATION (Undergraduate and/or Graduate) SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT PROVISIONS: A bachelor's degree in any field,
plus at least one of the following superior academic achievement provisions:

1. A grade-point average (GPA) of B (3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale) for all completed undergraduate courses, or courses completed in the last two
years of undergraduate curriculum; OR,

2. A grade-point average (GPA) of B+ (3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale) for the required courses in your major field of study, or required courses in
your major completed in the last two years of undergraduate study; OR,

3. Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university, or major subdivision at the time of application; OR,

4. Elections to membership in a national scholastic honor society, other than freshman honor societies. Honor societies that have been approved
are listed in the Association of College Honor Societies. Please submit a college transcript(s) showing that you maintained a grade point average
(GPA) of 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 for all 4 years of undergraduate courses, or, on all undergraduate courses completed during the final 2
years of your curriculum, including all transferred courses.

NOTE: GPAs are to be rounded to one decimal place. For example, 2.95 will round to 3.0 and 2.94 will round to 2.9. If more than 10 percent of
your undergraduate course work (credit hours) was taken on a pass/fail or similar basis, your claim must be based on class standing or
membership in an honor society. You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One full year of graduate level study. OR

[B] EXPERIENCE: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is defined as
reviewing files for completeness of record; conducting analysis to determine if action is needed; and experience responding to inquiries to
provide explanations of the work. OR

[C] COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: Combination of education and experience which together qualifies me for the GS-07.

For GS-09 - You must meet at least ONE of the qualification requirements described under A, B, or C below:

A. Graduate Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such
a degree of LL.B or J.D; OR

B. Specialized experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is
defined as reviewing files for completeness of record; conducting analysis to determine if action is needed; and interpreting data from
automated systems in order to provide appropriate guidance and information to inquirers. OR

C. Combination of Graduate Education and experience: Combination of education and experience which together qualifies for the GS-09.

To meet the Recent Graduate Program Eligibility requirements, you must have obtained a qualifying Associates, Bachelor's, Master's, Professional, Doctorate, Vocational or Technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution, within the previous 2 years.

All Education must be accredited by an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement.) Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accredited institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants may verify accreditation at the following website: Accreditation . All education claimed by applicants will be verified by OPM accordingly.

ATTENTION VETERANS: A veteran, as defined in 5 U.S.C. 2108, who due to military service obligation, was precluded from applying to the Recent Graduates Program during any portion of the 2-year eligibility period shall have a full 2-year period of eligibility upon his or her release or discharge from active duty. In no event, however, may the individual's eligibility period extend beyond 6 years from the date on which the individual completed the requirements of an academic course of study.

You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

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; religious; 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.

Education

Additional information

Relocation expenses will not be paid.

The full performance level of this position is GS-11.

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

Successful applicants are placed in a dynamic 1 year developmental program with the potential to lead to a civil service career in the Federal Government. At the successful conclusion of this program, you may be eligible for non-competitive conversion to a Federal career or career-conditional position.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document that you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application: http://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Alternate_Application_Information

If you are a veteran and you are claiming 5-point veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility.
If you are a veteran and you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must also submit an SF-15, "Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference" plus the proof required by that form. For more information on veterans' preference click here .

Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/Home/Registration ).

PROGRAM COMPLETION AND CONVERSION ELIGIBILITY:
Program participants may be converted, without a break in service, to a term, career or career conditional appointment upon completion of program requirements.
To be eligible for conversion, Recent Graduates must:
- Complete one continuous year of work experience acquired through a Recent Graduate Program
- Complete 40 hours of formal interactive training
- Meet the qualification standards for the position to which the Recent Graduate will be converted
- Meet any agency-specific requirements specified in the Participant's Agreement
- Demonstrate successful job performance that results in a rating of record of at least Fully Successful and a recommendation for conversion by the first level supervisor.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Once the application process is complete, your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement.

Qualified applicants will be placed in one of four groupings:

Preference eligible having a compensable service-connected disability of 10 percent or more

Other 10-point preference eligible

5-point preference eligible

No preference eligible

Selection will be made from the highest available preference group, as long as at least three candidates remain in that group. When fewer than three candidates remain in the highest group, consideration may be expanded to include the next grouping.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)

Trust determination process
Credentialing , Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

Your Resume showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment and duties performed.

Your final college transcripts showing that you are a Recent Graduate to meet eligibility for this position.

Other supporting documents:

• Cover Letter, optional
• Veterans' Preference documentation, if applicable (e.g. DD-214 Member Copy 4 showing type of discharge/character of service; Current Active Duty members must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions dated within 120 days; SF-15 Form and related documentation; VA letter.)

Failure to submit any of the above mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

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.