Duties

Summary

This is a Pathways Internship appointment located in the Division of Federal Employees' and Energy Workers Compensation (FEEWC), a national office division in the Office of the Solicitor. The Division is responsible for providing legal services to the Office of Workers Compensation Programs (OWCP) in connection with workers' compensation claims under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA), the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program (EEOICPA),and related statues.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

Incumbent serves as a paralegal specialist in the FEEWC Division and is responsible for his or her own personal case load of subrogation matters. The FEEWC Division is responsible for thousands of cases referred to FEEWC by OWCP in order to determine whether FECA claimants should be required to seek damages from third parties potentially liable for FECA-covered injuries and illnesses and for monitoring any litigation seeking such damages.

Incumbents make initial case analysis to determine that sufficient evidence exists to indicate third-party liability involving the injury or death of a Federal employee or other covered beneficiary. Incumbent also determines advisability of instituting proceedings against a third party given both the past and projected future expenditures of Government funds and the probable cost of securing a recovery.

Incumbent provides assistance in the development of the third-party claim by offering assistance to private attorneys and employees, providing copies of relevant documents from the employee's OWCP case file, and by explaining obligations imposed by the subrogation provisions of the FECA. For employees who are negotiating settlements without the assistance of a private attorney, incumbent advises employees of the applicable statute of limitations to their cause of action as well as how to present a claim. Incumbent also counsels employees to seek private counsel, if deemed appropriate.

Incumbent drafts a variety of legal correspondence concerning application of the subrogation provisions of the FECA and the calculation of the Government‘s statutory right of reimbursement for disbursements made in accordance with the provisions of the FECA.

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
09 - There is no obligation for future promotions - they are dependent on ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the continuing need for an employee at a higher level & supervisory approval. This position is inside the bargaining unit.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship and must be at least 16 years of age.
• Please carefully read and follow the HOW TO APPLY instructions.
• Appointment to this position may require a background investigation.
• Requires a trial period.

Appointee must be a U.S. citizen in order to be eligible for conversion to a permanent position in the competitive service upon completion of the Pathways program. Failure to submit the required documentation will result in disqualification from further consideration.

Please review College Transcript and Evaluation of Foreign Education information . Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service

Applicants must meet all legal and regulatory requirements. Reference the "Required Documents" section for additional requirements.

This is a temporary student internship appointment, not to exceed 1-4 years. Appointment may be extended in up to one-year increments.

Qualifications

You must currently be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a student to be eligible for this position AND qualify based on one of the following:

1) Completion of 1 full year of graduate level education.

OR

2) Eligibility under the Superior Academic Achievement Provision and completion of a bachelor's degree.

3) One year of specialized work experience at the GS-05 level or equivalent. Specialized experience for this position includes: (1) knowledge of tort law and other legal references sufficient to gather and analyze data related to negligence issues; (2) utilize automated systems; (3) examine and analyze case files to identify significant factors, gather pertinent data, and recognize solutions; (4) the ability to plan and organize work and communicate effectively orally and in writing.

4) A combination of specialized experience at the GS-05 level or equivalent and graduate level education.

To be eligible for appointment, you must be currently enrolled or accepted for enrollment on at least a half-time basis at a qualifying educational institution , for the purpose of obtaining a diploma, degree, or certificate. Seeking a graduate level degree is preferred.

NOTE: You MUST maintain status as a student for the duration of this program.

Current students must have a grade-point average of 2.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale. If appointed, you must maintain such grade point average throughout the duration of the internship. Applicants must submit an academic transcript demonstrating eligibility for appointment.

Education

You must submit your application with your latest academic transcript AND official documentation from your academic institution demonstrating current enrollment (i.e., enrollment letter or other documentation proving your enrollment in the current or next academic semester). See the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

College Transcript and Evaluation of Foreign Education - The Department of Labor does not recognize academic degrees from unauthorized secondary schools or post-secondary institutions that are not accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the Department of Education. Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service. If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum course work requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Additional information

The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.

The Department of Labor does not make unfavorable hiring decisions on the basis of an applicant's previous or current unemployment, or the fact that an applicant has experienced financial difficulty through no fault of his/her own and has undertaken good faith efforts to meet his/her financial obligations. Consideration is given to financial status in relation to appointments only where required by law, regulation, or Executive Order.

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION , REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION , ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION , SELECTIVE SERVICE REGISTRATION , PROBATIONARY PERIOD , FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Applicants meeting the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements will be evaluated against the competencies described below and will be placed into one of the following quality categories, based on responses to the vacancy questionnaire:

Category A - Meets the basic qualification requirements for the vacancy and has successful experience in the same or similar job that has demonstrated superior proficiency in applying the critical competencies required by this position to work of increased levels of difficulty and complexity.

Category B - Meets the basic qualification requirements for the vacancy and demonstrates satisfactory proficiency in the critical competencies by this position.

Category C - Meets the specialized experience described in the minimum qualifications requirements section of this announcement and demonstrates proficiency in the basic competencies.

Evaluation Factors (Competencies) - All qualified applicants will be evaluated on the following key competencies:

Case Management

Oral Communication

Written Communication

The information you provide may be verified by a review of your work experience and/or education, by checking references and through other means (ex. interview). Your resume MUST provide sufficient information to substantiate your responses to the vacancy questions. If not, the HRO may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the level of competency indicated by the content of your resume. Your evaluation may also include a review by a Human Resources Specialist or panel and may include other assessments (ex. interview, panel review, written test, writing sample, etc.)

Referrals will be made in accordance with applicable reemployment priority and/or veterans' preference requirements. Click Application of Veterans Preference for Category Rating Jobs for more information.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

The following documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date. Follow the instructions: click How To Submit Supplemental Documentation Document . Warning: If you submit a document using the same document title, the 2nd submission will OVERWRITE the 1st submission. Also, do not upload password protected documents.

The following documents are required from ALL applicants:

- Proof of Enrollment : Academic transcript or other official documentation from the educational institution proving your status as a student who is currently enrolled or accepted for enrollment on at least a half-time basis at a qualifying educational institution . See "Qualifications" and "Evaluations."

- Qualifications : Academic transcripts sufficient to demonstrate that you meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, as described in this announcement, where you are seeking to qualify based on education. See "Qualifications" and "Evaluations."

The following documents are required if applicable:

- Veterans Documents (if applicable): To be considered as a 5-point preference eligible, you must submit a copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, DD214. Your DD-214 must show the type of discharge and dates of active duty. To claim 10-point preference, you must submit a copy of your DD214; an Application for 10-point Veteran's Preference, SF15; and the proof of entitlement of this preference which is normally an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability. (For active duty service members expecting to be honorably discharged or released within 120 days, click Active Duty ) Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran's preference. For more information, go to: http://www.fedshirevets.gov/hire/hrp/vetguide/index.aspx.

- Cover Letters are not mandatory and will not be used to verify experience, but may be submitted.

Applicants selected for employment who are not current DOL employees will be required to provide proof of citizenship , and the E-Verify system will be used to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires.

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.