Duties

Summary

OIG is organized into seven operational units: the Immediate Office of the Inspector General, Office of the Counselor, Office of Audits and Evaluations, Office of Healthcare Inspections, Office of Investigations, Office of Management and Administration, and Office of Special Reviews. In addition to the Washington, DC, headquarters, OIG has offices located in more than 60 locations throughout the country.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

The Attorney-Advisor in the Office of the Counselor to the Inspector General (IG) in the Department of Veterans Affairs and, in that capacity, is responsible for providing legal policy advice needed to carry out the statutory responsibilities imposed by the Inspector General Act of 1978.

As a Attorney_Advisor, you will:

- Respond accurately to requests for information in a timely manner and in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, policies, and guidelines. Maintain all FOIA and PA records regarding information release including the request, the response, and any supporting documentation.
- Assess pending OlG reports to ensure compliance with legal and regulatory guidelines and to safeguard records protected by FOIA, PA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) as well as other statutory protections and privileges when applicable.
- Monitor OIG webpage to ensure all content and material posted therein was reviewed prior to publishing.
- Review draft and final reports from OIG directorates to enable maximum releasabilty to the public of unredacted reports. Work closely with those directorates by suggesting ways to write or edit the report to enable it to be published on the OIG web page without redactions.
- Process requests for records and information in response to requests for discovery in litigation, including gathering responsive documents and information, properly processing the information and documents sought in the pleadings, and reviewing for accuracy. The discovery may be related to a variety of types of cases including ongoing litigation brought by the VA OIG, the U.S. Department of Justice, or in litigation in which VA or the VAOIG is a defendant or party, or where VA or VAOIG documents or records are sought. Examples may include actions under the Federal Tort Claims Act, cases before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or Merit Systems Protection Board, as well as litigation holds in cases filed under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act and other actions filed against or by VA.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - The incumbent should anticipate frequent walking and standing as a component of this travel.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
14

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Please refer to "Conditions of Employment."
• Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying.
• Must be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals.

The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service . One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your résumé.

Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Be a current member of a bar with a valid license to practice law in a state or territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Specialized experience: For the GS-14, you must have two (2) or more years of post-J.D. legal experience, one of which includes specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-13 grade level.

For the GS-14: Specialized experience is assisting with planning and executing investigative, analytical, and/or legal reviews.
Examples of such experience could include:
Representing entities or Federal agencies in regulatory enforcement matters or litigation; OR
Conducting legal reviews of investigative matter and presenting the subject matter to various audiences; OR
Providing legal advice and guidance on a wide range of programmatic issues.

Specialized experience: For the GS-13: 18 months of pertinent legal experience at the GS-12 level, or equivalent level of difficulty in the Federal service or private sector, that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. Examples of such experience might include:

Experience assisting an agency or client representative in investigations; AND
Preparing drafts of legal briefs for investigations; AND
Providing independent legal advice and guidance on a wide range of agency programmatic responsibilities; AND
Researching matters involving general law concerning investigative matters.

Education Requirements:

Must be a graduate of a law school accredited by the American Bar Association at the time of graduation (a copy of your transcript will be required if selected).

A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page .

If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions .

The experience may have been gained in either the public or private sector. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your résumé.

Education

Additional information

- We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies. Applicants who apply for this position may be considered for other positions within the Office of Inspector General that require the same knowledge, skills, and abilities.
- This is a non-bargaining unit position.
- A recruitment incentive may be offered.
- We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules.
- Full-time telework may be temporarily required if space is not currently available at the location chosen by the selectee. Selectees will be notified prior to their start date if this is necessary. Telework on a more permanent basis will be determined by management upon completion of all telework requirements and availability needs.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
- A two year trial period may be required.
- Must successfully complete a background investigation.
- Public Trust - Background Investigation will be required.
- If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
- Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
- Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9 . Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
- Obtain and use a Government-issued purchase card for business-related travel.
- File a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report within 30 days of appointment and annually from then on.
- Undergo an income tax verification.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Your application includes your résumé, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your résumé includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a "not qualified" determination.

Rating: This announcement is issued under excepted service hiring authority for Attorney positions (5CFR 213.3102): all candidates who meet all the qualification and other eligibility requirements may be referred for consideration. Competitive examining rules providing for rating and ranking and veterans' preference do not apply.

Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview and/or a writing assessment. Applicants who are selected for an interview may ask questions about the evaluation process at the time they are contacted for an interview.

If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP )) you must be assigned the middle category or better to be rated as "well qualified" to receive special selection priority.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

A complete application includes 1. A résumé, 2. Vacancy question responses, and 3. Submission of any required documents. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).

It is anticipated that there will be significant interest in the announcement. As a result, the announcement will close at 11:59 p.m. ET on the date of receipt of the 200th application or at 11:59 p.m. ET on 09/24/2020; whichever occurs first. Any required documents should be submitted at the time that you apply as documents will not be accepted after the vacancy closes.

All applicants are required to submit a résumé either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.) To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your résumé. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your résumé to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view résumé tips .

VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION: Even though veteran's prefernce does not apply to this excepted service authorty you are still encouraged to submit your documentation. Please see applicant guide for required documentation .

EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION: For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected.

A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page . If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions .

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.