Duties

The incumbent counsels employees, retirees and their families regarding federal benefits and retirement programs to include health, life, vision, dental, flexible spending, thrift savings plans, Federal retirement systems.

Provides counseling with regards to benefits issues. Summarizes existing policies and procedures in response to inquiries from employees throughout the Library. Prepares appropriate correspondence consistent with applicable regulations, policies and procedures.

Provides counseling to employees regarding the manner in which military service is credited for Federal retirement purposes.

Provides orientation on the feral benefit and retirement programs. Information includes Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS), FERS-Revised Annuity Employees (FERS-RAE), FERS-Further Revised Annuity Employee (FERS-FRAE), Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), Civil Service Retirement System-Offset (CS-Offset), the Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance Program (FEGLI), Federal Employee's Health Benefits Program (FEHB), Federal Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP), Federal Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAFEDS), Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP) and the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), Social Security, and Beneficiary, etc.

Provides guidance to employees returning to and/or transferring to the Federal Government who are eligible for coverage under either FERS, FERS-RAE, FERS-FRAE, or CS-Offset, as to the provisions of each retirement system and the advantage or disadvantage in their specific situation. Counsels employees who are leaving Federal service without eligibility to retire on retirement and benefits implication and options.

Interprets and provides counseling on basic Civil Service Retirement Spouse Equity Act (P.L. 98-615) which permits, with a qualifying court order, the awarding of a FERS-RAE, FERS, CSRS or CSRS-Offset survivor annuity to the former spouse of a Federal employee or retiree.

Calculating retirement service computation dates for employees to use as a basis in making the decision whether to retire. Computes current and projected retirement estimates, providing employees with information regarding coverage and required procedures.

Completes Direct Premium Remittance Web (DPRW) processing for insurance.

Initiates actions to resolve claim discrepancies between employees and benefits program carriers. Acts as a liaison between employees and insurance carriers to resolve problems or delay sand to explain the carriers determination to employees.

Coordinates open enrollment periods for benefits programs which include overseeing the preparation and distribution of employee orientation and information packets.

Monitors all retirement and federal benefits program following proposed changes to legislation and/or regulations and assuring other team members are kept current on changes. Incumbent participates in the development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), Library of Congress (LOC) Staff News, Gazette Articles, etc., to provide up-to-date information to employees. Advises management of new developments in requirements for procedures.

Makes recommendations regarding formulating departmental/agency policy, and provides input to the overall direction and guidance on retirement matters. Interprets policies, regulations, and legislation related to retirement and benefits.

Provides for the delivery of pre-retirement and new-hire seminars, including benefits and financial education sessions to employees through external sources. Coordinate arrangements for vendors or subject matter experts to participate in HRS programs related to retirement and benefits.

Participates in the development of training session for employees. May personally make presentations and/or conduct seminars without the use of contract services.

Responsible for assuring that all employees use the appropriate forms. Maintains accurate records related to revision of forms and brochures and only utilizes the latest versions and/or editions currently acceptable for submission by the appropriate agencies (Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Thrift Saving Plan (TSP), Social Security Administration (SSA), etc.)

This position is not eligible for permanent remote telework.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

Conditions of Employment

Library employees must be fully vaccinated by Monday, January 3, 2022. New hires must be fully vaccinated by the date of their appointment.

Employees are considered fully vaccinated when it has been at least two weeks since they received the second dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine (e.g., Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna) or the single dose of a one-dose vaccine (e.g., Johnson & Johnson/Janssen). At this time, booster shots are not necessary to be considered fully vaccinated.

Upon request, employees must provide proof of vaccination to the Health Services Division.

Consistent with applicable law, the Library will consider individual exceptions to the vaccination requirement based on an employee's medical condition or sincerely held religious belief. Employees with an approved exception will be subject to weekly testing and other COVID-19 safety protocols as directed, including, for example, wearing masks and social distancing.

Library of Congress employees are prohibited from using illegal drugs, including marijuana. The Library is part of the Federal Government and abides by federal law, so regardless of individual state or District of Columbia laws, marijuana use is illegal, considered criminal activity, and can affect your employment at the Library. In addition, past drug use and activities (e.g., selling or distributing) may deem you ineligible for employment.

Qualifications

Applicants must have had progressively responsible experience and training sufficient in scope and quality to furnish them with an acceptable level of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position without more than normal supervision.

Knowledge of Federal pay, personnel and compensation rules, regulations, processes and related employee benefits.**

Ability to utilize information technology, automated personnel systems, and software applications.**

Ability to interact collaboratively with others to provide customer service and liaison support.

Ability to attend to details.**

Ability to communicate in writing.

Ability to communicate effectively other than in writing.

Additional information

Although it is the Library's policy to afford the maximum pay benefit to employees when setting rates of pay, a new appointee who has had no previous Federal service will generally be paid the minimum step of the grade.

The Library of Congress is an equal opportunity employer. Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities who meet eligibility requirements are strongly encouraged to apply.

Applicants must submit a complete application package that is received by the closing date of this announcement.

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please email ADA@loc.gov. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Applicants with disabilities may be considered under special hiring procedures and must submit an appropriate certificate of eligibility when applying for this position. The proof or disability/certification may be issued by the State Vocational Rehabilitation Office, Disability Services or Career Services office of the applicant's college or university, or the Department of Veterans Affairs. The letter must verify that the applicant has a severe disability and must be dated within three years of the date of the application. Certification from health care providers are not accepted. For more information contact the Library's Office of EEO/Diversity Programs at 202-707-6024 or email spp@loc.gov. FAILURE TO SUBMIT YOUR CERTIFICATION WILL CAUSE YOUR APPLICATION TO NOT BE CONSIDERED UNDER THE SELECTIVE PLACEMENT PROGRAM.

The Library of Congress is the national library of the United States and is part of the Legislative Branch of the Federal government. As such, all positions are in the excepted service.

Appointment/retention is subject to a favorable evaluation of an appropriate personnel security/suitability investigation.

The Library reserves the right to fill a lesser or greater number of vacancies indicated during the life of this vacancy announcement.

Initial appointments, permanent or indefinite, to the Library of Congress require completion of a one-year probationary period.

The Library of Congress may offer repayment for all or part of federally insured student loans. However, not all service units within the Library of Congress participates in the repayment of federally insured student loans. Therefore, determination to repay a federally insured student loan is subject to approval by the appropriate service unit.

A "Not to Exceed" (NTE) status is used to identify an appointment with a specific ending date. However, the Library has the right to separate a NTE employee at any time due to either performance issues or budget constraints.

Are you a veteran? Please indicate the type of veterans' preference you are claiming in your application materials and/or applicant profile and provide the appropriate supporting documentation to validate your claim. Those applying for 5-point preference must submit Member Copy 4 of your DD 214. Those applying for 10-point preference must fill out an SF-15 (click here for the form) and provide the required documentation listed on the back of the form. If required supporting documentation is not attached, Veterans' Preference will not be considered in the application process.