Field Examiner

Summary This Field Examiner Position is for the Department of Veteran Affairs, Veteran Benefits Administration, Lincoln Regional Office, out-based in Wichita, KS. The Field Examiner ensures that beneficiaries receive all the benefits they are entitled to, and takes necessary actions to protect their assets. This is a virtual position and requires the employee to have Internet at their own expense. Note: You must live within 50 miles of the location being announced. Responsibilities Specific duties include: Performs visits to veterans and beneficiaries to evaluate physical and mental conditions or capacity; independently determine ability to handle or manage funds. Conducts field examinations to determine who to appoint as fiduciaries for incompetent or minor beneficiaries. Verify the welfare and adequate living conditions of veterans under fiduciary care and make arrangements for deficiencies. Conduct background investigations on proposed fiduciaries. Reviews and reports on fiduciary performance; conduct investigations involving the misuse of VA funds. Explain laws and regulations governing fiduciary responsibilities to veteran, beneficiary, and fiduciary. Investigate and make determinations on identified misuse, complaints, allegations, contested claims for benefits, special apportionments, eligibility for VA compensation, etc. Work with representatives of other Federal, State, and local police, social and protective services agencies and courts regarding the safety, protection and living conditions of veterans. Supervises veterans transitioning to financial independence under the direct pay program. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. The grade progression for this position is GS-9/GS-11. Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Field Examiner; 36002A/35902A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Required Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:10/22/2024. TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements (unless if in the commuting area and eligible for a non-competitive hiring authority such as Schedule A, VRA, or 30% or more disabled Veterans). For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07 level. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 level. If you are a current VBA employee outside of the commuting area seeking reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS-09 (or higher) and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least GS-11. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. These requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement and those applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. GS-09 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 is defined as use of fact-finding sources (i.e., conducting interviews, researching court records, etc.) to verify facts and obtain specific pieces of information; or, experience applying Federal, state and/or local laws and regulations to administer benefits programs or services; or financial management experience for individuals or businesses. Examples include: Conducting investigations into allegations of misconduct, compiling findings, and composing reports of recommended action. Determining an applicants eligibility for welfare programs in accordance with state laws and program regulations. Establishing and reviewing budgets for expenditures, verifying, or monitoring the use of funds, and balancing or reconciling finances for individual or business. Education Substitution: Masters or equivalent graduate degree, LL.B. or J.D., if related, or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a degree specifically related to the duties of this position which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. (Transcripts Required) GS-11 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 is defined as experience conducting interviews in a state and/or Federal benefit/services program capacity to obtain essential information and assess an individuals competency to make valid decisions; or expertise in personal financial management for individuals in exceptionally unique or complex financial situations. Conducting professional interviews or investigations involving issues/cases such as benefit claims, workplace safety claims, employee/labor allegations, fraud, abuse, or embezzlement for the purpose of gathering factual information to make a determination. Establishing and reviewing budgets for expenditures, verifying, or monitoring the use of funds, personal financial management, balancing or reconciling finances for disabled individuals or minors who are unable to legally manage their own accounts. Interpretation and application of Federal, State and Local benefit programs (i.e., compensation/pension, healthcare, mortgage/lending, insurance, etc.) that comply with related laws, policy, regulations Education Substitution: PhD. or equivalent doctoral degree, LL.M., if related, or three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a degree specifically related to the duties of this position which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. (Transcripts Required) Combining Education & Experience: If you do not fully meet the length of experience and education described for a specific grade level (e.g. have six months of experience and some coursework but not a degree), the two can be combined to total 100% of the requirement. Click here for more information. Volunteer Experience: 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; religions; 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. Full vs. Part-Time Employment: Full-time employment is considered to be at least 35 hours per week. Part-time experience will be credited on a pro-rated basis; when including part-time employment in your resume you must specify the average hours worked per week. Physical Requirements: The job requires driving in government owned automobiles, often very long distances requiring overnight lodging. Some walking and climbing of stairs is required since interviews with VA beneficiaries are conducted at the residences of the beneficiaries. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Managements website at http://://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to be credited towards qualifications. Provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.All education claimed by applicants will be verified upon appointment. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript to receive credit. Additional Information Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicants criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information. VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. Click here for more information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility. Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members. For more information on the “Who may apply” eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.