Legal Administrative Specialist

Veterans Benefits Administration•San Antonio, TX

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Legal Administrative Specialist (LAS) is a member of the Public Contact Team in the Veterans Service Center. The position provides Veterans, their dependents, and beneficiaries with in-depth information and comprehensive assistance concerning VA benefits and related non-VA benefits. Counseling is provided through in-person or telephone interviews and correspondence. The role explains VBA rating decisions, benefit determination information, and claim and appeal procedures; prepares technical correspondence; explains applicable legal provisions and administrative practices; and initiates inquiries to resolve benefit-related errors, delays, or other problems. The position also completes claim- and appeal-related work. The position is full time, Monday through Friday, with a stated schedule of 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Compressed or flexible scheduling may be available at the manager’s discretion. Situational (ad hoc) telework may be approved case by case with supervisory approval, but the employee must report to the official duty station each scheduled workday; routine or recurring telework is not authorized. This is not a virtual position. The grade progression is GS-07 to GS-09, with promotion to the full-performance level possible without further competition if regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met; selection at a lower grade does not guarantee promotion. Relocation and recruitment incentives are not authorized.

Requirements

For the GS-07 grade, one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-05, including work under direct supervision or guidance providing customer service, benefit counseling or claim processing, and communicating with people from varied backgrounds about federal, military, state, or private-sector benefit programs; or qualifying education or a combination of education and experience.
Alternatively, for GS-07, one full year of graduate-level education or superior academic achievement may substitute for the required experience, if the education demonstrates the competencies needed for the position.
Current Federal employees who held a GS grade within the past 52 weeks must meet time-in-grade requirements; GS-07 applicants must have 52 weeks at GS-05. Current VBA employees seeking reassignment or change to a lower grade must hold GS-07 or higher and have a current position with promotion potential of at least GS-09.
Must be a U.S. citizen.
Selective Service registration is required for males born after December 31, 1959.
Subject to a background/security investigation and a one-year probationary period.
Selected applicants must complete online onboarding and provide acceptable identification for pre-employment I-9 requirements.
Qualifying education must be from an institution accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Foreign education requires a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency and transcript to receive credit.

Responsibilities

Coordinate and conduct counseling sessions with Veterans, their dependents, and beneficiaries about VA and other agencies’ non-VA benefits through in-person or telephone interviews and correspondence.
Explain VBA rating decisions and the basis for decisions using knowledge of VA benefits and services, claims and appeals procedures, benefit determination information, and information in systems of record.
Assist with compensation and pension benefits, home loan eligibility, education, health care, life insurance, burial benefits, vocational rehabilitation services, Social Security Administration benefit programs, and other federal, state, and local domestic relations and assistance programs.
Prepare technical correspondence for Veterans and their dependents about benefits, representation rights, and miscellaneous inquiries.
Explain applicable legal provisions, regulations, administrative practices, and their application to specific cases.
Initiate inquiries to resolve errors, delays, or other problems in obtaining benefits.
Complete claim- and appeal-related work.