Legal Administrative Specialist (Contact Representation)

Veterans Benefits Administration•Nashville, TN

10d•Onsite

About The Position

The Legal Administrative Specialist (Contact Representation) serves on the Public Contact Team in the Veterans Service Center at the Nashville Regional Office of the Veterans Benefits Administration in Nashville, Tennessee. The incumbent provides in-depth information and comprehensive assistance to veterans, their dependents, and beneficiaries on VA benefits and related non-VA benefits, including matters requiring advanced technical proficiency. The position involves interviewing people who visit or contact VBA facilities and providing outreach services. Contacts may be conducted in person, by telephone, email, video, or chat. The incumbent advises people about benefits and rights; explains relevant laws, regulations, and administrative practices and how they apply to individual cases; helps people identify and submit required documents and evidence; and initiates inquiries to address errors, delays, or other problems in obtaining benefits. The incumbent may also complete claim- and appeal-related work. The position is full-time, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central Time. Compressed or flexible scheduling is not available. Situational (ad hoc) telework may be approved case by case with supervisory approval, but routine or recurring telework is not authorized; the selectee must report to the duty station each scheduled workday. The position has no promotion potential. A one-year probationary or trial period is required.

Requirements

Meet the GS-10 qualification requirements by the announcement closing date of November 2, 2026.
For current federal employees subject to time-in-grade rules, have 52 weeks at GS-09; current VBA employees seeking reassignment or a change to a lower grade must currently hold GS-10 or higher and have a current position with promotion potential of at least GS-10.
Qualify through one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-09, including the ability to work independently as a self-reliant decision-maker in customer-service benefits counseling and claims processing, in-depth research knowledge, and experience directly derived from federal, military, or private-sector work. Examples include explaining VA benefits to people from varied backgrounds and researching local, state, and federal laws and regulations to determine veterans' eligibility.
Alternatively, qualify with two and a half years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, with education demonstrating the competencies needed for the work; transcripts must be submitted.
Alternatively, qualify through a combination of specialized experience and graduate education beyond two years of progressively higher-level graduate education, with education and experience together meeting the full qualification requirement.
Be a U.S. citizen.
Meet Selective Service registration requirements if male and born after December 31, 1959.
Serve a probationary or trial period and undergo a background/security investigation.
Complete the online onboarding process and provide acceptable identification and employment eligibility documents.
Provide transcripts if education is used to meet any qualification requirement; foreign education requires a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency.
The work requires extensive use of a computer and a telephone with a headset; the employee must be able to talk for long periods.

Responsibilities

Coordinate counseling sessions with veterans, their dependents, and beneficiaries about VA and non-VA benefits through in-person or telephone interviews and correspondence.
Interview people visiting or contacting VBA facilities and provide outreach services.
Explain VBA rating decisions and the reasons for those decisions, drawing on knowledge of VA benefits, services, claims and appeals processing, benefit determinations, and information in systems of record.
Assist with information about compensation and pension, home loan eligibility, education, health care, life insurance, burial benefits, vocational rehabilitation, Social Security Administration programs, and other federal, state, and local assistance programs.
Prepare technical correspondence for veterans and their dependents about benefits, representation rights, and miscellaneous inquiries.
Explain applicable legal provisions, regulations, and administrative practices and how they apply to specific cases.
May serve as or work with an Outreach Coordinator, including a Women's Veterans, Minority Veterans, Homeless Veterans, Aging Veterans, Ex-Prisoners of War, or Military Services Coordinator.
Initiate inquiries to resolve errors, delays, and other problems in obtaining benefits.
Complete claim- and appeal-related work.