Veterans Service Representative (Authorizer)

Veterans Benefits Administration • Boston, MA

11d • Onsite

About The Position

The Veterans Service Representative (Authorizer) works as an employee in the Veterans Service Center (VSC) or Pension Management Center (PMC). The incumbent explains benefit programs and entitlement criteria, conducts interviews, identifies issues, gathers relevant evidence, adjudicates claims, authorizes payments, and inputs data necessary to generate the award and notification letter to the Veteran describing the decision and the reason for it. Specific duties include, but are not limited to: Authorizes administrative decisions made by other Veterans Service Representatives (VSR) including character of discharge, line of duty, or willful misconduct, corpus of estate, and apportionment decisions. Serves as the primary point of contact for all promulgating VSRs, reviews and finalize authorization of awards, terminates, authorize or disallows benefits pay on unusually complex claims. Reviews and approves work for technical accuracy, clarity, thoroughness, and sensitivity of notification. Ensures that notices of decisions are prepared with an empathetic tone and are complete and phrased in terms that the claimant can understand. Uses electronic data processing (EDP) systems for inputting data related to claims adjudication, processing, monitoring, and correspondence preparation. Prepares correspondence request to Members of Congress and special interest groups. Assists in the development and mentoring of VSR trainees. Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• May be required to serve a probationary or trial period.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements I-9 Acceptable Documents.
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• A complete application package must be submitted: Resume, transcripts, and any other required documents.
• Will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application.
• To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement: 10/15/2026.
• As a current/former Federal, GS employee you must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-10 level.
• If you are a current VBA employee requesting a reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS-11 (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.
• If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade.
• One year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-10) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is typically gained in positions that have involved experience in the development, examination, investigation, adjudication, and authorization of claims for disability compensation, disability pension, death compensation, death pension benefits, life insurance benefits, etc. Such experience is to be substantive and relevant and may have been gained in the practice of law or working with a Federal or state agency, insurance company, retirement, disability, or insurance program.
• Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Nice To Haves

• A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.
• If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education.
• Eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies.

Responsibilities

• Authorizes administrative decisions made by other Veterans Service Representatives (VSR) including character of discharge, line of duty, or willful misconduct, corpus of estate, and apportionment decisions.
• Serves as the primary point of contact for all promulgating VSRs, reviews and finalize authorization of awards, terminates, authorize or disallows benefits pay on unusually complex claims.
• Reviews and approves work for technical accuracy, clarity, thoroughness, and sensitivity of notification.
• Ensures that notices of decisions are prepared with an empathetic tone and are complete and phrased in terms that the claimant can understand.
• Uses electronic data processing (EDP) systems for inputting data related to claims adjudication, processing, monitoring, and correspondence preparation.
• Prepares correspondence request to Members of Congress and special interest groups.
• Assists in the development and mentoring of VSR trainees.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package.
• As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding.
• Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree