Lead Veterans Claims Examiner

The Lead Veterans Claims Examiner is aligned under the following: Department of Veterans Affairs ,VBA, CS, Policy staff, Regulations team. The Policy Staff is responsible for proposing legislation, writing and publishing administrative law, creating procedural guidance, and providing policy recommendations to senior leadership. The Regulations team is responsible for researching, writing, and processing regulatory amendments for the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), specifically, 38 CFR Part 3.

Duties

Specific duties include:

• Applies Veterans' benefits laws and regulations that pertain to CS benefit programs. Studies program operations, new legislation, automated systems, management initiatives, and the operation of interacting programs and organizations to assist in the development of new and modified policies.
• Makes policy that results in decisions that affect disability claims processing for employees in all 56 Regional Offices and three Decision Review Operations Centers in determining service connection in Veterans' claims.
• Reports directly to the Chief, Part 3 Regulations, Policy team, Compensation Service (CS) and may represent the Chief at meetings and conferences.
• Researches and analyzes legislation, legislative history, regulations, regulation history, policy, case law, scientific studies, and claims data in order to formulate policy decisions affecting disability claims processing.
• Serves as a regulations policy expert collaborating with data, media and financial stakeholders to assist them in providing accurate and complete information supporting regulations.
• Writes accurate, clear, and comprehensible documents and emails. Writes regulations, regulatory support documents, white papers (options papers, position papers, etc.), and responds, in writing, to internal and external stakeholder inquiries in a comprehensive, accurate, clear, and comprehensible manner, while adhering to accepted standards of formatting and style, spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc. Prepares all necessary administrative materials, correspondences, and justifications detailing reasons for decisions.
• Orally communicates in a clear and comprehensive manner at all levels to seek and/or present information, solve problems, identify issues/risks, clarify existing adjudication regulations, and/or recommend policy direction.
• Demonstrates mastery of the claims process, procedures, functions, responsibilities, and authorities that interact in the administration and implementation of the CS benefits program. Participates in special projects devoted to supporting policy analysis and updates.
• Applies Veterans' benefits laws and regulations that pertain to CS benefit programs. Studies program operations, new legislation, automated systems, management initiatives, and the operation of interacting programs and organizations to assist in the development of new and modified policies.
• Makes policy that results in decisions that affect disability claims processing for employees in all 56 Regional Offices and three Decision Review Operations Centers in determining service connection in Veterans' claims.
• Reports directly to the Chief, Part 3 Regulations, Policy team, Compensation Service (CS) and may represent the Chief at meetings and conferences.
• Researches and analyzes legislation, legislative history, regulations, regulation history, policy, case law, scientific studies, and claims data in order to formulate policy decisions affecting disability claims processing.
• Serves as a regulations policy expert collaborating with data, media and financial stakeholders to assist them in providing accurate and complete information supporting regulations.
• Writes accurate, clear, and comprehensible documents and emails. Writes regulations, regulatory support documents, white papers (options papers, position papers, etc.), and responds, in writing, to internal and external stakeholder inquiries in a comprehensive, accurate, clear, and comprehensible manner, while adhering to accepted standards of formatting and style, spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc. Prepares all necessary administrative materials, correspondences, and justifications detailing reasons for decisions.
• Orally communicates in a clear and comprehensive manner at all levels to seek and/or present information, solve problems, identify issues/risks, clarify existing adjudication regulations, and/or recommend policy direction.
• Demonstrates mastery of the claims process, procedures, functions, responsibilities, and authorities that interact in the administration and implementation of the CS benefits program. Participates in special projects devoted to supporting policy analysis and updates.

Promotion Potential: This position does not have promotion potential.
Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday
Compressed/Flexible: Not Available
Telework: Telework Eligible
Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Employee is expected to report to the nearest VBA facility based on the agreed upon telework agreement.
Position Description/PD#: Lead Veterans Claims Examiner; 399480
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Salary

• $131,342 - $170,750/year

Conditions of Employment

Upon completion of your probationary period OR 2-year trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement: 04/22/2026.

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.

• For a GS-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13 level.

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.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience as described below:
GS-14 Grade Level:

• Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade of GS-13 level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.
  
  The applicant must document knowledge and/or experience writing and publishing federal regulations; knowledge and/or experience researching federal statutes, regulations, court decisions, policies and procedures pertaining to the adjudication of Veterans' claims for Compensation or related benefits; knowledge and/or experience adjudicating Veterans' claims for disability compensation or related benefits; knowledge and/or experience with VA Compensation Service policymaking; ability to train and review work of others while maintaining effective work relationships; possess expert oral and written communication skills.

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: Work is primarily sedentary but involves use of a personal computer so a degree of manual
dexterity and visual acuity sufficient to use these tools is required. Occasional standing, bending, walking, and stooping are also necessary. Some slight physical effort is required in that incumbent lifts and carries reference books, files, and similar items. No special physical demands are required.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education There is no education substitution for GS-14. Other Information Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's 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. The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced 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. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transitio.... 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. 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. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. https://department.va.gov/employees/va-mission-act-section-505-data/ Required Documents To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package to include the documents detailed below. Resumes may not exceed two pages and must be legible for review of eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. Your resume and supporting documentation will be verified. Failure to submit the documents as specified may result in loss of consideration for this job announcement. Resume: Contact Information: Name and how best to contact you, including email address and phone number Relevant Work Experience: For each relevant work experience, make sure you include: Job Title and Employer (including series and grade for any Federal positions) Start and end dates with month/year (e.g., 05/2019 - 08/2022) The number of hours you worked per week Ensure work experience descriptions are aligned with the job announcement and address all required qualifications. Brief descriptions should demonstrate your ability to perform the tasks at the required level as stated in the job announcement Optional Details: When relevant, include: Current Security Clearance Job-related training Language skills Organizations and affiliations Professional publications Eligibility for special programs (e.g., military spouses, individuals with disabilities, etc.) Former VA Employees Who Are CTAP Eligible: Your most recent APPOINTMENT SF-50. The most recent 1XX or 5XX SF-50 proving status. This SF-50 should identify your appointing legal authority, position title, series, grade, step, salary, tenure, and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). Your SF-50 reflecting when you entered your highest grade and step (e.g., Within Grade Increase, Promotion, Appointment, etc.) in order to verify time-in-grade requirements. CTAP documentation - RIF notice, SF-50 showing VA employee, and performance appraisal Additional Documents accepted: Most recent Performance Appraisal (VA Form 0750) Award SF-50s Please use this checklist to make sure you have included all documents required for your application. You will not be contacted for additional information. How to Apply

Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed.

Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement.

Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started.

Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume:

• Prioritize most relevant and recent experience
• Use concise, results focused language
• Align language from the job announcement
• Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies
• Remove outdated or unrelated experience
• Use the USAJOBS resume builder

Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at:

• https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit.
• https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/merithiring-plan-resources/applicant-guidance-on-the-two-page-resume-limit/

Complete the questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 04/22/2026 to receive consideration. It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12935608.

1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.

Click here for instructions on viewing your application status.

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:

1. Click the Apply Online button.
2. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.
3. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
4. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice.
5. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials.
6. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
7. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link.
8. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused.

Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us.