Veterans Service Representative (Authorization Quality Review Specialist)

This position is located in a Department of Veterans Affairs, Regional Office, Veterans Service Center and Best Eligibility Support Team. The Authorization Quality Review Specialist is an integral part of the quality assurance program and is a key technical adviser to the Veterans Service Representatives. The purpose of this position is to measure individual performance quality as well as identify training needs through the review and assessment of completed compensation and pension claims.

Duties

• Performs individual quality reviews to determine the authorization quality level of individual VSRs for purposes of individual performance standards in accordance with an established monthly schedule.
• Conducts focused "in-process reviews" for cases to determine the accuracy of claims action taken. (Such reviews are for station-level feedback and improvement only, not used for individual performance standard purposes.)
• Responsible for sharing authorization quality trend information with management on an ongoing basis and with the VSRs during training sessions.
• Reviews products or activities for quality of performance and enters the results into the on-line STAR checklists.
• Evaluates and identifies deficiencies of all elements of a claim from evidence development, income and dependency issues, to award processing and authorization. Provides an explanation of errors and includes comments where attention is warranted.
• Prepares STAR data reports and provides to personnel in the regional office who are authorized to request and receive such reports.
• Develops various quality assurance processes with emphasis on work procedures and techniques that address unique work conditions and practices.
• Ensures all program requirements imposed by Compensation Service and/or the Pension and Fiduciary Service and the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims are met or implemented.

Salary

• $76,573 - $119,315/year

Conditions of Employment

• 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.
• A complete application package must be submitted: Resume, transcripts, etc.
• We may consider your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; and whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government and efficiency of the Federal service.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement: 06/08/2026.

Time-in-Grade: 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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-10 grade level.
For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11 grade level.

To support your claim of time in grade, you must submit your most recent appointment, promotion, or within grade increase SF-50 (not an award or general adjustment SF-50).Some applicants may have to submit more than one SF-50 to demonstrate their eligibility. See the required documents section for more information.

Specialized Experience:

To qualify at the GS-11 grade level: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-10). Specialized Experience is defined as work that involves functioning in either a capacity performing training, analyst or information systems duties of a claims management process. The experience should be substantive and relevant and may have been gained in the federal, military, or private sector. Examples include but are not limited to: 1) Conducting focused evaluations and reviews to determine authorization quality and accuracy, 2) Providing advisory services to management via preparation and presentation of quality trend information, 3) Developing training strategies and materials to address deficiencies and/or conducting training activities, 4) Analyzing performance deficiencies and quality trends to identify knowledge/skill gaps.

OR

Applicants may substitute education for experience to qualify at the GS-11 grade level: Applicants must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or three full years (54 semester hours or 81 quarter hours) of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M, if related. This graduate education (or completed degree) must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to do the work for this position. Note: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

To qualify at the GS-12 grade level: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-11). Specialized Experience is defined as work that involves functioning in either a capacity performing training, analyst or information systems duties of a claims management process. The experience should be substantive and relevant and may have been gained in the federal, military, or private sector. Examples include but are not limited to: 1) Conducting focused evaluations and reviews to determine authorization quality and accuracy, 2) Providing advisory services to management via preparation and presentation of quality trend information, 3) Developing training strategies and materials to address deficiencies and/or conducting training activities, 4) Analyzing performance deficiencies and quality trends to identify knowledge/skill gaps, 5) Providing quality-review services, feedback, and guidance to staff in order to correct unsatisfactory performance.

There is no educational substitution for the GS-12 grade level.

Note: 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.

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

Education An unofficial or official copy of your transcripts must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/ 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. For further information, visit: https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications Other Information This is not a virtual or remote position. 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 full performance level of this position is grade GS-12. Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday: 8:00am- 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: As determined by the hiring office Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility may be discussed during the interview process. Telework is subject to approval by individual supervisors and managers, is considered a privilege not a right, is subject to approval based on performance and other varying factors, and is not guaranteed. Position Description/PD#: 41680A / 37136A Bargaining Unit: This position is in the bargaining unit Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Physical Requirements: The work is mostly sedentary. Typically, the employee sits comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light items such as papers or books. No special physical demands are required to perform the work. 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. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. 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. 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. You may be asked to submit additional job-related information, which may include responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) identified in the announcement; and/or completion of a work sample; and/or a structured interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or your further consideration for employment. 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
    • Language skills
    • Organizations and affiliations
    • Professional publications
    • Eligibility for special programs (e.g., military spouses, individuals with disabilities, etc.)
• Current VBA Employees:
  • Your most recent APPOINTMENT SF-50. The most recent 1XX or 5XX SF-50 proving status. This SF50 should identify your appointing legal authority, position title, series, grade, step, salary, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted).
  • To support your claim that you have the required time-in-grade, you must submit your most recent promotion, within-grade increase, or appointment SF-50 (not an award or general adjustment SF-50). Some applicants may have to submit more than one SF-50 in order to demonstrate their eligibility.

Please use this checklist to make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.

Applicants claiming CTAP eligibility must also submit:

• Certification of expected separation, reduction-in-force separation notice, or notice of proposed removal; and your most recent performance evaluation; and an SF-50 demonstrating your separation or the position you will be separated from; or
• Worker's compensation separation (agency certification of inability to place employee and notification of separation or a separation SF-50); or
• Disability annuity termination (notification from OPM of disability annuity termination and separation SF-50 of the last position held); or
• Military reserve or National Guard technician special disability retirement annuity under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456 (certification of special disability retirement annuity from a military department or National Guard bureau and separation SF-50 of the last position held).

Failure to submit any of the above mentioned documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure that all required documents have been submitted by the cut-off date and/or closing date of the job opportunity announcement. 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

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.

To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.