Workers' Compensation Specialist

This vacancy is for a Workers' Compensation Specialist position in the Administrative and Customer Support Division located at the U.S. Census Bureau Headquarters in Suitland, Maryland. The Census Bureau is accessible from the Metro Rail Green Line - Suitland Station.

Duties

• Applies workers’ compensation laws, regulations, principles, theories, practices, and procedures to advise on or resolve matters affecting the workers’ compensation program.

• Applies extensive lay medical knowledge to analyze medical providers' or health professionals’ positions on workplace issues.

• Provides technical guidance to less experienced compensation specialists or managers on novel or precedent issues, highly controversial interpretations of Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) law or regulations or unusual medical problems.

• Provides guidance and direction for a nationwide return to work program for injured workers and negotiate with top agency and regional management to obtain agreement and support for workers’ compensation initiatives.

Salary

• $102,415 - $133,142/year

Conditions of Employment

• Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
• U.S. Citizen.
• Suitable for Federal employment.
• Registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov).
• A one-year probationary period may be required.
• This is a NON-BARGAINING unit position.
• This announcement will close at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the date the first 150 applicants are received or on March 25, 2026, whichever comes first.
• A USA Hire assessment is required. An email will be sent with additional information after you submit your application. You will have 48 hours from the closing date of this announcement to complete the assessment.

Qualifications

To qualify for the position of Workers' Compensation Specialist, at GS-0901-12, you must meet the qualification requirements listed below.

Specialized Experience: For the GS-12, you must have one year of experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-11 in the Federal service. Experience for this position includes: researching laws, regulations, and best practices using online and print resources; analyzing and organizing medical and legal information about workers' compensation; resolving complex or controversial cases where medical evidence is lacking, incomplete, or conflicting; explaining medical and legal matters and their impact on case management; and developing and implementing technical training to ensure compliance and consistency with program objectives.

Education: Education cannot be substituted for experience at this level.

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; religious; 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.

After you submit this application, you will receive an e-mail informing you that a USA Hire assessment is required. You will have 48 hours from the closing date of this announcement, 03/25/2026, to complete the assessment as this assessment is part of your application.

Other Information Applicants who apply under this Job Opportunity Announcement may opt-in (at their request) to allow the sharing of their resume, and other associated documents with other Federal Agencies who have vacancies within the same occupational series, grade and pay band (or its equivalent), and full performance level in the same duty location or commuting area of the duty location listed on the Job Opportunity Announcement. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. Additionally, the following links provide information on various hiring authorities that may enable you to apply through merit assignment procedures or be eligible for a non-competitive appointment. VRA (GS-11 or below) VEOA (permanent positions) 30% or more disabled veteran Persons with disabilities Military Spouse CTAP ICTAP The Department of Commerce provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the Human Resources Office. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis. TTY users can contact the Human Resources Office via the Federal Relay Service, 1-800-877-8339. Required Documents

The documents you are required to submit vary based on the authority you are using to apply. Your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply.

Your application package should include the following documents:

• Resume: Your resume must not exceed two (2) pages. If your resume exceeds the two-page limit, you will be deemed disqualified and removed from consideration. Your resume must include your educational and relevant work experience for the position for which you are applying to include the title and dates (mm/yy) of employment along with the number of hours worked per week. If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete, and you will not receive consideration for this position.
• Veterans' Preference Documentation: Please indicate on your resume the type of veterans' preference you are claiming and provide the appropriate supporting documentation (DD-214 stating disposition of discharge or character of service, VA letter, SF-15, etc.) to validate your claim. For more information regarding eligibility requirements, please go to: Veteran's Resource Page.
• Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) documentation, if applicable:
  • CTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:
    1. A copy of your RIF separation notice; notice of proposed removal for declining a directed geographic relocation outside of the local commuting area; a Certificate of Expected Separation (CES); or certification that you are in a surplus organization or occupation (this could be a position abolishment letter, a notice of eligibility for discontinued service retirement, or similar notice).
    2. A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" noting current position, grade/band level, and duty location;
    3. A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and
    4. Any documentation from your bureau/operating unit that shows your current promotion potential.
  • ICTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:
    1. A copy of your RIF separation notice; notice of proposed removal for declining a directed geographic relocation outside of the local commuting area; notice of disability annuity termination; certification from your former agency that it cannot place you after your recovery from a work-related compensable injury; or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement.
    2. A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action", documenting your RIF separation, noting your position, grade/band level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification of inability to place you through RPL, etc.;
    3. A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and
    4. Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.
• Education Documentation: If this position requires proof of higher education, or you are substituting education for experience, you must submit an unofficial transcript or a list of courses that includes the following information: name of accredited institution, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. This also applies to Census Bureau employees. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. Please refer to OPM's Qualification Policy for more information.

You are not required to submit official documents at this time; copies are sufficient.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course-by-course listing along with your application. Failure to provide such documentation when requested will result in lost consideration. For further information on the evaluation of foreign education, refer to the U.S. Department of Education's web site at Academic and Professional Mobility | International Affairs Office (ed.gov).

NOTE: You will not be considered if you fail to provide all required documents.

• Resume

How to Apply

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 03/25/2026 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 about two (2) 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 update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USA JOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online; however, if you are unable to apply online, please email the agency contact.