Paralegal Specialist

This position is located in the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Office of the General Counsel, located in Atlanta, Georgia, Boston, Massachusetts, Chicago, Illinois, Dallas, Texas, Denver, Colorado, Kansas City, Missouri, New York, New York, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, San Francisco, California, Seattle, Washington, and Washington, District of Columbia.

Duties

As a Paralegal Specialist, you will use your knowledge of and experience with the Office of the General Counsel (OGC) to optimize business results and customer experience by:

• Serving as an advisor to senior-level attorneys, paralegal specialists, and other support staff, performing work that entails legal research of Federal, and State codes, regulations, policies, and procedures.
• Independently preparing written recommendations for approval of the reviewing attorney or branch chief; preparing comprehensive reports which serve as the basis for critical legislative regulatory, judicial, administrative, or other legal arguments, interpretations, or opinions.
• Managing a wide range of qualitative and/or quantitative methods to analyze and synthesize intricate evidence.
• Performing research using computer research tools, as well as bound volumes and the internet.
• Serving as liaison between governmental and nongovernmental, OGC and private attorneys, law firms, insurance companies, healthcare providers, beneficiaries, and others concerning claims activities.

Salary

• $88,520 - $115,079/year

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship required
• Selective Service: Males born after December 31, 1959, must be registered or exempt from Selective Service - http://www.sss.gov.
• If not previously completed, a background security investigation will be required for all appointees. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Must meet time in grade requirements.
• One-year probationary period may be required.
• If you are selected for this position, the documentation that you present for purposes of completing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-Verify" System.
• All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice.
• Bargaining Unit Position: No
• Drug Screening Required: No
• Research Position: No
• Student loan repayment, Credit for Annual leave for non-federal service, Advanced Pay for New Hires: Not Authorized.
• Moving Expenses, Relocation Incentive, Recruitment incentive: Not Authorized.

Qualifications Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the Specialized Experience requirements as noted below.

Specialized Experience:
GS-13: You must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the GS-12 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors) performing (3) of the (4) duties listed below:

1. Conducting extensive and thorough research in various legal and non-legal databases;
2. Drafting pleadings, motions, orders, subpoenas, or other legal documents;
3. Providing substantive assistance with depositions, hearings, and trials; applying communication techniques to effectively interact with internal and external customers;
4. Conducting legal research concerning precedents and past court decisions; composing legal briefs, summaries of analyses, decisions, and prehearing documents.

Documenting Experience:

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Qualifications are based on breadth/level of experience. In addition to describing duties performed, applicants must provide the exact dates of each period of employment (from MM/YY to MM/YY) and the number of hours worked per week if part time. As qualification determinations cannot be made when resumes do not include the required information, failure to provide this information may result in disqualification. Applicants are encouraged to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder to develop their federal resume.

Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

In accordance with Office of Personnel Management policy, federal employees are assumed to have gained experience by performing duties and responsibilities appropriate for their official series and grade level as described in their position description. Experience that would not normally be part of the employee's position is creditable, however, when documented by satisfactory evidence, such as a signed memorandum from the employee's supervisor or an SF-50 or SF-52 documenting an official detail or other official assignment. The documentation must indicate whether the duties were performed full time or, if part time, the "percentage of times" the other duties were performed. It is expected that this documentation is included in the employee's official personnel record. In order to receive credit for experience in your resume that is not within the official series and grade level of your official position, you must provide a copy of the appropriate documentation of such experience as indicated above.

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; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to gain employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. If such experience is on a part-time basis, you must provide the average number of hours worked per week as well as the beginning and ending dates of the experience so it can be fully credited.

Time-in-Grade Requirement: Under competitive merit promotion procedures, any individual who is currently holding, or who has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet "time-in-grade" requirements (have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade of the grade for which you are applying). You must include an SF-50 (you may need to submit more than one) that supports meeting this requirement with your application package.

OPM Qualification General Policies Website
www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=app

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. Other Information

Salary: The salary range indicated in this announcement will be adjusted to include locality payment for selected duty location. General Schedule locality pay tables may be found under Salaries & Wages.

INCENTIVES
Incentives may be authorized; however, this is contingent upon multiple factors, including funds availability. If authorized, certain incentives may require you to sign a service agreement to remain in the Federal government for a period of up to 3 years. Note: This statement does not imply nor guarantee an incentive will be offered and paid. Incentives may include the following: moving expenses, recruitment or relocation incentive; student loan repayment, superior qualifications appointment, creditable service for annual leave for prior non-federal work experience or prior uniformed military service, etc.

In accordance with Executive Order 12564 of September 14, 1986, The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is A Drug-Free Federal Workplace. The use of illegal drugs, on or off duty, by Federal employees is inconsistent not only with the law-abiding behavior expected of all citizens, but also with the special trust placed in such employees as servants of the public.

Reasonable Accommodation: This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please see Agency Contact Information for whom to contact for more info. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. You must contact the HR contact on the vacancy announcement at least three business days before the closing date of this announcement to receive assistance. For more information on disability employment, please visit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/disability-employment/

Career Transition Program: This program applies to Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed, or employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet eligibility criteria for CTAP; 2) be rated well-qualified for the position; and 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP eligibility. Well-Qualified includes those applicants whose knowledge, skills, and abilities clearly exceed the minimum qualification requirements for the position. For information on eligibility criteria and required documentation, go to: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp

Political Appointment: Beginning January 1, 2010, agencies must seek prior approval from OPM before they can appoint a current or recent political appointee to a competitive or non-political excepted service position at any level under the provisions of title 5, United States Code. If you are currently or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you MUST disclose that to the Human Resources Office.

If you are unable to apply online, please contact the Mid-Atlantic Services Branch at NORFOLKMAIL@OPM.GOV for more information.

Required Documents

Submission of a resume alone IS NOT a complete application. You must provide a complete online Application Package which includes:

• Your Resume must clearly articulate how your skills and experiences align to the criteria defined in the qualifications section of this announcement and it must support your responses to the assessment questionnaire. For each position you must describe your duties, accomplishments, related skills, and responsibilities. Your resume must also include the day, month, and year that you began and ended as well as hours worked per week (if less than 40) for each position held. Full-time employment will be assumed unless otherwise stated on your resume. Part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience. Not providing this information may result in the lowering of your assessment score or an ineligible rating. For resume writing guidance, please visit the USAJobs Resource Center or view their video tutorial.
• A complete Assessment Questionnaire (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12637265)
• Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) - If you are a current or former Federal employee, you must submit a copy of your SF-50, showing current tenure and competitive status.
  • You may need to submit more than one SF-50 to demonstrate that you meet time-in-grade requirements. Recommended SF-50s include: promotions and step increases (within grade increases).
• Other required supporting documents.

Other Supporting Documents: (Only Submit if applicable to you.)

• College transcripts (if qualifying all or in part based on your education)
• CTAP Documentation
  • A copy of your RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate, notice of disability annuity termination, or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement;
  • A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action'', documenting your RIF separation, noting your positions, grade level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification of inability to place you through RPL, etc.;
  • A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and
  • Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.
• Are you a current or former political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee? Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:
  • Position title;
  • Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
  • Agency; and
  • Beginning and ending dates of appointment.
• You are not required to submit official documents at this time; copies are sufficient.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section.

*To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
*Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package.
*It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account at https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link, and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account at https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

The complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 01/21/2025.

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. Learn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits