Attorney-Adviser (Veterans)

The Board of Veterans' Appeals is a part of the Department of Veterans Affairs; located in Washington, DC. The Boards mission is to conduct hearings and decide appeals properly before the Board in a timely manner. The Boards jurisdiction extends to all questions in matters involving a decision by the Secretary under a law that affects a provision of benefits by the Secretary to Veterans, their dependents or their survivors.

Duties

This position requires expertise of the laws and regulations pertaining to Veterans' benefits, as set forth primarily in Title 38 of the United States Code and Code of Federal Regulations; the decisions of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans' Claims (CAVC), the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Federal Circuit), the United States Supreme Court: and the precedent opinions of the Department of Veterans' Affairs General Counsel Major Duties include, but are not limited to:

The employee prepares decisions on extremely difficult complex or original appeals including those involving formal personal hearings held before Members of the Board "Veterans Law Judges/VLJs". Under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7101(c), serves as Acting Veterans' Law Judge (AVLJ) as designated by the Chairman, to assist in the continued improvement of appellate services.
Adjudicates appeals for a wide variety of benefits and provides the final agency decision on behalf of the Secretary of the VA. A decision by the Board, including by an AVLJ, binds the agency in that appeal.
Reviews the work products (i.e., draft decisions) of other Attorney-Advisors and Law Clerks and serves as the signatory on those decisions.
Evaluates the timeliness, quality, and complexity of each individual decision and provides feedback to the drafting Attorney-Advisor regarding their work product.
Provides subject matter expertise on Veterans' benefit claims and serves as a resource for answering procedural and substantive questions from junior members of the employee's VLJ team of attorneys.
Attends formal personal hearings with VLJs and conducts formal personal hearings as AVLJ.
Ensures all interactions with Veterans and their representatives are handled with a high degree of tact, diplomacy, and professionalism.
Displays appropriate judicial temperament and demeanor.
Conduct pre-hearing meetings and discussions with attorneys, appellants, and Veterans service organization to assure due process of law and to expedite the hearing process.
By direction of a Deputy Vice Chairman (DVC), formulates legal guidelines for use by other Attorney-Advisors to achieve uniformity throughout all decision-writing teams in the disposition of issues on appeal.
In consultation with the VLJ, formulates written training materials, sample decisions, decision language, and other relevant documents to assist the VLJ or other members of the VLJ team. Ensures the VLJ and VLJ team members remain informed of changes in the statutes, regulations, and caselaw governing the administration of Veterans' benefits.
Serves as a mentor to lower-grade Attorney-Advisors on the VLJ team and assists with training designed to develop strong interpersonal skills, time management/organizational skills, knowledge of the law, efficient claims file/evidence review, and Veteran-centric decision writing.
Assists with career mentoring of lower-grade Attorney-Advisors on the VLJ team.
Prepares decisions on cases before the Board through petitions for reconsideration when briefs or hearings show an error in a prior appellate decision that has been presented and where the decision requires three VLJ signatories for a de novo appellate decision.
Independently performs special assignments from the Chairman, Vice Chairman, DVC or VLJ to assist in the continued improvements of appellate service. Assists the VLJ with case management and the operation of the team under the supervision of the VLJ.
Maintains a strong commitment to meet customer needs.
Analyzes problems/issues taking into consideration the customer's needs.
Develops appropriate solutions and/or provides services that contribute to the customers' ability to accomplish their objectives. Also recognizes Board supervisors and employees as customers and provides services to them that contribute to the accomplishments of the Board's mission and objectives.
Works as a member of a VLJ team or organizational component and may serve as member of one or more ad-hoc teams/components.
Attends team meetings and other activities and contributes constructively to help advance the overall mission and objectives of the Board and the efficiency of its operations.
Works cooperatively with others on the VLJ Team or other organizational components to ensure that individual effort is integrated into and overall product or major component there

Work Schedule: Full-time
Compressed/Flexible: May be authorized
Telework: May be available
Virtual: No. Location negotiable after selection is made.
Position Description/PD#: PD19376A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Salary

• $143,913 - $187,093/year

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-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.

In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/14/2026
.
Basic Requirements:

• All attorneys in the GS-0905 series must be active members in good standing of the bar of a state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia and must hold a current, unrestricted license to practice law.

Quality of Experience: Applicants must possess a total of four years of progressively responsible experience, which can include one year of relevant experience gained before admission to the bar. This experience can be from one or a combination of the following types:

1. Practice of law includes private, state, or Federal practice in any field of law.
2. Other legal experience of a responsible nature is experience in any one or a combination of the following performed in a law office, government office, or in the legal department of a business establishment, in the armed forces, or other Federal service:
   • Conducting legal research, analyzing statues, writing legal opinions:
   • Writing authoritative or advisory legal opinions involving interpretation of state or Federal laws, regulations, and orders, or the drafting of such regulations or orders; or
   • Drafting, analyzing, and other legal activities with respect to bills, regulations, Executive Orders, proclamations, or statutory provisions.

You may qualify at the GS-14 based on your experience as described below:

• Qualified applicants must possess four (4) years of progressively responsible experience as described in Quality of Experience above, of which a maximum of one (1) year of the required experience may be acquired prior to admission to the bar, and that demonstrates the professional and administrative abilities required to perform similar work and responsibilities described in Nature of Cases or Legal Problems, Type III and Level of Responsibility D, in the OPM Position Classification Standard for General Attorney Series, GS-0905.

Preferred qualification - At least 2 years of Veterans Benefit Law Experience

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Veteran and Customer Focus
• Administrative Law
• Leadership
• Problem Solving
• Analytical Reasoning
• Teamwork

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.

Note: Resume must include job title and employer name, number of hours worked per week, start and end dates (including month and year), list of duties and responsibilities for each position held. In addition, if the experience was a federal position, you must list series and grade for each position held. Failure to include this information may result in an ineligible rating. A full year of work is considered to be 40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. 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 educational substitution at this grade level. 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. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration (HRA) at The Fair Chance Act. 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. 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. 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 here:https://appsupport.usastaffing.gov/hc/en-us/sections/28980686389652-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Performance Appraisal
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• Other (1)
• PCS Orders
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Proof of Marriage Status
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Failure to submit any of the above required documents applicable to your submission may result in loss of consideration and a rating of ineligible due to an incomplete application package. It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that their application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. We will not contact applicants for additional documentation, nor will we accept late or missing documents after the close of the announcement.

Current and Former Federal Employees: Validating Eligibility

Required document to demonstrate eligibility:

• Most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which for current employees, must be effective the first pay period (01/11/2026 or later) of the current calendar year. The SF-50 should note your current position or most recently held position, tenure, type of position occupied (i.e., Excepted or Competitive), grade level and duty location. (Text version SF-50s or Request for Personnel Action SF-52s are not acceptable.) Non-GS employees (including Federal Wage System and pay band employees) who do not receive annual pay adjustments in January, must submit a SF-50 dated within one year of the closing date of this announcement.

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 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 of1973 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.

NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

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

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-limithttps://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/merit-hiring-plan-resources/applicant-guidance-on-the-two-page-resume-limit/

To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS 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: Click on this: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status (if applicable), and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.

Benefits VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.