The Veterans Service Representative (VSR) explains benefit programs and entitlement criteria, analyzes claims material, identifies issues, gathers relevant evidence, conducts interviews to adjudicate claims and inputs data necessary to generate the award and notification letter to the Veteran describing the decision. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:09/17/2026.

TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT

: As a current Federal, GS employee you must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05 level. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07 level. For a GS-10 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 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. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-07

Grade Level:

Specialized Experience:

You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level or higher. Specialized experience is defined as the interpretation or application of laws, regulations, or procedures to analyze evidence to make determinations and research routine issues to resolve discrepancies.

Examples of experience include:

Technical assignments related to claims or benefits processing or eligibility determinations. Quality assurance or auditor functions Compiling income and legal documentation to determine basic eligibility for benefits or programs.

Claims processing for:

A state or federal agency, Insurance company, Worker's Compensation, Disability Retirement or Pension Program. Human Resource positions which involved determining employment qualifications, job classification, or determining eligibility for benefits. Positions involved in assisting veterans with claims application

OR Education Substitution:

Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education you must have: One (1) full year of graduate level education or a Bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement (3.0 GPA or higher) Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) is based on: 1) class standing, 2) grade point average or 3) honor society membership. For more information on calculating SAA please visit www.opm.gov.

OR Combination of Experience and Education:

A combination of successfully completed post high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. To calculate, first identify your total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required; then determine your education as a percentage of the education required; then add the two percentages. The total of percentages must equal 100% to qualify. GS-09

Grade Level:

Specialized Experience:

You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level or higher. Specialized experience is defined as experience which required interpretation of legal and medical documentation to determine claimant's eligibility for services and benefits programs. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Determining the eligibility for Federal or State-administered benefits, such as: disability, education, housing, medical, and/or veterans' benefits. Interpreting and applying Federal and State laws, including case law, existing statutes and procedures, and precedent rulings, to process claims pertaining to a service program. Gathering and requesting evidence to build service program case files, respond to claimant inquires, and identify errors, inconsistencies, or omissions. Explaining Federal or State claims decisions to claimants, special interest groups, dependents, and/or representatives in an effort to gain acceptance of the determination.

OR Education Substitution:

Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education you must have: A master's or equivalent graduate degree in an accredited or pre-accredited college or university; OR Two full years of progressively higher level graduate education or a master's or equivalent graduate degree (such as LL.B. or J.D.) OR Equivalent combinations of Specialized Experience and Graduate-level education (To compute, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education by 18. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify.) To be creditable, such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities (see "Competencies" in the Requirements section) necessary to do the work. GS-10

Grade Level:

Specialized Experience:

You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level or higher. Specialized experience is that which demonstrates competence in adjudicating Veterans' claims. Specialized experience is typically gained in positions that have involved the development, examination, investigation, adjudication, and authorization of claims for disability compensation, disability pension, death compensation, death pension benefits, life insurance benefits etc. Such experience is to be substantive and relevant and requires a high degree of independence and judgment in interpretation of more complex legal and medical documentation to determine claimant's eligibility and supporting evidence for services and benefits. OR Two and a half years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. To be creditable, such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities (see "Competencies" in the Requirements section) necessary to do the work.

Note:

Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9 and GS-10. (i.e. The applicant's first year of graduate study is not qualifying for GS-9.). OR Equivalent combinations of Specialized Experience and Graduate Education. (To compute, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education by 18. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify).

Combining Education & Experience :

If you do not fully meet the length of experience and education described for a specific grade level (e.g. have six months of experience and some coursework but not a degree), the two can be combined to total 100% of the requirement. Click here for more information .

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.

Physical Requirements :

The work normally involves mental rather than physical exertion. The work is mostly sedentary; however, there may be some walking, standing, and carrying of light items. 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/ .