Program Specialist

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:11/16/2026. 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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07 level.

If you are a current VBA employee requesting reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS 9 or higher and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least Promotional Potential GS 9. 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 REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-09 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: Specialized experience includes performing a wide range of administrative, technical, and program support activities requiring knowledge of federal laws, regulations, and policies related to education approvals, compliance, and liaison operations.

Experience includes independently reviewing and routing correspondence; analyzing information to determine appropriate disposition; and preparing statistical, narrative, and management reports using automated systems such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and other VA applications. Coordinating with internal and external stakeholders, responding to complex inquiries and ensuring timely completion of suspense actions and reporting requirements.

Additional experience includes supporting budget, meeting, and project preparation; monitoring program workflow for alignment with organizational goals; maintaining personnel records; preparing HR actions; processing system access requests; advising employees on administrative requirements; and assisting leadership on policies involving travel, timekeeping, and office operations. Education Substitution: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience.

To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. Note: Transcripts Required. OR Combining Education &

01Experience

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. Full vs. Part-Time Employment: Full-time employment is considered to be at least 35 hours per week. Part-time experience will be credited on a pro-rated basis; when including part-time employment in your resume you must specify the average hours worked per week.

02Physical Requirements

The work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required. 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/.

The Major duties of the Program Specialist: Receives Veterans and other visitors to regional office and out-based sites making inquiries regarding Chapter 31 vocational rehabilitation issues. Screens issues presented by the Veterans or other visitors, and within the scope of assigned responsibilities, serves as VA representative to resolve issues presented by veterans.

Provides administrative support in the responsibilities for personnel management, budget administration, procurement, office administration, and other related activities covering all facets. Responsible for reviewing all applications for VA Vocational Rehabilitation benefits and services. Assists vocational rehabilitation counselors with Chapter 31 enrollments by preparing certification lists for training facilities and preparing authorizing enrollments.

Resolves issues related to Chapter 31 training such as overpayment questions, class schedules, termination dates, remaining entitlement, training under other educational chapters and accounts receivable. Issues are resolved by reviewing appropriate master records, claim files and CER folders. Responsible for review of all cases in Rehabilitation to Employment and Interrupted Status to determine if case status change is required. Work Schedule: Full Time, Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm.

Compressed/Flexible: Not Available. Telework: This position is eligible for situational (ad hoc) telework only. The selectee is required to report to the official duty station each scheduled workday. Telework may be approved only on a case-by-case basis with supervisory approval. Routine or recurring telework is not authorized for this position. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist; PD04043A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized .

Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required.