Senior Lead Veterans Claims Examiner (Hiring Immediately)

Senior Lead Veterans Claims Examiner The Veterans Benefits Administration is seeking a full-time Senior Lead Veterans Claims Examiner for the Muskogee, OK VBA Regional Office. This position serves as a primary contact and subject matter expert for Veterans and acts as the main decision-maker for a full range of education claims. The role includes explaining benefit programs and entitlement criteria, conducting interviews, identifying claim issues, gathering evidence, adjudicating claims, authorizing payments, and supporting award and notification letter generation. Location: Muskogee, OK Vacancies: 4 Salary: $89,508 - $116,362 per year Pay Scale & Grade: GS-12 Promotion Potential: None Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday - Friday; duty hours to be determined between 6:00am and 6:00pm Appointment Type: Permanent Telework: Available, as determined by agency policy Remote/Virtual: Not available Travel Required: Occasional travel may be required Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Key Responsibilities: Review and authorize unusually complex or difficult education claims. Make determinations where decisions may be debatable due to complex information and interpretation of law. Serve as lead technical advisor for the team. Provide training, technical guidance, and mentoring to GS-11 and other employees. Exercise final signatory authority to allow or disallow novel, unusually complex, or other benefit claims. Advise supervisors regarding team performance, workload management, quality issues, and operational concerns. Communicate team assignments, projects, issues, milestones, deadlines, and time frames. Lead the team in identifying, distributing, and balancing workload and tasks among employees. Monitor and report on the status and progress of work. Resolve informal team issues and represent the team in obtaining resources, communication, and recommendations to supervisors. Communicate effectively in person, by phone, and electronically with employees, supervisors, claimants, and stakeholders. Resolve claim-related and team-related issues independently. Basic Qualifications: Must be a U.S. Citizen. Must be a current permanent employee of the Muskogee, OK Veterans Benefits Administration Regional Office Education Division, or a current or former Veterans Affairs employee who is CTAP eligible. Selective Service registration is required for males born after December 31, 1959. Must be subject to a background/security investigation. Must complete the online onboarding process and provide acceptable identification for employment eligibility verification. May be required to serve a one-year probationary period or two-year trial period. Must meet all requirements by the closing date of the announcement. Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the normal line of progression for the occupation. Specialized experience includes authorizing education claims that require research, interpretation, and application of basic information, regulations, or guidelines. Experience must also include sharing claims-related information, guidance, or technical expertise with others. Current Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements, including 52 weeks at the GS-11 level for this GS-12 position. Competencies: Attention to detail Decision making Flexibility Integrity and honesty Interpersonal skills Learning Reading comprehension Reasoning Self-management Stress tolerance Teamwork Technical competence Planning and evaluating Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. Some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light items may be required. No special physical effort or ability is required to perform the work. Benefits: Comprehensive federal benefits package. Health, dental, vision, life, and long-term care insurance options. Paid time off and federal retirement benefits. Eligibility for benefits depends on appointment type and work schedule. Application Deadline: July 1, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET Status: This job announcement has closed and is currently listed as reviewing applications. This position is open only to current permanent employees of the Muskogee, OK VBA Regional Office Education Division and current or former VA employees who are CTAP eligible. Applicants were required to submit a complete application package through USAJOBS by the closing date.5c143e31-5e48-4549-b638-05792d185386