Lead Benefits Advisor

Summary

EBSA plays a vital role in protecting the retirement health and other job-based benefits of Americas workers retirees and their families. We issue effective regulations offer comprehensive education and assistance to workers plan sponsors fiduciaries and service providers and rigorously enforce the law. We serve workers families and the broader employee benefits community by protecting the security and integrity of the nations benefit systems.

Duties

Benefits Advisors respond to participant and beneficiary inquiries and complaints and provide technical assistance on the obligations of employers plan sponsors and service providers under ERISA COBRA ACA HIPAA MHPAEA etc. They resolve valid complaints through informal dispute resolution refer complaints to enforcement involving potential criminal activity or plan wide issues that cannot be resolved informally and serve as the focal point of the Department of Labor (DOL) liaison with the general public.

Major duties for this position include but are not limited to the following:

• Act as the Office of Outreach Education and Assistance (OEA) National office casework liaison to coordinate novel or technical issues which includes coordinating reviews with other EBSA offices such as OHPSCA or ORI and other DOL or non-DOL offices such as SOL or Congressional staff as needed and communicate the results to the field.
• Enhance program delivery by applying a comprehensive understanding of changes and trends in employee benefits laws and regulations integrating new knowledge into daily practices.
• Assess internal and external factors affecting the outreach and assistance program correspondence/complex inquirers and make informed recommendations for program resource allocation and development.
• Provide technical advice to regional and national stakeholders for issues related to pension and healthcare benefits by interpreting laws and regulations ensuring compliance and proper application of Standard Operating Procedures and agency guidelines.
• Ensure standard language letters provided by OEA for answering inquiries are updated. Provide new drafts updating them for technical correctness plain language gender neutral terminology and better customer service.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Must be at least 16 years old.
• Candidate required to obtain and maintain the necessary security/investigation level.
• Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• Subject to financial disclosure requirements.

Qualifications

You must meet the Specialized Experience to qualify for the Lead Benefits Advisor position as described below.

Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level GS-13 in the Federal Service.

Specialized Experience is the experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge skills and abilities (KSAs) to perform the duties of the position successfully and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.

Qualifying specialized experience for this GS-14 position includes (applicants must meet at least four out of the five statements below) :

• Experience in planning implementing and/or evaluating programs related to employee benefits compliance with federal regulations such as the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or related legislation.
• Experience providing detailed and specialized technical advice (both orally and written) and assistance to stakeholders including plan administrators employers and participants regarding the application and interpretation of employee benefits laws and regulations.
• Experience in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with a range of stakeholders including federal state and local agencies private industry representatives Congressional members and staff and the general public. This includes developing and conducting outreach initiatives educational programs and presentations that effectively inform and assist audiences on their rights and obligations under applicable benefit laws.
• Experience analyzing multifaceted issues related to employee benefits identifying potential violations and proposing solutions through collaborative negotiation and conflict resolution.
• Experience with meeting customer service goals and managing statistical data.

Education

There is no substitution of education for the required specialized experience for this position at the GS-14 level.

Additional information

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

As a condition of employment all personnel must undergo a background investigation for access to DOL facilities systems information and/or classified materials before they can enter on duty: BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION

This position is Outside the Bargaining Unit.

For more information Click here for Career Ladder Promotion Information

Non-Supervisory Financial Disclosure: This position is subject to the confidential financial disclosure requirements of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (P.L. 95-521). Therefore if selected you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) to determine if a conflict or an appearance of a conflict exists between your financial interest(s) and your prospective position with DOL. This information will be required annually.

For more information click Telework Position Information. This is not a remote work position. The selectee will report to an assigned DOL office location on a regular basis and is eligible for participation in telework as determined by management in accordance with DOL policy.

Based on agency needs additional positions may be filled using this vacancy.

The Department of Labor may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities currently offered by the Federal government to attract highly qualified candidates. Click here for Additional Information.

The Fair Chance Act (FCA) prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicants criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOL employee has violated your rights under the FCA you may file a complaint of the alleged violation following our agencys complaint process Guidelines for Reporting Violations of the Fair Chance Act.

Note: The FCA does not apply to some positions specified under the Act such as law enforcement or national security positions.

All Department of Labor employees are subject to the provisions of the Drug-Free Workplace Program under Executive Order 12564 and Public Law 100-71.

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.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government passionate about the ideals of our American republic and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Required Experience:

Unclear Seniority