Program Specialist

Summary

The Program Specialist is assigned to the Vocational Readiness & Employment (VR&E) Division. The Program Specialist is responsible for identifying training, education, processing and data quality needs of VR&E employees and coordinating the development of a formal program to meet those needs. Incumbent must be familiar with the programs and missions of the division within Regional Office and adhering to VR&E strategic plan, policy and procedures.

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Duties

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Specific duties include:

• Responsible for assisting the Vocational Readiness Counselors (VRC) and the Employment Coordinators (EC) with technical management of the VR&E caseload and aiding veteran clients.
• Collaborates with VRC, DVOPs, and program participants to resolve issues pertaining to the participant's rehabilitation program.
• Assists program participants that are eligible for vocational readiness under USC Chapter 31 and carries out basic function in Case Management.
• Liaise with clients and employment service contractors and recommend various phases of employment contract services when warranted by case facts.
• Review contractor reports and billing for quality and accuracy and recommends certification of invoices for payment. Resolves problems; disseminates information and explains program requirements.
• Provides for Chapter 31 benefit consultation to Contract, School and Training Officials and VR&E Staff as required.
• Performs case management administrative support duties such as completing general eligibility determinations, obligating contract task orders, inputting subsistence and employment adjustment allowance awards, preparing medical referrals, enrollment authorizations and reviewing vouchers for payment.
• Serves as System Administrator for the automated case management systems, CWINRS. runs batch processor, initiates terminal server batch processor and letter file, adds custom letters and forms, and maintains and updates system information as well as instructs new employees on its use and troubleshooting user problems. Processes Dependency Updates and Appointments as needed.

Promotion Potential: None, this is the full performance level of the position.

Work Schedule : Full time, Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm

Compressed/Flexible: Not Available

Telework : Available. 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; PD40205A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives : Not Authorized

Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. 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.

Upon completion of your probationary, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements I-9 Acceptable Documents.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement on 08/20/2026 .

TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT : Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements.

• For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07 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.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

GS-09 Grade Level:

Specialized Experience: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. Specialized experience: is defined as knowledge of benefits and services available to veterans AND experience assisting case managers by addressing and resolving issues presented by customers. In addition to the duties described above, to qualify for the GS-09 grade level, the application must possess the knowledge of benefits and services available to assist program participants understanding and completing program requirements.

Education Substitution : Applicants may substitute education for required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Master's or equivalent graduate degree, or two (2) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related.

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.

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.

Physical Requirements: The work is mostly sedentary; however, some walking and bending will be required. Limited travel may be required to visit to the VR&E out-based offices, schools, and training facilities, and VA contractor offices.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at

Education

There is an educational substitution at this grade level . A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to be credited towards qualifications. Provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

All education claimed by applicants will be verified upon appointment. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript to receive credit.

Additional 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 (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information.

The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at

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.

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.

This position is a bargaining unit position.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

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.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.