Insurance Specialist

This announcement is being limited to the first 200 applications received. The announcement will close either on the published closing date at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) or on the day when the number of applications reaches 200 at 11:59 p.m. (EST), whichever comes first.

Major duties

Specific duties include: Conduct studies of insurance technical matters and lead projects in the Insurance Program and its operating divisions. Develop written guidance or instructional materials that translate policy decisions and system requirements into clear procedural direction for internal users. Conduct quality review and validation of Insurance operations in compliance with statutory, regulatory and Insurance policies. Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of programs or operations in meeting established goals and objective as well as prepare reports to management relating to initiative implementation and performance progress. Identify regulations which need amendment to ensure consistency as well as apply laws, guidelines, regulations and precedent opinions necessary to analyze, evaluate and make decisions related to the VA Life Insurance program. Develop and maintain current insurance operating manuals to reflect new or changed policies, procedures, legislation and/or regulations. Develop project management timeline so implement new initiatives and provide oversight to ensure targets and goals are met in a timely manner. Research and prepare responses to congressional, presidential and central office inquiries and correspondence. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. The grade progression for this position is GS-11/12. Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday Compressed/Flexible: Available (6:00am - 6:00pm) 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#: Insurance Specialist; PD42209A and PD42210A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:09/20/2026. TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT: As a current/former Federal, GS employee you must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 level. For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11 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-11 or higher and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least GS-12. 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. Examples of appropriate SF-50s to include which show TIG requirements have been met include: Within grade increases (WGI) at the highest grade held; or Promotions with an effective date that occurred more than one year from the closing date of the job opportunity announcement; or Most recent appointment. NOTE: Do not submit Award, Data Element, Change in Tenure, or General Adjustment SF-50s, as they do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying TIG. MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-11 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: You must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-9) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• Substantial responsibility for independently developing written analyses, drafting recommendation papers, drafting recommendation papers for leadership, preparing policy options, or producing other high-impact written products requiring clarity, accuracy, and interpretation of statutory, regulatory, or operational issues under supervisory guidance;
• Communicating program information to internal staff or the public on matters with generally well-established guidance; or
• Coordinating projects within a single program area, managing timelines, facilitating workgroups, or developing project documentation such as plans, milestones, and progress reports.

OR Education Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-11 level. Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related. OR Combination of Specialized Experience and Education Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-11 level: Equivalent combinations of specialized experience and PH.D. graduate education. To compute, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education beyond two years by 18. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify. GS-12 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: You must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-11) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• Recommendation papers for senior leadership, preparing policy options, or producing other high-impact written products requiring clarity, accuracy, and interpretation of novel or complex statutory, regulatory, or operational issues where existing guidance is incomplete or requires interpretation;
• Serving as a primary point of contact or subject-matter resource advising management about program impact on sensitive or highly technical matters; or
• Leading multifaceted projects by managing timelines and mitigating risk, facilitating cross-functional workgroups, or developing project documentation such as plans, milestones, and progress reports.

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 primarily sedentary, although some physical effort may be required to perform the duties of the position. The incumbent may sit to do much of the work. The nature of the work will place the incumbent often in a stressful situation and the incumbent must possess the maturity, and judgment to complete the work assignments. Some standing and walking is necessary. 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/.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications. You may submit unofficial transcripts when applying. However, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to provide an official transcript or a statement from the institution (e.g., from the registrar, dean, or other appropriate official) or equivalent documentation prior to the start date.

Requirements

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period, 1-year trial period, or 2-year trial 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 or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Additional Conditions of Employment are as follows:

• 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 or trial period
• 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.
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.