Definition
Performs professional level work counseling veterans, military members, and/or dependents regarding veterans’ benefits, available public assistance, claim procedures, beneficiary information, and eligibility status; performs related work as required.
Work Examples
Conducts interviews with veterans and their dependents and reviews background data on current medical and financial history to obtain information needed to determine eligibility for Federal/State veterans benefits; provides explanation and interpretation of laws/regulations for services available to veterans/dependents.
Evaluates information to determine potential eligibility of clients for benefits from related programs (e.g., Social Security, welfare, and vocational rehabilitation), identifies client problems and provides solutions to material, financial, medical, and social needs within framework of the program and agency guidelines.
Prepares or assists in the preparation of claims packages for veterans and their dependents seeking disability, education, medical, and related benefits; completes claim forms and ensures proper certification of related documentation based upon the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) laws and regulations; assists in developing formal appeals of VA claims decisions and appears/presents oral arguments on the claimant’s behalf at VA appeal hearings.
Prepares, maintains, and monitors beneficiary claim files to ensure continual receipt of VA benefits, prepare annual verification of VA pension eligibility, and report unusual medical/other expenditures. Consults with technical experts to determine specifics related to eligibility standards and application requirements for Federal and State veterans benefits.
Serves as program/benefits representative in a designated geographical area; develops and/or presents informational speeches, benefits awareness fairs, programs, and problem-solving sessions to increase awareness of veterans benefits and programs; responds to veterans, dependents, legislators, and veterans service organizations regarding benefit questions.
Performs specialized informational and administrative tasks for applicants and residents of State veterans homes, private nursing homes, and patients in both VA and community hospitals.
Competencies Required
Knowledge:
Customer and Personal Service – Principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
English Language – Structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
Administration and Management – Business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Administrative – Administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Law and Government – Laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Personnel and Human Resources – Principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Abilities:
Oral Expression – Communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Oral Comprehension – Listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Speech Clarity – Speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition – Identify and understand the speech of another person.
Deductive Reasoning – Apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Inductive Reasoning – Combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Written Comprehension – Read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Written Expression – Communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Skills:
Service Orientation – Actively looking for ways to help people.
Active Learning – Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Active Listening – Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Judgment and Decision Making – Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Social Perceptiveness – Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Reading Comprehension – Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Speaking – Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Writing – Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Minimum Qualification Requirements
Applicants must meet at least one of the following minimum requirements to qualify for positions in this job classification:
Four years of full-time work experience involving public contact in the areas of business, public administration, human resources, social services, or a military service program.
A total of four years of education and/or full-time experience (as described in number one), where thirty semester hours of accredited college or university coursework in any field equals one year of full-time experience.
Effective date: 11/25 SA