Human Resources Specialist (Employee Benefits)

Summary

This position is located in the Executive Office of the President (EOP), Office of Administration (OA), Office of the Chief Administrative Officer (OCAO). The incumbent will be assigned responsibility for serving either the Title 3 Components for WHHR or the Title 5 Components for HRMD.

Duties

• As a Human Resources Specialist (Employee Benefits), GS-0201-12/13, your typical work assignments may include the following: - Provides independent counseling to employees on eligibility and coverage options for various Federal employee benefit programs, including health, dental, vision, life insurance, flexible spending accounts, and long-term care insurance, while assisting with enrollment and inquiries. - Acts as the primary contact for the Department of Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Program, advising on regulations for workplace injuries and managing the claims process, including reviewing billing accuracy through the Chargeback Report. - Reviews and verifies prior Federal service records, calculate Service Computation Dates, and make retirement coverage determinations, while addressing any necessary corrections in coordination with external federal agencies. - Performs quarterly audits for FEHB premium and enrollment reconciliation with OPM and FEHB carriers via the NFC's Centralized Enrollment Clearinghouse System, ensuring data accuracy through internal quality control reviews of HR records. - Reviews Official Personnel Folders for new and separating employees to confirm benefits eligibility, sends notifications regarding Federal benefits, and processes election forms for FEHB, FEGLI, and TSP, ensuring accurate data entry into DCPDS and DCPS. - Conducts personalized departure briefings for senior officials and manages TCC enrollments through the National Finance Center using the Direct Premium Remittance System. - Provides retirement counseling to employees under CSRS and FERS, covering various retirement scenarios, and prepare annuity estimates while explaining insurance, Social Security, and Medicare information to facilitate informed decisions. - Processes retirement, disability, and survivor claims through the OPM Online Retirement Application (ORA) portal, ensuring accurate and timely submissions. - Advises on military and civilian service deposits, assist beneficiaries with necessary forms, and explain procedures and documentation for potential benefits, including estimates for surviving spouses.

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: All applicants must meet the qualification requirements outlined below to be considered minimally qualified for this position. The qualification requirements are in accordance with the Office of Personnel Management Qualification Standards. TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENTS: Applicants possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at or equivalent to the next lower grade level or pay band in Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must have a minimum of one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility comparable to the next lower grade or comparable pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. ALL QUALIFICATIONS MUST BE MET BY THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. You may qualify at the GS-12 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector that demonstrates the following: 1. Applying knowledge of Federal employee benefits laws, regulations, and policies to resolve complex or unprecedented cases involving retirement systems (FERS/CSRS), insurance programs, death benefits, service deposits, and/or workers' compensation; 2. planning, prioritizing, and executing multiple competing assignments under stringent deadlines, including adjusting project workflows in response to shifting agency priorities or workload demands; and 3. serving as a consultant to employees, management, and external stakeholders on sensitive benefits issues, utilizing a high degree of discretion, judgment, and tact to resolve complex or contentious cases. You may qualify at the GS-13 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector that demonstrates the following: 1. applying Federal employee benefits laws, regulations, and policies (such as Title 5 CFR, FERS/CSRS, FEHB, FEGLI, and FLTCIP) to resolve complex, sensitive, or unprecedented cases involving retirement packages, death and survivor benefits, military/civilian service credit deposits, and/or Federal Workers' Compensation (OWCP); 2. managing a high-volume portfolio of competing projects and time-sensitive casework; 3 serving as an advisor providing, sensitive, and definitive consultation to employees, agency managers, and external stakeholders on controversial or complex benefits issues, utilizing a high degree of tact, discretion, and diplomatic communication; and 4. representing an agency in cross-functional workgroups, interagency committees, or national conferences to present conclusions, collaborate on policy implementation, and influence strategic benefits decisions. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service program (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; 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.

Education

There is no education substitution for this position.

How to apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. If an application limit has been reached, the vacancy may close prior to the stated closing date. Click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. To ensure full consideration of your experience and education we encourage you to use the USAJOBS resume builder to prepare your resume or to guide you in preparing your resume. See http://www.usajobs.gov/Content/pdfs/Tutorials-Resume.pdf for more information. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. PLEASE NOTE: It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that information entered and/or uploaded, (i.e., resume) is received, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. You may verify your documents have been processed with your application package successfully. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan. Human Resources WILL NOT modify or change any answers submitted by an applicant. Application packages will NOT be accepted via mail or e-mail. All resumes/applications received at the addresses listed in the Contact Information or Agency Information will not be considered for this vacancy announcement. Click the following link to view and print the occupational questionnaire https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13046737.