Senior Advisor, Decision Reviews

Summary

The position is located in the Veterans Benefits Administration Compensation Service. The Senior Advisor serves as the principal advisor on the administration, oversight and execution of VBA's disability compensation appeals and decision review program. Advises on and recommends plans, legislation, regulation, procedures & standards in support of VBA programs and associated activities related to Veterans' and other claimants' disagreements with VBA disability compensation decisions..

Duties

The position is located in the Veterans Benefits Administration's (VBA), Compensation Service (CS). The responsibilities include, but are not limited to: 1. Advising on the development and analysis of long-range plans for appeal/decision review program activities, services, and processes. 2. Providing procedural guidance and technical advice targeted to the needs of VA personnel in regional offices. 3. Providing functions to include, but not limited to, appeals program strategic planning continuous process improvement, change management, risk management and internal controls and executive customer-relationship management. 4. Providing advice, options, and/or recommendations on complex issues or problems impacting the streamlined, efficient, timely, and accurate delivery of benefits sought on appeals or decision review. 5. Reviewing and advises on proposed legislation, policies, and procedures pertaining to claims and appeals programs and services; recommends and assists with overseeing implementation of appropriate action. 6. Participating in Congressional hearings/engagements on proposed legislation and program oversight.

Qualifications

Applicants must have one or more years of experience that clearly demonstrates the following knowledge, skills, and abilities below. This training and/or experience MUST be reflected by descriptions of your experience in your resume. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR 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; 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. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required: Demonstrates experience in advising on high-visibility legal and policy matters, and conducting detailed analysis of the design, implementation, and impact of policies, procedures, and initiatives for specialized programs.

How you will be evaluated

Step 1: Review of resume for minimum qualifications (not to exceed 2 pages). Step 2. SES Panel review to determine Best Qualified applicants for referral to selecting official. Step 3. Approval by the Selecting Official (may include additional screening such as interviews, background and reference checks)

Required documents

A complete application for this position includes the following items: 1. Resume which demonstrates your experience, accomplishment, training, education and awards reflecting your ability to meet each of the MANDATORY Knowledge, Skills and Abilities required for this position. Elaborate on your experience and accomplishments, highlighting your level of responsibilities, scope and complexity of programs managed, work objectives met (results of your efforts), policy initiatives and level of contact. Ensure your resume does not exceed two (2) pages. Information beyond the two- page resume will not be evaluated. DO NOT submit the application form OF-612, Optional Application for Federal Employment in lieu of a resume. DO NOT submit separate narrative responses to address the technical qualifications. 2. Complete responses to the Occupational Questionnaire. 3. Proof of competitive status: (Proof consists of an SF-50 showing career/career conditional status in the competitive service.) 4. Documentation in support of eligibility under a special hiring authority. (e.g. DD-214 for VEOA, CTAP/ICTAP, Schedule A authority, etc.). 5. Non-Competitive Consideration: You are considered a non-competitive applicant if you are on a current career Senior Level (SL) appointment; an individual with SL reinstatement eligibility; or a current career Senior Executive Service (SES) member who has competitive service reinstatement eligibility (at any grade level) to any position in the competitive service. You may be considered non-competitively for appointment to this position if you meet the qualifications requirements. Proof of non-competitive eligibility is required. Proof consists of an SF-50 showing career/career conditional status on an SL appointment, or SES Career Appointment and for SES members, proof of Qualifications Review Board (QRB) certification and proof of previous appointment showing career/career conditional status in the competitive service.

How to apply

Your complete application must be received by 11:59 pm EST on the 10/26/2026, in order for you to be considered. Please read all instructions before you begin. To begin click the Apply Online button and follow the prompts to register and submit all required documents. To return to your saved application, log in to your USAJOBS account at http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/ and click on "Application Status". Click on the position title and select Apply Online to continue.

What to expect next

The Corporate Senior Executive Management Office (CSEMO) will review all applications to determine if applicants meet the minimum qualifications for this position as outlined in the Resume. Those who meet the minimum qualifications will be referred to a panel of SES members for rating and ranking. The SES panel will recommend a list of Best Qualified to the selecting official for final review/selection.