Legal Administrative Specialist (Public Contact Representative (PCR)) (Bilingual- Spanish)

Summary

The Legal Administrative Specialist (Public Contact Representative (PCR)) (Bilingual- Spanish) provides Veterans, their dependents, and survivors with information, advice and assistance regarding the availability and procurement of benefits under laws administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs(VA) and other agencies. This position requires fluency in both English and Spanish.

Duties

The Legal Administrative Specialist (Public Contact Representative (PCR)) (Bilingual- Spanish) may have contacts in both English and Spanish via telephone, email, video, or chat with the public regarding the below: Advise and provide information on benefits and rights. Explain pertinent legal provisions, regulations, and related administrative practices and their application to specific cases. Assist individuals regarding how best to provide needed documents and evidence required. Counsel Veterans, their dependents, and survivors via assigned access channel, (telephone, email, video, or chat) concerned with Veterans. Explain the types of documents necessary to facilitate timely processing of claims and appeals and assists with obtaining and completing such documents and forms in accordance with the type of claim or appeal being submitted. Perform claim or appeal related work by providing comprehensive claim or appeal status updates using mandatory scripting requirements. Assist the inquirer with determining the short-term and long-term circumstances that might influence a choice between various benefits. Process request for change of address, establishment of, or change to direct deposit information, burial allowances, and dependency claims. 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- 05/07/09. Work Schedule: Full time, to be determined between 12:00pm - 9:00pm EST. Compressed/Flexible: Not available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Remote: This is a Remote Position. Position Description/PD#: 34294A & 34295A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Bargaining Unit: Yes

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement on 08/21/2026. Please Note: This position has a Selective Factor that requires the applicant to be fluent in both ENGLISH and SPANISH. To qualify for this position you must meet both the Selective Factor Requirement and the Minimum Qualifications. SELECTIVE FACTOR: The Selective Factor for this position applicants will be required to demonstrate proficiency (ability to speak, read, and write) in both English and Spanish. You may be tested at some point in the hiring process to determine if you possess the required level of proficiency. If you are unable to demonstrate proficiency, you will not be considered for the position. AND MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: GS 5 Qualification Requirements: To qualify, applicants must have 3 years of general experience, 1 year of which was equivalent to at least a GS-4. Qualifying general experience is defined as the ability to analyze problems to identify significant factors, gather pertinent data, and recognize solutions; ability to plan and organize work; and communicate effectively orally and in writing. Note: Such experience may have been gained in administrative, professional, technical, investigative, or other responsible work. Experience in substantive and relevant secretarial, clerical, or other responsible work may be qualifying as long as it provided evidence of the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) necessary to perform the duties of the position to be filled. Experience of a general clerical nature (typing, filing, routine procedural processing, maintaining records, or other non-specialized tasks) is not creditable. Trades or crafts experience appropriate to the position to be filled (Legal Administrative Specialist) may be creditable. OR Education Substitution; Completion of a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree (120 semester hours or 180 quarter hours). OR Applicants may combine post high school education and general experience to qualify. Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the GS 5. Note: To calculate, first identify the percentage of the required post high school education you have earned. Then identify the percentage of required general experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal to at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-05 grade level. GS-07 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the federal service). Experience must demonstrate the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, in the normal line of progression for the occupation. Specialized experience includes: Counseling individuals about benefits; and Explaining legal provisions, policy or regulations, and decisions to a variety of audiences. OR Education Substitution: One full year of graduate level education. Graduate level education must demonstrate the competencies necessary to do the work of the position; OR Superior Academic Achievement: A Bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement (3.0 GPA or higher). Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) is based on: 1.) class standing, 2.) grade point average or 3.) honor society membership. For more information on calculating SAA please visit www.opm.gov. OR A combination of graduate education and experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages. Note: 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 you document, to include volunteer experience

Education

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 Recognition of Foreign Qualifications with your transcript to receive credit. Note: 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.

How You Will Be Evaluated

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received. THIS IS A DIRECT HIRE ANNOUNCEMENT. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Direct Hire Authority, authorized by 5 United States Code (U.S.C.), Section 3304 and 5 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 337, Subpart B. Veterans' preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to the Direct Hire process. Your application will be considered based on education, training, and quality of your experience. The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received. The first 100 candidates who apply will be considered for a referral to the selecting official. Additional candidates will be referred based on hiring needs. Your resume will be evaluated to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications required and on the extent; to which your application shows that you possess the competencies associated with this position. To determine if you are qualified for the job, a review of your resume and supporting documentation may be made and compared against your responses to the vacancy questionnaire. USA Hire competencies based on your application for this position: Attention to Detail Customer Service Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork

Required Documents

Documents Required: Resume Resume (limited to 2 pages) You must provide a resume detailing your specialized experience and competencies relevant to the position. For qualifications determinations your resume must reflect hours worked per week, the inclusive dates of employment, and the level of your experience. If your resume does not reflect this information you will not receive credit for the experience. If you submit more than one copy of your resume, the most recent version will be reviewed. The latest timestamp will be used to determine which version of your resume is "most recent." It is your responsibility to check the status and timestamp of all documents you submit as part of your application. We would recommend that you not submit more than one version of your resume. If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, we will not use it to make eligibility and qualification determinations, and you may not be considered further for the vacancy. Documents Accepted: Cover Letter DD-214/ Statement of Service Disability Letter (Schedule A) Disability Letter (VA) CTAP/ICTAP PCS Orders Performance Appraisal Proof of Marriage Status Resume Separation Notice (RIF) SF-15 SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Transcript Transcripts If you are basing all or some of your qualifications on education or if a degree is required for the position, a transcript must be included as part of your application package. An unofficial transcript may be submitted; however, it must reflect the applicant's name, school name, course names, levels, credits earned, grades received, and degree conferred if applicable. Your transcript (official or unofficial) must reflect the degree conferred date if you are substituting a degree for experience. A photocopy of your degree is not acceptable in lieu of a transcript. An official transcript will be required later if you are selected for the position. Whenever possible it is preferable that you submit copies of official transcripts. Unofficial transcripts may lack essential information necessary for a full evaluation of your qualifications. Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified Veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position. Applications are accepted online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the Application Preview and submit the documentation specified in the required documents section below; https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13029124 The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 08/21/2026 to receive consideration. 1. To begin, click apply online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS résumé and/or other supporting documents and to complete the occupational questionnaire. 2. Click submit my answers to submit your application package. Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two (2) pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the KSAs and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed. Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job opportunity announcement. Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started. Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume: Prioritize most relevant and recent experience Use concise, results focused language Align language from the job announcement Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies Remove outdated or unrelated experience Use the USAJOBS resume builder Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at: https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/merit-hiring-plan-resources/applicant-guidance-on-the-two-page-resume-limit/ Note: It is your responsibility to ensure that your response and any appropriate documentation is submitted by the closing date of the announcement. To verify that your application is complet...

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement on 08/21/2026. Please Note: This position has a Selective Factor that requires the applicant to be fluent in both ENGLISH and SPANISH. To qualify for this position you must meet both the Selective Factor Requirement and the Minimum Qualifications. SELECTIVE FACTOR: The Selective Factor for this position applicants will be required to demonstrate proficiency (ability to speak, read, and write) in both English and Spanish. You may be tested at some point in the hiring process to determine if you possess the required level of proficiency. If you are unable to demonstrate proficiency, you will not be considered for the position. AND MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: GS 5 Qualification Requirements: To qualify, applicants must have 3 years of general experience, 1 year of which was equivalent to at least a GS-4. Qualifying general experience is defined as the ability to analyze problems to identify significant factors, gather pertinent data, and recognize solutions; ability to plan and organize work; and communicate effectively orally and in writing. Note: Such experience may have been gained in administrative, professional, technical, investigative, or other responsible work. Experience in substantive and relevant secretarial, clerical, or other responsible work may be qualifying as long as it provided evidence of the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) necessary to perform the duties of the position to be filled. Experience of a general clerical nature (typing, filing, routine procedural processing, maintaining records, or other non-specialized tasks) is not creditable. Trades or crafts experience appropriate to the position to be filled (Legal Administrative Specialist) may be creditable. OR Education Substitution; Completion of a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree (120 semester hours or 180 quarter hours). OR Applicants may combine post high school education and general experience to qualify. Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the GS 5. Note: To calculate, first identify the percentage of the required post high school education you have earned. Then identify the percentage of required general experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal to at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-05 grade level. GS-07 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the federal service). Experience must demonstrate the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, in the normal line of progression for the occupation. Specialized experience includes: Counseling individuals about benefits; and Explaining legal provisions, policy or regulations, and decisions to a variety of audiences. OR Education Substitution: One full year of graduate level education. Graduate level education must demonstrate the competencies necessary to do the work of the position; OR Superior Academic Achievement: A Bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement (3.0 GPA or higher). Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) is based on: 1.) class standing, 2.) grade point average or 3.) honor society membership. For more information on calculating SAA please visit www.opm.gov. OR A combination of graduate education and experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages. Note: 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 you document, to include volunteer experience