Decision Review Officer

Summary

This position is in the Seattle Regional Office (RO) Disability Rating Activity Site (DRAS) division. The primary purpose of the position is to receive notifications of dissatisfaction from veterans and advocates. The DRO is authorized to review the decision made by the VSR or RVSR, including the facts and evidence submitted in support of the claim, and is empowered to uphold or overturn those decisions as well as ensures that all decisions comply with applicable laws, regulations, and policies.

Duties

Specific duties include: Reviews and make determinations on veterans' benefits claims, ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Conducts impartial reviews of previously adjudicated claims, including appeals and requests for reconsideration. Holds hearings or conferences with veterans and their representatives to clarify issues and gather additional evidence as needed. Analyzes complex case files and interpret relevant statutes, regulations, and policies. Prepares detailed written decisions and documentation supporting claim outcomes. Ensures the timely and accurate delivery of benefits to veterans. Provide guidance and mentorship to less experienced staff regarding claims processing and adjudication procedures. Contributes to the continuous improvement of claims review processes within the Veterans Benefits Administration. Interacts with supervisory personnel through discussion of individual claims that have been reviewed. Serves as a technical advisor to DRAS management and team leaders. May provide training as needed. Reviews existing procedures and directives to detect contradictory instructions and deficiencies. Provides periodic assessments to division management on the quality of the work produced by rating personnel, including trainees. Promotion Potential: This position is at the full performance level. Work Schedule: 7:30am to 4:00pm, Monday through Friday Compressed/Flexible: Available 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#: Decision Review Officer; PD42084A 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:11/13/2026. TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT: As a current Federal, GS employee you must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12 level. 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. MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience as described below: GS-13 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized Experience should be substantive and relevant and may have been gained in the federal, military, or private sector, functioning in either a capacity performing training, analyst or information systems duties of a claims management process. Examples of specialized experience include: Development, examination, investigation and decision making for complex claims for disability compensation Exercising independent judgment in applying claims determinations Evaluating the claims development process and operations to determine the effectiveness in meeting established goals and objectives Preparing or conducting training activities 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 normally involves mental rather physical exertion. The work is mostly sedentary. 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

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.