Program Analyst

Summary

The Compensation Service Systems Support and Operational Review Staff is seeking experienced and highly motivated individuals to support the business applications, automated processes, and modernization initiatives used to administer the nationwide disability compensation program. The incumbent reports to the Supervisory Program Analyst, under the Assistant Director of Systems Support and Operational Review Staff and serves as a Program Analyst, consultant and advisor for Compensation Service.

Duties

Specific duties include: Serves as a primary point of contact and technical resource for Compensation Service on systems support, strategic and operational review matters involving Compensation Service business applications and claims-processing systems. Applies comprehensive knowledge of disability compensation claims-processing requirements and associated business processes to evaluate system functionality, proposed changes, processing scenarios, requirements, business rules, and solutions. Analyzes Compensation claims-processing systems, processes, data, and business workflows to identify problems, discrepancies, risks, and opportunities for improvement. Evaluates whether identified issues may be attributable to system functionality, user actions, data, business processes, policy, procedures, or other factors and develops or recommends appropriate solutions. Supports the development, enhancement, modernization, and maintenance of VBA information systems throughout the systems-development lifecycle. Analyzes Compensation program requirements, business processes, policies, procedures, and operational needs and translates them into functional and technical requirements, specifications, expected system functionality, and other documentation necessary to develop or enhance business systems and/or automated solutions. Identifies, analyzes, develops, or refines business rules and data elements necessary to support current and future claims-processing requirements and collaborates with business users and technical partners to refine and validate functional specifications and intended processing outcomes. Develops, reviews, coordinates, or executes test scenarios and test cases to determine whether system functionality meets approved business requirements and produces intended processing outcomes. Conducts or supports program studies and analyzes the impact of statutory, regulatory, policy, and procedural requirements on Compensation Service operations and claims processing. Develops findings and recommendations for appropriate program, procedural, workflow, or system changes. Conducts or supports analysis and review of data and evaluates findings to support program and systems decisions. Collects, analyzes, develops, and maintains business and technical documentation concerning system requirements, interfaces, data requirements, business rules, reports, communications, and other information necessary to support the assessment, design, development, and maintenance of information systems. Participates in technical design activities to help ensure proposed solutions meet business requirements. Supports planning and execution of Compensation Service systems and automation initiatives and coordinates assigned activities with business and technical stakeholders. Collaborates and coordinates with Compensation Service leadership, Regional Office personnel, VBA Central Office program staff, technical staff, IT partners, developers, testers, contractors, and other stakeholders to develop, evaluate, and implement Compensation Service business-system initiatives. Develops and presents analyses, recommendations, requirements, issue summaries, briefings, reports, and other written or oral products concerning Compensation claims-processing systems, program operations, modernization and automation initiatives, testing results, risks, and proposed solutions. Communicates complex program and technical information clearly to technical and non-technical audiences. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Not 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#: Program Analyst; PD41332-A 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:10/07/2026. 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. If you are a current VBA employee requesting reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS- 13 or higher and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least None. 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 particular knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to successfully perform the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. For this position, specialized experience includes substantive experience applying disability compensation claims-processing requirements, policies, procedures, and/or business rules within the claims-processing environment. Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate application of this knowledge in one or more of the following areas: 1. Claims Processing and Review: Processing, authorizing, reviewing, or performing quality review of disability compensation claims or award actions, including rating or non-rating award actions, and applying applicable claims-processing requirements, policies, procedures, and business rules. 2. Claims-Processing Systems Analysis and Support: Analyzing claims-processing system functionality or processing outcomes; researching or troubleshooting processing discrepancies; identifying potential user, procedural, data, business-rule, or system-related issues; or providing technical guidance concerning claims-processing systems or business processes. 3. Systems Development, Enhancement, or Modernization: Applying Compensation claims-processing knowledge to the development, enhancement, modernization, or maintenance of claims-processing systems, including developing or reviewing business or functional requirements, business rules, enhancement recommendations, system functionality, process improvements, automation initiatives, or implementation activities. 4. Systems Testing and Validation: Applying Compensation claims-processing knowledge when conducting or supporting testing and validation of claims-processing systems or processes, including developing or executing test scenarios or test cases, User Acceptance Testing (UAT), regression testing, validation of system changes, evaluation of expected versus actual processing outcomes, or identification and documentation of system defects or requirements-related issues. Volunteer Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, i