Program Specialist (Military Records Liaison)

USAJOBS pay evidence (raw source values; no currency or annual rate inferred)

Remuneration 1: minimum: 74678; maximum: 116362; rate interval: PA; description as provided: Per Year

Pay plan 1: code: GS

Low grade: 11

High grade: 12

Agency: Veterans Benefits Administration

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:11/16/2026. 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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 level. For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11 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- GS-11 or higher and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least GS-12. 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 and/or education as described below: GS-11 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is defined as researching, interpreting and applying broad guidelines and principles in the execution of duties and responsibilities; applying organization policies and regulations to conduct detailed analysis of complex issues; keeping abreast of current developments and needs of an organization, making suggestions to improve effectiveness and efficiency; performing research and analysis for the purpose of reconstructing activities and events, some of which are of a classified or sensitive nature, to facilitate claims adjudication or similar work. Education Substitution: A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree.

Job summary:

This position is in the Office of Field Operations (OFO), Records Acquisition and Research Division with out-based duties at the Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA) Maxwell, Air Force Base, Alabama. The position reports to the Supervisory Program Analyst (Classified Research Operations, Chief).

Major duties:

- Specific duties include: Conduct onsite research of classified and sensitive military records, under the direction of the Classified Operations Chief and/or Lead Analyst, to locate and review documents that help substantiate Veterans' service-connected (S/C) disability claims. Perform day-to-day records research by pulling, reviewing, extracting, and organizing information from multiple sources, including military unit records and other documents, to reconstruct events involving units that participated in hazardous and dangerous operations, including classified and sensitive operations; verify that a Veteran's unit was present in a covered location; identify and document stressor and exposure incidents; and provide findings to support VBA claims development.

- Record research findings in the designated tracking tool, complete assigned research within established timeframes, and promptly inform the supervisor of issues that may affect research completion, including the expected impact on timelines. Coordinate with the onsite Department of War (DoW) facility Archivist, military service department offices, and other research agencies (such as the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations) to locate records and obtain guidance on research requests; when needed, travel to NARA and other repositories to conduct onsite research of records such as deck logs and command histories. Support internal coordination and VBA program initiatives, projects, and policy changes related to VBA military records research and supporting disability claims processing.

- Respond timely to inquiries from RAR management and internal and external stakeholders, verbally and in writing, by assessing requests, providing accurate research findings or status updates, and promptly referring sensitive or classified matters to RAR leadership. Performs other duties, as assigned. 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-11, GS-12. Work Schedule: Full Time, Monday through Friday. 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 Specialist (Military Records Liaison); PD41245A and PD41246A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required. Security Clearance: Selectee must have or be able to secure and maintain a top secret clearance.

Requirements:

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the Agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the Agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Additional Conditions of Employment are as follows: You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary or trial period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements I-9 Acceptable Documents. Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.

Education:

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications. 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.

Evaluations:

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job-related information, which may include, but is not limited to responses to the KSAs; completion of a work sample, and/or an interview. You will also be rated on the following agency-specific competencies (KSAs): Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Organizational Awareness Problem Solving Oral Communication Analytical Reasoning Customer Service Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link:https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13107341 Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

USAJOBS listing details

Source listing snapshot; not verification of current availability or your eligibility.

Control number: 892260100

Announcement number: 101-OFO-13107341-27-ZG-NBU

Announcement URL:

Publication date: 2026-11-10T00:00:00.0000

Applications open: 2026-11-10T00:00:00.0000

Applications close: 2026-11-16T23:59:59.9970

Posting display ends: 2026-11-16T23:59:59.9970

Hiring paths: fed-transition, fed-competitive, disability, fed-internal-search, land, mspouse, peace, vet

URL:

Search result snapshot observed: 2026-11-10T14:46:36.832289+00:00