Pathways Recent Graduate Claims and Program Representative

Summary

This position is located in the Railroad Retirement Board's Field Service. The incumbent will be responsible for providing a full-range of client services regarding benefits available under the various programs administered by the RRB. This job announcement may be used to fill one or more vacancies. This is a bargaining unit position. This position is represented by the Council of AFGE Locals in the Board.

Duties

The RRB Recent Graduates Program affords developmental experiences in the Federal Government intended to promote possible careers in the civil service to individuals who have recently graduated from qualifying educational institutions or programs. Successful applicants are placed in a dynamic, one-year developmental program with the potential to lead to a civil service career in the Federal Government. Following the completion of program requirements, selectees may be considered for non-competitive conversion to a career-conditional appointment. All conversion requirements will be identified in the Participant Agreement. Program requirements include but are not limited to: Successful completion of at least 1-year of continuous service Completion of at least 40 hours of interactive training Demonstration of successful job performance Meet the qualification standards for the position to which the Recent Graduate may be converted Conversion to the competitive service is not implied nor guaranteed. If you are converted to a permanent position after completion of the program, you will be placed into a ladder GS-9/11 position. WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE PATHWAYS PROGRAMS? For additional information regarding the Pathways Program, please refer to the following website: Students & Recent Graduates As a Pathways Recent Graduate Claims and Program Representative, you will: Handle calls through the Nationwide Toll-Free Service (NTFS) which may come from any area within the network or from another network. Develop and maintain liaison with railroad employers, labor organizations, Congressional offices, Social Security Administration (SSA) offices, other Federal, State and local government agencies, private organizations, hospitals, nursing homes, etc., to promote understanding of the agency programs and services, encourage cooperation and provide training and foster positive public relations. Provide a full range of client services both within and outside the district office location regarding benefits available under the various programs administered by the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB). Conduct interviews to obtain information about an individual applicant's eligibility and entitlement to benefits under the retirement, survivor, disability, sickness and unemployment programs. Develop evidence necessary under the appropriate program regulations. Examine evidence and evaluates its validity and acceptability. Adjudicate claims for benefits and makes entitlement decisions. Compute and award payment of benefits. Conduct investigations, including sensitive and difficult interviews, to obtain additional information requested by headquarters or the district office. Answer questions and provides guidance on other programs such as Medicare, taxation of benefits, and Social Security entitlement. Cut-Off Dates to receive applications will be used for this announcement. First Cut-Off Date: August 5, 2026 Closing Date: August 26, 2026 Starting Salary: Albany, NY $52,059-$82,787 Albuquerque, NM $51,007-$ 81,114 Baltimore, MD $57,736-$91,815 Billings, MT $50,460-$80,243 Boston, MA $57,150-$90,882 Buffalo, NY $52,766-$83,911 Charlotte, NC $51,585-$82,033 Des Moines, IA $50,869-$80,895 Detroit, MI $55,685-$88,510 Duluth, MN $50,460-$80,243 Harrisburg, PA $51,481-$81,686 Kansas City, MO $51,283-$81,553 Louisville, KY $50,460-$80,243 Milwaukee, WI $52,770-$83,918 Pittsburgh, PA $52,171-$82,965 Richmond, VA $52,710-$83,822 Salt Lake City, UT $50,460-$80,243 Seattle, WA $56,715-$90,190 Wichita, KS $50,460-$80,243

Qualifications and evaluation

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. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Attention to Detail Customer Service Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Reading Comprehension Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Category rating procedures will be used to rank eligible candidates. Qualified candidates will be assigned to the following categories: Best Qualified, Qualified, and Minimally Qualified. Within each quality category, veterans' preference eligibles will receive selection priority over non-veterans. The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three" but protects the rights of Veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each quality category. Veterans' preference eligibles who meet the minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent will be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-09 level or higher).

Education

ARE YOU USING YOUR EDUCATION TO QUALIFY? You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement. Official transcripts will be required if selected. PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) was taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society. GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours that your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study. FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, click here.

How to apply

Cut-Off Dates to receive applications will be used for this announcement. First Cut-Off Date: August 5, 2026 Closing Date: August 26, 2026 In accordance with the Merit Hiring Plan, only resumes up to a total of two pages will be accepted. Applicants with resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open Sans, 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. For additional guidance on what to include in your resume, please see USAJOBS Help. Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: Click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside about two (2) hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Click on this: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.

Required documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes: Resume showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment, and duties performed. Resume must not exceed 2 pages. Applicants will be removed from consideration if their resume is longer than 2 pages. Please see "How to Apply" for additional information regarding the limit Transcripts: Copies of college courses must be submitted. Original transcripts will be required if selected. Veterans' Documentation: If you are a veteran, you must provide a copy of your Record of Military Service (DD-214), and proof of your veterans' preference, if applicable. Veterans with a service connected disability must also submit a completed claim form SF-15 (click here for form) along with the required proofs. Go to FedsHireVets-Veterans Preference for more information. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) documentation: If you are eligible under ICTAP, you must submit all required materials verifying your eligibility. These materials include: Proof of eligibility: You must submit documentation such as a separation notice or other required material; and SF-50: You must submit a copy of a recent Notification of Personnel Action, SF-50 that shows career or career-conditional competitive service status (Blocks #24 and #34 must be completed); and Performance Appraisal: You must submit your most recent performance appraisal, which must be rated at least fully successful or equivalent. (This is not required if you are eligible for ICTAP due to compensable injury or disability retirement.) The performance appraisal may also be used as part of the ranking process and/or to verify your responses to the questionnaire.

Additional information

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here. INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP): ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority for competitive service vacancies. You must be determined to be well-qualified for the vacancy to be eligible for special selection priority. After submission of an acceptable application which meets ICTAP eligibility, you will be determined to be well-qualified for a vacancy if your rating places you in the 85th percentile or higher in total possible points. ICTAP eligibles must submit proof of eligibility for special selection priority. Please see the Required Documents section below for more information. Click here for more information on ICTAP. If you are a male applicant who was born after 12/31/59 you are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act; the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency.