at Employee Benefits Security Administration in Chicago, Illinois, United States
Job Description
Summary The primary purpose of this position is to provide information, guidance, and assistance to plan administrators, plan service providers, participants, beneficiaries, the general public, and other government agencies concerning the provisions of ERISA, COBRA, ACA, HIPAA, MHPAEA, and the other related statutes, regulations, and Department-published guidance. This position is Inside the bargaining unit. Responsibilities Major duties include but are not limited to: The primary purpose of this position is to provide information, guidance, and assistance to employee benefit plan administrators, participants, beneficiaries, the general public, and other government agencies concerning the provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986 (COBRA), the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), the Newborns’ and Mothers’ Health Protection Act of 1996, the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1998, the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (GINA), Michelle’s law, and related regulations. The incumbent plans and conducts complex outreach and educational programs and workshops. These programs are designed to enable participants to better understand and exercise their rights under the law and as well as give plan administrators and practitioners the opportunity to better understand and comply with the law. The incumbent is responsible for keeping abreast of problems and situations affecting various industries and companies within the region as well as identify and make contact with “grass-roots” organizations who can serve as partners in agency educational efforts. The incumbent is responsible for maintaining liaison with other Departmental, state and federal agencies to educate them about the requirements of ERISA as well as professional industry and employee groups and other concerned organizations for the purpose of explaining obligations and benefits under ERISA and related statutes. The incumbent coordinates with benefits advisors, investigators, management and/or support staff to ensure that the region fully succeeds in meeting its targeted outreach goals for the fiscal year. The incumbent serves as a mentor to more junior benefits advisors; provides on-the-job training; and may lead a team consisting of benefits advisors, student benefits advisors and/or support staff located in either the regional office or a district office; assists the supervisory benefits advisor by leading team projects; and participates in the regional office’s planning and conducting of outreach and education programs. As such, the incumbent reports to the supervisory benefits advisor and assures that the work assignments of the other team members are carried out by performing a range of duties such as: maintaining a current knowledge of procedures, policies, and directives in order to answer questions of other team members; distributing and monitoring the timely accomplishment of the workload; reviewing the work of team members; and, compiling, evaluating, and preparing reports on regional/district program activities, as requested. The incumbent directly assists participants, beneficiaries and plan officials by explaining their respective rights and obligations under the various statutes and resolving disputes about benefit entitlement and eligibility. In doing so, incumbent researches, analyzes, and applies provisions of these laws and related regulations to specific factual situations and prepares detailed written and/or telephonic responses using clear and understandable language. The inquiries are complex and highly sensitive from the public concerning statutory and plan rights and obligations. Incumbent must be able to properly recognize and respond to new, novel and extremely complex matters. Incumbent identifies and prepares referrals of potential violations to EBSA’s enforcement program. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications You must meet the Specialized Experience to qualify for this Benefits Advisor, as described below. GS-13 level: Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized Experience is the experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA’s) to perform the duties of the position successfully, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. Specialized experience for this position includes: Experience in the employee benefits field and ERISA laws. Experience providing assistance and educational information to individuals, employers, special interest and other groups in the employee benefits industry. Experience communicating complex technical issues to individuals in plain language. Experience in fact-finding and problem solving to ensure conformity to applicable rules and regulations. Education There is no substitution of education for the required specialized experience for this position at the GS-13 level. Additional Information This position is inside the bargaining unit. If the duty location is within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the position will be included in the Local 12, AFGE bargaining unit. If the duty location is outside the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the position will be included in the NCFLL bargaining unit. The mission of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to protect the welfare of workers and job seekers, improve working conditions, expand high-quality employment opportunities, and assure work-related benefits and rights for all workers. As such, the Department is committed to fostering a workplace and workforce that promote equal employment opportunity, reflects the diversity of the people we seek to serve, and models a culture of respect, equity, inclusion, and accessibility where every employee feels heard, supported, and empowered. Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION, REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION, ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES As a condition of employment, all personnel must undergo a background investigation for access to DOL facilities, systems, information and/or classified materials before they can enter on duty: BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION This job is not 100% telework; it requires employees to report on a regular basis to their assigned office location. Click here for Telework Position Information Based on agency needs, additional positions may be filled using this vacancy. The Fair Chance Act (FCA) prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant’s criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOL employee has violated your rights under the FCA, you may file a complaint of the alleged violation following our agency’s complaint process Guidelines for Reporting Violations of the Fair Chance Act. Note: The FCA does not apply to some positions specified under the Act, such as law enforcement or national security positions. All Department of Labor employees are subject to the provisions of the Drug-Free Workplace Program under Executive Order 12564 and Public Law 100-71.
