HR Benefits Specialist - Workers Compensation

The AvantGarde, LLC (AG) HR Benefits Specialist provides comprehensive benefits administration support to AG client at the National Nuclear Science Agency (client is in DC). Will work closely with the remote Federal HR team at NNSA in a variety of functional areas including, but not limited to, advisory services, personnel action processing, and related human resources operational work. Specialist may work in tandem with Federal Specialist, other AG HR Specialists, Senior Specialists and Human Resources Assistant team on site or remotely, if client approved, dependent upon the federal client and project.

The WORK

• Counsels management, employees, and beneficiaries on workers compensation and benefits programs.
• Resolves problems in the administration of the worker’s compensation and benefits programs.
• Interprets and explains to employees the relationship of the Federal retirement and insurance programs to other retirement and insurance programs
• Calculates annuity estimates for employees.
• Calculates and prepares military and civil service deposits.
• Schedule random drug testing, notifying employees and supervisors of test, and report of results.
• Ensures eOPFs are current with uploaded documentation
• Provides logistics support for HR Events
• Provides retirement counseling for employees.
• Provides benefits support, to include providing presentations and answering questions, for new employee orientation; educational/informational sessions/training; health wellness and open season fairs; benefits open season related sessions; and health representative visits coordinating scheduling and conducting informational sessions, by conducting informational sessions, and preparing communications to employees regarding the events. Assists with random employee drug testing process
• Reviews paperwork for benefits and workers compensation programs for completeness.
• Processes personnel actions in the CHRIS.

Workers' Compensation

• Assist employees who experienced on-the-job injuries by giving them the Notice of Traumatic Injury and Claim for Compensation.
• Review and forward Notice of Occupational Disease, Authorization for Examination And/Or Treatment to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).
• Coordinate injury activities between the employee, the supervisor, the physician, and DOL. Activities include explaining use of continuation of pay, approval for additional medical treatment, compensation to be paid by DOL, return to work, etc.
• Prepares and reviews quarterly Chargeback Report generated by the Department of Labor, ensuring employees not assigned to the organization are not included the report, submitting to the appropriate supervisor for certification,
• Military/Civilian Deposits
• Assist employees who have served in the military and wish to pay the deposit(s) for their military service. The purpose of paying the deposits is to enhance the employees' annuity upon retirement.
• The HR Specialist completes Request for Military Earnings and forwards the form and 00-214 to the Department of Defense Accounting System (DFAS), notifying the employee of outcome.
• Requests the Notice of Payment of Military Deposit from DFAS and calculates the employee's retirement service computation date, and files in eOPF accordingly.
• Coordinates deposits and redeposits for prior federal civilian service, forwarding the application to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

• Retirements
• Provides counseling and guidance to employees preparing for retirement by explaining the process in detail.
• Reviews completed retirement applications by phone or in person, and outlines options open to the employee, such as full survivor annuity, partial survivor annuity, life and health insurance, etc.
• Performs a thorough review of the eOPF and prints all benefits documents contained in the eOPF, which include health insurance, life insurance, designations of beneficiary, paid deposits, etc.
• Reviews all designation of beneficiary forms to ensure that they are accurate and current, recalculating and correcting the leave and retirement service computation dates before the employee’s retirement begins.
• Utilizes FHR Navigator System to prepare estimates. Using information provided by the employee on an annuity estimate request, military and civilian service with beginning and ending dates and retirement system, salaries for the past 36 months, Social Security earnings, health and life insurance, survivor annuity options, and federal tax exemptions are entered into FHR Navigator, providing the completed estimate to the employee.

Disability Retirement Applications

• Review Disability retirement applications thoroughly, ensuring all supporting documents such as medical reports, statements from the employee, statements from the supervisor, performance appraisals for the past three years, are included before forwarding to OPM.
• Documents whether the employee was offered reasonable accommodation.

Death in Service

• Provides the required claim forms to the survivor(s) upon the death of an employee; claim forms include unpaid compensation, life insurance claim for benefits, FERS retirement claim for benefits, and TSP claim for benefits.
• Meets with the survivors and provides all the forms, explaining in detail the purpose of each form, collecting Certified copies of the death certificate for each claim form, then forwarding the claim forms to Payroll (unpaid compensation), OFEGLI (life insurance), OPM (FERS retirement), and TSP (TSP contributions).
• Other duties include assisting employees with any changes to their life insurance, health insurance, designations of beneficiaries, etc.

The REQUIREMENTS

• Education/Experience required: BA/BS 3+ years of providing technical advice and guidance to employees, former employees, annuitants, survivors, and eligible family members regarding retirement, insurance, health benefits, and injury compensation benefits.
• Knowledge of the rules, regulations, and guidelines governing the full gamut o5-7 years of experience providing technical advice and guidance to employees, former employees, annuitants, survivors, and eligible family members regarding retirement, insurance, health benefits, and injury compensation benefits.
• 1-3 years using CHRIS system
• At least five years of experience applying HR concepts, principles, and practices related to retirement, insurance, injury compensation, work-life, and other employee benefits programs.
• Knowledge of the rules, regulations, and guidelines governing the full gamut of Federal benefits and retirement. Current and knowledgeable of MSPB rulings, OMB memorandums, Presidential memorandums, IRS regulations, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), and OPM administration letters and directives applicable to federal benefits and retirements.
• Experience using automated human resources information systems in a Federal environment to include:
• eOPF (Electronic Official Personnel Folder) – At least 5 years’ experience using eOPF records to conduct service history review and in-depth analysis, and to prepare retirements.

Job Type: Full-time