Congressional Fellowship Program 2027

About the role

A Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Congressional Fellow is a mid- to senior-level VA professional placed in a House, Senate, or committee office to shape veterans' healthcare policy, improve benefits delivery, and bridge communication between the executive and legislative branches.

Managed by the VA Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs (OCLA), this one-year placement utilizes the fellow's hands-on agency expertise to serve U.S. Congress.

What you will do

• ***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION OR REMOTE POSITION.
• YOU MUST BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE RETURN TO OFFICE POLICY AND BE WILLING TO WORK ON SITE IN WASHINGTON, D.C.*** This is an employee developmental program which is utilizing USA Jobs to accept and screen applications.
• You will stay in your current grade.
• You will not be reassigned, changed to a lower grade or promoted.
• Your current office will remain in charge of reporting your time and attendance.
• The selected fellow will serve a 12-month placement on Capitol Hill from January 2027 through December 2027.
• Following the completion of this term, there is an opportunity for a three to six month follow-on detail assignment, subject to the approval of the fellow's home-office.
• The statement of duties for a VA Fellow may include, but are not limited to the following: Legislative Strategy & Policy Development Strategic Advising: Provide the Member of Congress with specialized insight into VA operations and/or agency workflow.
• Policy Portfolio Management: Serve as the lead or co-lead staffer on a specific legislative portfolio matching the fellow's technical expertise.
• Statutory Drafting: Author original bill text, formal amendments, and policy resolutions for introduction on the House or Senate floor.
• Vote Recommendations: Analyze incoming floor legislation and provide the Member with timely vote recommendations and background memos.
• Coalition Building: Negotiate text and build bipartisan coalitions with outside stakeholders, federal agencies, and cross-chamber staff.
• Committee & Oversight Operations Hearing Preparation: Formulate strategic oversight questions, vet expert witnesses, and draft opening statements for committee hearings.
• Investigations: Conduct deep-dive policy investigations, review agency data, and draft comprehensive oversight reports.
• Communications & Constituent Engagement Speechwriting: Draft floor speeches, official statements for the Congressional Record, and talking points for media appearances.
• Stakeholder Relations: Represent the office in meetings with constituents, advocacy groups, and executive branch officials.
• Casework Acceleration: Interface with the office's caseworkers to help resolve complex constituent issues involving VA benefits, appeals, and medical center care.
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm EST.
• Telework: Available - Ad Hoc telework (situational telework) as determined by the agency policy.
• Virtual: This detail opportunity is not virtual Financial Disclosure: Not Required

Requirements

• Permanent Career or Career Conditional VA employees, who are GS-12 through GS-14 with strong written and oral communication abilities and a keen sense to detail, are invited to apply.
• Parent organizations are responsible for funding costs associated with selected candidates.
• The ideal candidate is an employee who meets the eligibility criteria and works in the Washington, DC area.

How you will be evaluated

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC.

WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position: Accountability Attention to Detail Customer Service Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Decision Making Flexibility Influencing/Negotiating Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Political Saavy Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Strategic Thinking 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 an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. A resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, with dates specified in month and year, and indicates hours worked per week. If military or a civilian Federal employee, you must include your rank and/or grade.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Only two (2) pages of your resume, starting at your work experience will be reviewed to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the specialized experience. Additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letters, links to additional information) will not be reviewed. In describing your experience, please be clear and specific.

We may not make assumptions regarding your experience. 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.

Area of Consideration: Eligible applicants will be reviewed and referred in the following order: All current, permanent VA Employees (Title 5 only) GS-12 to GS-14

Documents you must provide

• To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes: 2 References Written Approval from 1st line supervisor and Executive Leadership Team (e.g. VACO applicant needs approval from Under Secretary, Assistant Secretary or equivalent, Medical Center applicant needs approval from Medical Center Director, etc.) Written Statement (Provide a one-page statement covering two key areas: why you are interested in this role and what specific skills, experiences, and value you will bring to this internship.) Performance Appraisal Resume SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Resume, most recent SF-50, and current supervisor's approval to be considered for this detail.
• Cover Letter Other (1) 2 References Written Approval from 1st line supervisor and Executive Leadership Team (e.g. VACO applicant needs approval from Under Secretary, Assistant Secretary or equivalent, Medical Center applicant needs approval from Medical Center Director, etc.) Written Statement (Provide a one-page statement covering two key areas: why you are interested in this role and what specific skills, experiences, and value you will bring to this internship.) Performance Appraisal Resume SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Failure to submit any of the above required documents applicable to your submission may result in loss of consideration and a rating of ineligible due to an incomplete application package.
• It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that their application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date.
• We will not contact applicants for additional documentation, nor will we accept late or missing documents after the close of the announcement.

What to expect next

The Application page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

To return to an incomplete application, log into your USA JOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement.

You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USA JOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email.

After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such.

All referred applicants receive a final notification once a final selection decision has been made. You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.

Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration (HRA) at The Fair Chance Act.

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:***