Connie M. Christie
Largo
Summary
Dedicated and high-performing professional consistently achieving quality step increases throughout career. Demonstrates exceptional work and consistently exceeds expectations, earning recognition for contributions. Committed to delivering top-notch results, driving professional growth and positively impacting organizations. Driven by desire for continual improvement and excellence in work, offering invaluable asset to any team or organization.
Overview
21
21
years of professional experience
Work History
Rating Quality Review Specialist/Decision Review Officer
Department of Veterans Affairs
08.2019 - Current
- Expert quality reviewer of decisions made under Higher Level Review and returns for duty to assist errors as well as Board of Veteran Appeal grants and remand
- To include determining entitlement to compensation and pension, service-connection percentages of disabilities, permanent and total disability status, entitlement to ancillary benefits and special monthly compensation
- Applied knowledge of rating schedule and manual references to conduct accurate review of decisions rendered
- Conducted specialized trainings targeting common error trends which were gathered from quality reviews
- Subject matter expert for PACT Act to include Toxic Exposure which included providing trainings and references to aid in proper decision-making
- Provided mentoring to newly hired or promoted individuals which included one-one-one review of claims and review of regulations and laws pertinent to the claim
Rating Veterans Service Representative, (RVSR)
Department of Veterans Affairs
01.2011 - 08.2019
- Expert decision maker for claims determining entitlement to compensation and pension, service-connection percentages of disabilities, permanent and total disability status, entitlement to ancillary benefits and special monthly compensation
- Acquired fundamental knowledge of anatomy and physiology, diseases and medical terminology
- Reviewed and evaluated evidence and information to accurately decide claimed issues based on Federal laws, regulations, policies to include Training Letters, Fast Letters and Compensation Bulletins, and judicial decisions
- Analyzed claims to determine if diseases and/or injuries were incurred or aggravated by military service for purposes of compensation, treatment, or hospitalization
- Applied the Rating Schedule, and composed clear and concise rating decisions informing the Veteran Service Representative (VSR) and/or claimant of the decision, the bases, and reason for the decision while using standardized text
- Held personal hearings with Veterans to obtain testimony and evidence in support of their claims
- Subject Matter Expert and mentor for contract examination requests through the Centralized Admin Accounting Transactions System (CAATS) and Exam Management System (EMS) with the responsibility of answering questions from team members and aiding in correcting cancelled requests
- Facilitated trainings via Microsoft LYNC for VSRs about requesting examinations using the CAATS system
- Volunteered for Regional Office Claims Clinic in 2015 and 2016 and helped Veterans with their claims and answered questions about the claims process
- Excelled at workload management and have been requested to provide guidance to other RVSRs on techniques to improve efficiency in production and achieving the standards for production and timeliness
- Selected by my supervisor to mentor new RVSRs to the team which included reviewing VA references and regulations regarding rating practices
- Received an Quality Step Increase in February 2018 based on exceptional performance in production and quality as well as for my contributions as Subject Matter Expert for VBMS-R
Veterans Service Representative (VSR)
Department of Veterans Affairs
09.2007 - 01.2011
- Collected all evidence necessary to complete a rating decision, and following rating, to process the award and notification to Veterans of the VA’s decision
- Obtained a broad and thorough knowledge of the laws and regulations found in M21-1, Title 38 Code of Federal Regulations, Fast Letters and other directives pertaining to the adjudication of claims for Compensation benefits
- Maintained strong oral and written communications skills to provide comprehensive claims information to claimants using such programs as: MAP-D, PCGL, and Microsoft Word
- Conducted personal interviews with Veterans while assigned to Public Contact and obtained new claims, received new evidence for pending claims and assisted Veterans with applications for VA benefits
- Processed Rating Decisions in Vetsnet to award Veteran’s compensation payments
- Authorized the release of funds for completed Rating Decisions and awards as well as notification letters to Veterans
- Processed privacy requests which entailed redaction of personal identifiable information within the Veteran’s claim file prior to mailing out paper copies of claims files
- Mentoring newly trained VSRs with proper development and award generation
Claims Processor
Ceridian
05.2004 - 09.2007
- Worked for a third-party administrator of flexible spending accounts as a claims processor for both medical and dependent care accounts
- Utilized Federal regulations when determining eligibility of claimed expenses from participants requesting reimbursement from flexible spending accounts
- Accurately entered data in a timely manner to ensure appropriate reimbursement to clients
- Prioritized claims based on date of check-runs for participants to ensure timely reimbursement
- Composed letters to participants detailing why expenditures were not eligible for reimbursement
Education
Bachelor's Degree - Political Science
University of South Florida
Tampa, FL05.2003
Skills
- Industry expertise
- Feedback management
- Coaching and mentoring
- Task delegation
- Willingness to learn
- Teamwork
- Reliability
- Excellent communication
- Effective communication
- Training and mentoring
Awards
- Special Contribution Award
- 05/25/10
- 08/02/13
- 08/17/15
- 08/10/16
- 01/01/18
- Performance Award, 11/22/10
- Certified Journey-Level Rating Veterans Service Representative, 01/01/13
- Employee of the Month, 01/01/18
- Quality Step Increase
- 02/01/18
- 12/01/23
Timeline
Rating Quality Review Specialist/Decision Review Officer
Department of Veterans Affairs
08.2019 - Current
Rating Veterans Service Representative, (RVSR)
Department of Veterans Affairs
01.2011 - 08.2019
Veterans Service Representative (VSR)
Department of Veterans Affairs
09.2007 - 01.2011
Claims Processor
Ceridian
05.2004 - 09.2007
Bachelor's Degree - Political Science
University of South Florida
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