Federal
Economist
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ยท Department of Health and Human Services
About This Position
This position is located in the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Center for Medicare,(CM), and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), As an Economist, GS-0110-13, you will perform economic analyses of health care financing and delivery issues and their connection with CMS programs.
Qualifications
ALL QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS MUST BE MET BY THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. Your resume (limited to no more than 2 pages) must include detailed information as it relates to the responsibilities and specialized experience for this position. Evidence of copying and pasting directly from the vacancy announcement without clearly documenting supplemental information to describe your experience will result in an ineligible rating. This will prevent you from receiving further consideration. In order to qualify for the 13, you must meet the following: You must demonstrate in your resume at least one year (52 weeks) of qualifying specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal government, obtained in either the private or public sector, to include: (1) Applying principles and theories of applied economic or econometric methods and techniques to analyze and evaluate health care programs; AND (2) Developing and conducting studies of health care costs, utilization, or outcomes to analyze data and develop recommendations; AND (3) Preparing written documents (i.e., technical reports, research results, or project summaries) regarding health program issues. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills, and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Major Duties
Conduct advanced economic analysis related to Medicare Advantage encounter data, risk adjustment, or other CMS priority.
Develop data to be used to show the impact and cost of CMS regulatory actions and programs, policy making activities, health insurance coverage, drug expenditures, and medical expenditures.
Prepare reports and recommendations that reflect significant findings and solutions to important and unusual problems identified for use by CMS. Reports include descriptions of study methods and the interpretation of report of findings.
Provide review and guidance on methodologies applied, analysis assumptions used, policy issues, and analysis results.
Direct, coordinate, plans, design, develop, and implement analyses of economic issues using mathematical models and statistical techniques.
Develop data to be used to show the impact and cost of CMS regulatory actions and programs, policy making activities, health insurance coverage, drug expenditures, and medical expenditures.
Prepare reports and recommendations that reflect significant findings and solutions to important and unusual problems identified for use by CMS. Reports include descriptions of study methods and the interpretation of report of findings.
Provide review and guidance on methodologies applied, analysis assumptions used, policy issues, and analysis results.
Direct, coordinate, plans, design, develop, and implement analyses of economic issues using mathematical models and statistical techniques.
Education
Education Requirement: In addition to meeting the qualification requirements, all candidates must have the following educational requirements: Degree: economics, that included at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus. OR Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in economics, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Examples of qualifying experience include: individual economic research assignments requiring planning, information assembly, analysis and evaluation, conclusions and report preparation; OR supervision or project coordination of assignments involving a staff of professional economists, and requiring the evaluation and interpretation of economic information; OR teaching assignments in a college or university that included both class instruction in economics subjects and one of the following (1) personal research that produced evidence of results, (2) direction of graduate theses in economics, or (3) service as a consultant or advisor on technical economics problems. TRANSCRIPTS are required to verify satisfactory completion of the educational requirement listed above. Failure to submit a copy of your transcripts at the time of application WILL result in an ineligible rating. Please see "Required Documents" section below for what documentation is required at the time of application. Click the following link to view the occupational questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12876476
How You Will Be Evaluated
Traditional rating and ranking of applications does not apply to this vacancy. Applications will be evaluated against the basic qualifications. Qualified candidates will be referred for consideration in accordance with the Office of Personnel Management direct hire guidelines. Veterans' Preference does not apply to direct hire recruitment procedures. Selections made under this vacancy announcement will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. Current civil service employees would, therefore, be given new appointments to the civil service; however, benefits, time served and all other Federal entitlements would remain the same.
Additional Information
Bargaining Unit Position: Yes- American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1923 Tour of Duty: Flexible Recruitment Incentive: Not Authorized Relocation Incentive: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure: Not Required Workplace Flexibility at CMS: This position has a regular and recurring reporting requirement to the CMS office listed in this announcement. CMS offers flexible working arrangements and allows employees the opportunity to participate in alternative work schedules at the manager's discretion. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced federal employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit the required documentation and be rated well-qualified for this vacancy. Click here for a detailed description of the required supporting documents. A well-qualified applicant is one whose knowledge, skills and abilities clearly exceed the minimum qualification requirements of the position. Additional information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp. General Schedule Locality Tables
How to Apply
Your complete application package, as described in the "Required Documents" section, must be received by 11:59 PM ET on 02/20/2026 to receive consideration. IN DESCRIBING YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE AND/OR EDUCATION, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE OR EDUCATION. We strongly encourage applicants to utilize the USAJOBS resume builder in the creation of resumes. Please ensure EACH work history includes ALL of the following information: Official Position Title (include series and grade if Federal job) Duties (be specific in describing your duties) Employer's name and address Supervisor name and phone number Start and end dates including month and year (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008) Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week) Determining length of general or specialized experience is dependent on the above information and failure to provide ALL of this information WILL result in a finding of ineligible. To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please send an email to [email protected]. The decision to grant reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Commissioned Corps Officers (including Commissioned Corps professionally boarded applicants) who are interested in applying to this position must send their 1-page cover letter and 2-page ONLY professional resume (not PHS Curriculum Vitae) to [email protected] in lieu of applying through this announcement. The resume should specifically explain how you are qualified for this position and draw specific attention to your skills and experiences that demonstrate these qualifications. Also, send any transcripts, licenses, or certifications as requested in this announcement. Please send all documents in 1 PDF file. In the subject line of your e-mail, include only the Job Announcement Number. In the body of your e-mail, include your current rank name and serial number. Failure to provide this information may impact your consideration for this position. Additional selections may be made for similar positions across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within the local commuting area(s) of the location identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) at HHS. Clearance of CTAP/ICTAP will be applied for similar positions across HHS.
Required Documents
The following documents are REQUIRED: 1. Resume showing relevant experience; cover letter optional. NOTE: As of September 27, 2025, federal agencies will only accept resumes that are two pages or less in length. Your resume must indicate your citizenship and whether you are registered with the Selective Service if you are a male born after 12/31/59. Your resume must also list your work experience and education (if applicable), including the start and end dates (mm/yyyy) of each employment, along with the number of hours worked per week. For work in the Federal service, you must include the series and grade level for the position(s). Your resume will be used to validate your responses to the assessment tool(s). For resume and application tips, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include 2. CMS Required Documents (e.g., SF-50, DD-214, SF-15, etc.). Required documents may be necessary to be considered for this vacancy announcement. Click here for a detailed description of the required documents. Failure to provide the required documentation WILL result in an ineligible rating OR non-consideration. 3. College Transcripts. Since this position requires specific education, you must submit a transcript attesting to your possession of the required education. You may submit an unofficial transcript or a list of college courses completed, indicating course titles, credit hours, and grades received. An official transcript is required if you are selected for the position. If selected, you must provide an original document before the final job offer may be extended. If you do not submit a transcript indicating your possession of the required education, you will not be considered for this position. College Transcripts and Foreign Education: Applicants who have completed part or all of their education outside the U.S. must have their foreign education evaluated by an accredited organization to ensure that it is comparable to the education received in accredited educational institutions in the U.S. For a listing of services that can perform this evaluation, visit the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services website. This list, which may not be all-inclusive, is for informational purposes only and does not imply any endorsement of any specific agency. If you are applying for a position for which a state license is issued (e.g., physician, engineer, attorney), possession of a valid and current U.S. professional license by a graduate of a foreign professional school or program is sufficient proof that the foreign education has been determined to be equivalent to the requisite U.S. professional education in that occupational field. PLEASE NOTE: A complete application package includes the online application, resume, transcripts, and CMS required documents. Please carefully review the full job announcement, which includes the "Required Documents" and "How to Apply" sections. Failure to submit the online application, resume, transcripts, and CMS required documents will result in your not being considered for employment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the salary for the Economist position at Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services?
The salary range for this position is $90,925 - $118,204/yr. This is a GS-13 position on the General Schedule pay scale. Actual pay may vary based on locality adjustments.
Where is the Economist job located?
This position is located in Denver, Colorado. This is an on-site position.
What qualifications do I need?
ALL QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS MUST BE MET BY THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. Your resume (limited to no more than 2 pages) must include detailed information as it relates to the responsibilities and specialized experience for this position. Evidence of copying and pasting directly from the vacancy announcement without clearly documenting...
How do I apply for this position?
Apply through USAJobs.gov by clicking the 'Apply on USAJobs' button. You'll need a USAJobs account, a federal-style resume, and supporting documents. The deadline is Feb 20, 2026.
Is a security clearance required?
No security clearance is required for this position.
What does GS-13 mean?
GS-13 refers to the General Schedule grade level. Higher grades require more experience and offer higher pay. Visit our GS Pay Scale page for full salary tables by grade and locality.
What benefits do federal employees receive?
Federal employees receive comprehensive benefits including health insurance (FEHB), retirement through FERS, Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) with government matching, paid annual and sick leave, paid parental leave, life insurance, and student loan repayment programs.