Job Description

Summary This Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist is a developmental position in the Mental Health Service Line, at Bedford VA Medical Center, Bedford, MA, The primary purpose of this position is to provide highly individualized and complex rehabilitation, support and services to veterans seeking to improve their vocational functioning. This position is full-time at 40 hours per week. Responsibilities As part of the supported employment team of the Compensated Work Therapy, the incumbent provides highly individualized and complex rehabilitation, support and services to veterans seeking to improve their vocational functioning. Duties below are at the full performance level. However, during the developmental assignment these duties will be heavily supervised. Some of the duties of this position include but are not limited to: Determines the vocational goals and objectives of the client; Determines the extent to which the client possesses the knowledge, skills, or abilities necessary to meet the goals or objectives; Strives to find work training experiences that meet the participants' rehabilitation goals; Coordinates with various resources to locate a training facility that will be specifically suitable from the standpoint of the needs and problems of the individual.Maintains awareness of and foster community contacts; Maintains regular contact with potential employers, placement personnel, or other likely placement resources; Provides ongoing support, counseling and guiding them through difficult transitions or rough spots in the adjustment to the job; Confronts with multiple duties, including vocational counseling, crisis intervention, guidance, counseling, and placement into competitive employment, integration of the veteran into the community, and coordinating local data collection and submission for National Program Study; Coordinates with various resources to locate a training facility that will be specifically suitable from the standpoint of the needs and problems of the individual; Establishes training programs to satisfy common needs of the client base; Finds suitable employment opportunities. Monitors placement, promoting successful adjustment; Works closely with participants to successfully complete job search tasks and pursue new competitive positions; Understands the nature of the client's limitations while maintaining a positive impression of the client's capability to succeed; Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday;8:00am-4:30pm. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist/PD02029A and PD02310A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Nor Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized Promotion Potential: Advancement to the full performance level (GS-11) will be recommended only after it has been determined that the incumbent meets all regulatory and statutory requirements, is satisfactorily progressing in the training, is successfully performing the currently assigned range of duties as outlined in the target position of Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist, and is capable of taking on expanded duties and responsibilities with greater independence. Interchange Agreements with Other Merit System: Employees who occupy medical or medical-related positions and were appointed under 38 U.S.C. 4701(1) or (3) [formerly 38 U.S.C. 4104 (1) and (3)] must be serving in a full-time position without time limit and have served continuously for at least one year in this other merit system to be eligible to convert to the Title 5 System. Some exceptions to this rule may apply if you have previously acquired tenure under a Title 5 appointment. Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held. This is a NAGE (National Association of Government Employees) Bargaining Unit position. This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/10/2025. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the 07. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the 09. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below. Grade GS-09 requirements: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: obtaining and applying occupational information for people with disabilities, knowledge of the interrelationships of the involved professional and specialist services, and skill in employing the methodology and techniques of counseling to motivate and encourage individuals served by the program; knowledge of the vocational rehabilitation problems characteristic of the disabled, including familiarity with available resources and skill in identifying, evaluating, and making effective use of such resources to serve individuals with disabilities; familiarity with available adult education and training resources, and ability to recognize problem areas needing special attention; vocational guidance or teaching in a recognized vocational rehabilitation program or school, work in programs of vocational rehabilitation or training programs for Veterans. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month & year starting and ending dates AND hours worked per week. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a masters or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position, OR LL.B. or J.D., if related. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond post high school education as described above that demonstrates my ability to perform the duties of this position. For the GS-09, only graduate education in excess of 18 semester hours (1 years) is creditable. If you qualify by a combination, your experience must be detailed in your resume and transcripts are required. Grade GS-11 requirements: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Obtaining and applying occupational information for people with disabilities, knowledge of the interrelationships of the involved professional and specialist services, and skill in employing the methodology and techniques of counseling to motivate and encourage individuals served by the program; knowledge of the vocational rehabilitation problems characteristic of the disabled, including familiarity with available resources and skill in identifying, evaluating, and making effective use of such resources to serve individuals with disabilities; familiarity with available adult education and training resources, and ability to recognize problem areas needing special attention; vocational guidance or teaching in a recognized vocational rehabilitation program or school, work in programs of vocational rehabilitation or training programs for Veterans. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month & year starting and ending dates AND hours worked per week. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR I have successfully completed 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position. OR I have successfully completed a LL.M., if related. TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond a master's degree or more than 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position. TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to Detail Client Orientation Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Employee Development 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; religions; 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The incumbent must be physically energetic, mobile, social and observant. She/he must be psychologically and spiritually resilient and function as a resource to help maintain the hope for participants who are homeless, abusing substances and unemployed. The job requires no heavy lifting of materials or other situation where physical stress is anticipated. As with all persons with participants with mental illness, there is the potential that a participant may become verbally or physically threatening or abusive. All staff are trained in violence prevention in the work place to assist them in addressing these types of situations. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. 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. 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/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration

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