Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist

Summary

This position is located in Mental Health Service, Health Care for Homeless Veterans Service. Provides patients with vocational assessments, pre-vocational counseling and guidance, prepares rehabilitation plans, writes progress notes, maintains accurate records and documentation, conducts time studies, prepares shipments for delivery to contracting companies and accepts incoming shipments, provides data as required for various reporst and research.

Duties

Duties vary by grade, but at the GS-9: Determines Training Needs: Based on referral from a professional staff member or by interviewing and assessing the client, 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. Training must meet established agency or Federal guidance for expenditure of agency funds. The training need determinations are routine as requirements that meet the client's vocational goals and objectives are available in standard vocational or training programs. Determinations require the specialist to analyze the skill requirements and on-the-job demands to estimate the probable success that the impaired individual will have in completing the program. Assigned selected phases of special procedures cases are performed under close review. Assists Client in Obtaining Employment: Oversees and assists veterans in Compensated Work Therapy (CWT) work settings, is responsible for oversight of work, training on special equipment and maintenance of a safe and therapeutic working environment. Through the use of groups/classes, modeling, coaching, counseling; and successive approximation works with assigned veterans to increase their level of functioning, job readiness and self-esteem so that job/training placement becomes a viable alternative. For more severely handicapped individuals, the incumbent utilizes behavior modification techniques and counseling strategies to establish and maintain optimal level of functioning. The incumbent also visits companies to ensure that clients in the Transitional Work Experience component are continuing to make progress on their individual service plan in a competitive employment setting in the community. Maintains awareness and fosters community contacts. Keeps alert for job and small business opportunities. Maintains day-to-day contact with potential employers, placement personnel or other likely placement resources. Clients are referred to placement opportunities where unique accommodations are required. The placement requires an in-depth analysis of the environmental demands at the work site. The specialist locates and evaluates the site and assures that the work setting accommodates any significant physical limitations the client may have. Other conditions such as sudden temperature changes, heat, cold, dust, noise, vibration, toxic conditions and hazardous machinery, fast pace of work, variety in tasks, exacting performance, or frequent interruptions must be carefully considered when the client's limitations are mental. Monitors Clients Adjustment - Counsels and guides client through difficult transition or rough spots in the adjustment to the job. Helps the employer understand the nature of the client's limitations while maintaining a positive impression of the client's capability to succeed. Counsels or otherwise helps the trainee resolve personal problems (e.g., family relations difficulties, employer-employee misunderstandings, emotional depression, or financial d1fficulties). If, in the judgment of the specialist, the problem is one requiring professional help, is responsible for arranging for services and getting the client to accept the help. Makes necessary adjustments to environment or client's training to promote a successful rehabilitation. Other- Serve's on facility and service level committees and task forces as requested; and functions within other areas as needed. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8am-4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: AD-HOC only Virtual: This is not a virtual position Position Description/PD#: Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist/PD50219A and PD50220A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. You must be proficient in both spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d). To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: A pre-placement physical examination is required. 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification 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) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/02/2026. 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-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. For a GS-9 position you must have served 52 seeks at the GS-7. 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. Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) Education: Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position. OR Experience: Specialized experience. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: Work that required 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. Experience that demonstrated 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; or of the disadvantaged, including knowledge of adjustment problems of the educationally or culturally disadvantaged, familiarity with available adult education and training resources, and ability to recognize problem areas needing special attention. Experience in vocational guidance or teaching in a recognized vocational rehabilitation program or school, developmental or supervisory work in programs of vocational rehabilitation or training programs for the disadvantaged, or personnel or employment placement work that provided extensive knowledge of the training and adjustment requirements necessary to place persons having disabilities or social adjustment problems. In addition to meeting the IOR requirement, you may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist, GS-7 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: determining the areas of vocational interests, training needs and career development to determine what services the program participant will need to reach success to obtain suitable employment, analyzing mental and physical disabilities or other barriers, in terms of the practical effects of such disabilities on motivations, adjustment to training and difficulty in employment placement, working collaboratively with client's providers to ensure that the patient's needs are being met and minimize any possible negative consequences. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed one full year of graduate level education OR achieved a bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement in a major study of vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position. NOTE: 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 graduate education. NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED. Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist, GS-9 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: observing the client at the placement site in accordance with national policy and obtain feedback on performance from the placement site supervisor, assist client with ameliorating any noted areas of concern, ensuring that the program participant is aware of employer's expectations, and the participant has the skills and supports to meet those expectations, counsels and guides employee through difficult transition or rough spots of adjusting to the new position, helps the employer understand the nature of the client's limitations while maintaining a positive impression of the client's capability to succeed, working knowledge of disabilities, employment barriers, and occupational information, able to negotiate any work site accommodations that may be needed, and provide a wide range of vocational rehabilitation services to individual clients and to coordinate and incorporate a variety of VA and non-VA community resources. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree OR successfully completed two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.B or J.D. with a major study in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position. NOTE: 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 graduate education. NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED. 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. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. How You Will Be Evaluated

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. 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. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL 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 the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. 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. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. 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. Other 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/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) 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. Receiving Service Credit for 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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. 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. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced 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 http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.