Vocation Rehabilitation Counselor

Summary The Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors (VRCs) are in the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) Regional Office (RO), RO Out-based office locations, VetSuccess On Campus (VSOC) school sites, or Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES) military installations. VRCs in the VBA provide and coordinate a wide range of rehabilitation counseling and case management services to veterans with service-connected disabilities and other eligible individuals. Responsibilities Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors (VRCs) provide and coordinate a wide range of rehabilitation, counseling, and case management services to disabled veterans and other eligible individuals. The purpose, objectives, services, and outcomes are developed by the VRC during the evaluation. The program's primary focus will be on helping the veteran find work and set goals and objectives to help them become more independent in their daily lives. Performs initial rehabilitation evaluations, entitlement assessments, rehabilitation planning, problem-solving and adjustment counseling, case management, including the coordination of all rehabilitation services, case documentation, employment services, and, as necessary, the administration and interpretation of vocation testing. Provides services for employer consultation, employment development and placement, career counseling, and vocational planning and assessment. Combines data from diagnostic tests and medical records to give a comprehensive picture of strengths, weaknesses, capabilities, and interests to help patients find a suitable employment or independent living objective. Partners with Vet Centers, career centers, local Disabled Veterans' Outreach Program, Specialists, Local Veterans' Employment Representatives, VA employment programs, and others to provide job search and placement services. Provides information and assistance with the VR&E program through individual and group therapy sessions. Conducts counseling using a variety of approaches, including Tele- counseling, depending on the needs of the Veteran. Partners with administrators at schools, Vet Centers, military bases, and federal, state, and local agencies to determine the individual needs of service members and veterans and to provide the essential assistance. Work Schedule: 8:00am - 4:30pm, Regular work hours are normally Monday through Friday and will usually average 40 hours a week. There will be some variation in work hours due to special projects, deadlines, and other concerns. Compressed/Flexible: Available - as determined by the agency policy Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, GS-12-38542A, GS-11-38543A, GS-9-38544A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: N/A Financial Disclosure Report: N/A Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements [Basic educational requirement, internship requirements, specialized experience and Time in Grade requirements] by the closing date of this announcement, 11/01/2024. QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED: This position is covered by a single agency qualification standard, VA Handbook 5005/6, part II, appendix F2, dated June 3, 2004. All applicants must meet the Basic Educational Requirements and Specialized Experience described below, to qualify. BASIC EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENT: Satisfactory completion in an accredited college or university of all the requirements for a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling, including an internship; or a master's degree in counseling psychology, rehabilitation services, clinical rehabilitation counseling, mental health counseling, career counseling or social work from an accredited college or university, including 30 semester hours of course work in foundations of rehabilitation counseling, human growth and development, counseling theories and techniques, vocational assessment, career development, job placement, case management, and medical/psycho-social aspects of disability. Total graduate study must have included or been supplemented by a supervised internship. [For master's degree programs without a supervised internship/practicum, substitution is allowed for successful professional experience following completion of the master's degree. Experience suitable for substitution must be one full year in direct delivery of vocational rehabilitation services to adults with disabilities in rehabilitation programs, other than those in correctional facilities. The experience or internship/practicum must have been supervised by a professional in vocational rehabilitation or a closely related professional field that typically has oversight for vocational rehabilitation programs.]Candidate must possess the specific education detailed below to be eligible for this position, please read the requirement description carefully. A master's degree in rehabilitation counseling that included an internship, OR A master's degree in counseling psychology (or related field) that included an internship in rehabilitation counseling and was supplemented by at least 30 semester hours of course work in a majority of the following areas (coursework MUST have an emphasis on vocational rehabilitation counseling): foundations of rehabilitation counseling, human growth and development, counseling theories and techniques, vocational assessment, career development, job placement, case management, and medical/psycho- social aspects of disability; OR A master's degree listed in 1 or 2 WITHOUT a rehabilitation counseling internship. Where the internship was substituted for professional experience following completion of the master's degree. [Experience suitable for substitution must be one full year in direct delivery of vocational rehabilitation services to adults with disabilities in rehabilitation programs, other than those in correctional facilities. The experience or internship/practicum must have been supervised by a professional in vocational rehabilitation or a closely related professional field that typically has oversight for vocational rehabilitation programs.] GS-09: There are no additional qualification requirements at this grade level. GS-11: Basic educational requirement AND Specialized Experience: In addition to meeting the Basic Educational Requirements stated above, one year of post- graduate level professional vocational rehabilitation counseling experience, equivalent to the GS-09 level is required. OR In addition to meeting the basic educational requirements, successful completion of 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education or a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in rehabilitation counseling or counseling psychology. OR A combination of specialized experience as described in A, and more than two years but less than three years of education as described in B. (To compute the percentage, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education beyond two years by 18. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. NON-QUALIFYING EXPERIENCE: Vocational rehabilitation experience obtained prior to completion of the requirements for the master's degree is not qualifying. If one year of work experience is credited for the Basic Requirement, that year cannot also be used for qualifying at the GS-11 level GS-12: Basic educational requirement AND Specialized Experience: In addition to meeting the Basic educational Requirements stated above, one year of post- graduate level professional vocational rehabilitation counseling experience, equivalent to the GS-11 level is required. Specialized experience is defined as post-master's degree, professional vocational rehabilitation counseling work in delivery to adults with disabilities. Cases must have involved determining entitlement ranges from simple to complex. Direct delivery of vocational rehabilitation services to adults with disabilities in rehabilitation programs, other than those in correctional facilities. This experience must be equivalent to the GS-11 level. 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 GS-07. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11 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. You may also submit additional SF-50(s) to clearly demonstrate one year time-in-grade as required in the announcement. If the most recent non-award SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate that you possess one year time-in-grade. In this instance, you must provide an additional non-award SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one year time-in-grade. If you previously held a higher grade, you must also submit any SF-50 showing that grade. 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 work is performed mainly in an office environment with minimal exposure to injury. Frequent mental and visual concentration for computer usage and reading/assimilating technical information and for observing and recognizing behavioral cues. Requires the ability to receive detailed information through verbal and written communication, including active listening for rapport building and counseling. Alternates walking and sitting throughout workday. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://://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. There is no educational substitution for the GS-12 level. 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. 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 (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information.VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. The 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 (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. 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/. Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members. For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document. 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.