The Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS) is located within the Homeless Program. Carrying out all duties related to attaining and maintaining competitive employment for Veterans. Assigned to the Employment Services for Homeless Veterans (ESHV) component of the Homeless Program and has responsibility for utilizing best practices in conjunction with VA Homeless services to assist Homeless Veterans or Veterans at risk of Homelessness to return to community living and competitive employment.

Duties

This position is covered by American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) bargaining unit. Per the Master Agreement, the Area of Consideration will be: 1st Area of Consideration: Current permanent Facility (including satellites) employees 2nd Area of Consideration: Current permanent VA employees Duties typically include, but are not limited to: Help the employer understand the nature of the client's limitations while maintaining a positive impression of the client's capacity to succeed. Maintain day-to-day contact with potential employers, placement personnel or other likely placement resources. Negotiate with employers, when appropriate, to provide reasonable accommodations to meet the needs of clients. Analyze mental and physical disabilities or other barriers to identify how those affect motivation, adjustment to training and difficulty in employment placement. Assess training needs to meet the client's vocational goals and objectives. Evaluate the results of vocational programs Recommend changes to vocational programs Modify established vocational programs to accommodate client needs Approve any new placement facilities propose Develop strategies to engage clients who may be reluctant to actively pursue employment or risk a reduction in benefits. Support clients in all work related tasks, for example: transportation, on the job training, dealing with co-workers and supervisors, ongoing and follow along supports and compliance with specification of appropriate clinical support(s). Oversee the adjustment process. Determine the vocational goals and objectives of the client Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist/PD534-078810 and PD534-078800 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required 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.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/03/2023. 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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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. You may qualify based on your experience, education and/or combination as described below: For GS-07 (Developmental) Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Providing occupational assessments, counseling, guidance, and preparing reintegration plans; writing progress notes to determine training needs based on referrals or by interviewing and assessing the veteran to evaluate and select employment sites or training facilities; determining the vocational goals/objectives of Veterans based on referrals and interviews with the Veteran; assisting with the development of employment opportunities; and maintaining data related to the various activities. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 1 full year of Graduate Level Education or Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.) with a major study in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be 18 semester hours as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. S.A.A. is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership. Class standing -- Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses. Grade-point average (G.P.A.) -- Applicants must have a grade-point average of: 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2years of the curriculum. Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society -- Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. 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 completion of a full 4-year course of study in with a major study in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position leading to a bachelor's degree. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. For GS-09 (Full Performance) 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. Specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Obtaining occupational information to determine training needs based on referrals and/or by interviewing and assessing the veteran to evaluate and select employment sites or training facilities; preparing reintegration progress notes while maintaining accurate records, documentation, and conducting time studies; assisting with the development of employment opportunities through community-based job development; finding suitable employment opportunities while promoting successful adjustment. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree with a major study in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position or LL.B. or J.D., if related. 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 master's or equivalent graduate degree with a major study in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Influencing/negotiating Customer Service Decision Making Written Communication Interpersonal Skills 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 primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required. 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Ralph H Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 109 Bee Street Charleston, SC 29401 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]