The Battle Creek VA Medical Center is recruiting for a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist. The Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist will function within Social Work Service.

Duties

The Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist duties include, but are not limited to: Identifying a broad spectrum of medical, psychological, and neurological problems and their impact on vocational functioning and psychosocial needs. Developing and updating a multidisciplinary treatment plan. Facilitating individual and group job counseling to people with disabilities and other employment challenges. Documenting treatment objectives and progression through identified goals and objectives. Providing ongoing support with problem solving, developing interpersonal work relationships, maintaining work performance and quality, and life management activities. Determining areas of vocational interests, training needs, and career development for clients to reach success in obtaining suitable employment. Planning and arranging for the client to study or train for job placements. Creating job plans for patients/clients to help them achieve their employment goals. Serving as liaison between the patient and the employment agency. Ensuring the program participant is aware of employer's expectations, and the participant has the skills and support to meet those expectations. Helping the employer understand the nature of the client's limitations while maintaining a positive impression of the client's capability to succeed. Connecting the participant with the appropriate resources to facilitate ongoing employment in a community setting. Considering and responding appropriately to the needs, feelings, and capabilities of others and adjusting approaches to suit different people and situations. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist/PD91236O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/02/2023. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS-09 grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. 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. Applicants must be eligible under the VA Interchange Agreement, having served continuously for at least one year in the other merit system under this interchange agreement. For more information regarding the VA Interchange Agreement please visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-authorities/competitive-hiring/. All Title 38 Veterans Canteen Service (VCS) employees must have served in their Excepted Service position for at least 90 days in order to be eligible for a position within the Competitive Service. Applicants who were previously selected under a Competitive Delegating Examining Unit (DEU) announcement must have served in their position for at least 90 days prior to being eligible for other positions within the Competitive Service. This occupational series has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR). In order to meet the IOR you must have an: Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position. OR Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): 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 the IOR, you must meet the following experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Assists with determining areas of vocational interests, training needs, and career development for clients to reach success in obtaining suitable employment; assists with creating job plans for individuals to help them achieve their employment goals, assists with observing individuals and placement site and providing feedback; serves as a liaison between the individual and employment agency and assists with coordinating expectations, placement, etc.. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for the GS-11 grade level you must have successfully completed a Ph. D. or equivalent doctoral degree, 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.M., if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. (Transcripts must be submitted). 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 the two-years of graduate level education. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Therapy and Counseling: Knowledge of diagnosis and treatment of physical and mental ailments, and career guidance. Education and Training: Knowledge of the concepts, principles, and theories of instructional methods such as teaching, training, research, making presentations, lecturing, and testing. Technical Competence: Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on-the-job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues. Interpersonal Skills: Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences. 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. A valid State of Michigan driver's license is 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 Battle Creek VA Medical Center 5500 Armstrong Road Battle Creek, MI 49037 US
• Name: Richard Bloomberg
• Phone: 269-966-5600 X34056
• Email: [email protected]