Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors (VRCs) position is located in the Veteran's Readiness and Employment Division of the Lincoln, NE Regional Benefits Office, out-based in Omaha, NE. VRC's provide and coordinate a wide range of rehabilitation, counseling, and case management services to disabled veterans and other eligible individuals. The primary emphasis of the Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation Program is on achieving an employment outcome for the veteran.

Duties

Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors (VRCs) position is located in the Veteran's Readiness and Employment Division of the Lincoln, NE Regional Benefits Office, out-based in Omaha, NE. The incumbent will be physically located at or reporting to one or more college campuses in and around the Omaha metropolitan area. The VetSuccess on Campus (VSOC) program aims to help Veterans, Servicemembers, and their qualified dependents succeed and thrive through a coordinated delivery of on-campus benefits assistance and counseling, leading to completion of their education and preparing them to enter the labor market in viable careers. VSOC also assists with Regional office tasks to all Veterans in the Veterans Readiness and Employment (VR&E) program to ensure quality and timely benefits while they complete their education and training. 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. Additional duties as assigned. 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. The grade progression for this position is GS-09, GS-11, GS-12. Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VSOC); GS-09: 38544A / GS-11: 38543A / GS-12: 38542A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Required

Requirements

• 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

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:08/25/2023. 1. 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 level. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 level. For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11 level. If you are a current VBA employee outside of the commuting area seeking reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold a GS-09 grade level or higher, and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least GS-12. 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. 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. 2. BASIC REQUIREMENTS: To qualify for the VRC position, candidates must meet the following basic requirements: Education: Successful completion of a master's degree (or higher) in rehabilitation counseling, rehabilitation services, clinical rehabilitation counseling, counseling psychology, mental health counseling, career counseling or social work from an accredited college or university. Internship or Experience Requirement: The required supervised internship or post-master's degree experience is described as follows: Supervised Internship: The education in Basic Requirements above must have included a supervised internship in rehabilitation counseling or case management specialization. The internship must have been supervised by a professional in vocational rehabilitation or a closely related professional field that typically has oversight for vocational rehabilitation programs. OR Experience: One-year post-master's degree experience in direct delivery of professional vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities. 3. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: GS-09 Education or Experience. None above the basic requirements. GS-11 Education: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, successful completion of 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education or a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in an area described in Basic Requirements above. OR Experience: Completion of one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level. Specialized experience reflects the management of vocational rehabilitation counseling or case management workload involving persons with a wide variety of disability conditions (e.g., mental health, physical, cognitive, visual/auditory, substance abuse). GS-12 Experience: One year of specialized vocational rehabilitation experience in a federal, state and/or private vocational rehabilitation setting equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level. Professional experience reflects the management of vocational rehabilitation counseling or case management workload involving persons with a wide variety of disability conditions (e.g., mental health, physical, cognitive, visual/auditory, substance abuse). This is the journey (or full performance) level for this occupation. Combining Education & Experience: If you do not fully meet the length of experience and education described for a specific grade level (e.g. have six months of experience and some coursework but not a degree), the two can be combined to total 100% of the requirement. Click here for more information. Volunteer Experience: 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. Full vs. Part-Time Employment: Full-time employment is considered to be at least 35 hours per week. Part-time experience will be credited on a pro-rated basis; when including part-time employment in your resume you must specify the average hours worked per week. Physical Requirements: This position is primarily in an office setting. 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. It must include your coursework and date of conferral of a Masters degree (or higher) in rehabilitation counseling, rehabilitation services, clinical rehabilitation counseling, counseling psychology, mental health counseling, career counseling or social work.

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to be credited towards qualifications. Provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
All education claimed by applicants will be verified upon appointment. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript to receive credit.

Contacts

• Address Lincoln Regional Benefit Office 3800 Village Dr Lincoln, NE 68516 US
• Name: Abygail Sharrar-Armendariz
• Email: [email protected]