The Veterans Benefits Administration has a wide network of field locations where personnel provide Servicemembers, Veterans, their dependents, and survivors with information, advice and assistance regarding the availability and procurement of benefits under laws and regulations administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs and other agencies. One of the long-standing services is Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E), which provides services under the prog of CH 31,36, 35, 108.

Duties

Major Duties Assists the Supervisory Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor and manages broad-based and multi-faceted programs through a team of supervisors and team leaders. Makes decisions including basic eligibility for programs administered by the Veterans Readiness & Employment on behalf of the Vocational Rehabilitation Employment Office. Maintains essential resources for referral for special rehabilitation procedures. Provides advice and recommendations to meet major goals and assists with the assessment of priorities. Provides administrative expertise in all phases of rehabilitation activities, including counseling, case management, rehabilitation plan development, and job development and placement. Provides internal policy direction and supervision of the Regional Office VR&E staff through on-site visits and inspections, review, and analysis of standard or specifically requested data and individualized or telephonic and written communication. Assumes final responsibility for proper interpretation and uniform application of laws, regulations, and instructions in conformance with mandatory policies, procedures and practices, reconciling divergent opinions. Responsible for claims file and eFolder maintenance and operations including transfer of claims to the proper scanning vendor in a timely manner. Assists the VREO as a member of the Director's staff and keeps the Director updated on critical matters. Ensures staff responds timely to Congressional, White House and other special inquiries concerning VA benefits for Veterans and other claimants is another responsibility of the AVREO and VREO. Ensures performance plans for all Veterans Readiness & Employment (VR&E) employees are properly created and utilized. Gives advice, counsel, or instruction to individual employees on both work and administrative matters. Interviews and selection of candidates for appointment, promotion or reassignment are responsibilities of the AVREO. Understands and sensitivity to the objectives of the EEO program and promotes workforce diversity through recruitment, coaching, and developmental activities, consistent with the merit system principles. Serves as Regional Office consultant and expert on employment issues for Veterans with disabilities. Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors provide a wide range of rehabilitation and personal adjustment counseling and case management services, including coordination of rehabilitation, training, and employment services to disabled Veterans. VRCs assess data received from medical, psychological and vocational evaluations and develop individualized rehabilitation plans. In VBA, the VR&E the Supervisory Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors also make eligibility and entitlement determinations. Knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) are based on the job analysis and position description, but some general knowledge required by VRCs includes: Knowledge of psychological, rehabilitation and counseling theory and principles is required. This includes special knowledge in rehabilitation counseling skills, techniques, and resources needed to work with Veterans with multiple serious disabilities, homebound Veterans, Veterans with serious acute or chronic mental disabilities, and those with problems adjusting to social and occupational requirements. VRCs need to understand and be able to use therapeutic counseling techniques. Knowledge of the principles and procedures of psychological and vocational testing and knowledge of testing and research statistics is required. This includes mean, standard deviation, percentile and standard error of measurement as used in the assessment of a Veteran's interests, aptitude, abilities and personality characteristics. Understanding the instruments frequently used in the assessment, including the strengths and limitations of the measurements and appropriate uses to provide cultural sensitivity if needed.. Working knowledge of the requirements for independent living including resources and services will be necessary. Also, an understanding of the limitations and service requirements of individuals with severe disabilities is required. Knowledge of career development process, career development theory, and job placement; current knowledge of labor market conditions and occupational trends is needed. The incumbent must know how to use the information obtained from a transferable work skills analysis to improve the Veteran's employability. Work Schedule: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor AVREO/002760A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Relocation expenses are authorized for this position. Financial Disclosure Report: Selectee will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-450, under 5 CFR 2634.904(a) prior to entering on duty and annually thereafter.

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, 08/19/2023. 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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the 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. NON QUALIFYING EXPERIENCE: Vocational rehabilitation experience obtained prior to completion of the requirements for the master's degree is not qualifying. You will be rated on work experience and knowledge obtained in the last 5 years as it pertains to vocational rehabilitation counseling, case management techniques, diagnostic assessment processes used in vocational/educational/rehabilitation, personal adjustment counseling and effect of disabilities on employability. There is no substitution of work experience for the basic educational requirement. Specialized experience includes expert knowledge of wide range of qualitative and quantitative methods for the assessment and improvement of program effectiveness or the improvement of complex management processes and systems. Experience providing effective leadership, management, and oversight to optimize deployment of programs and services to achieve goals; experience in reviewing policies and procedures to determine the impact of field operations or conducting evaluative studies of field offices to determine field strengths, weaknesses and best practices and making recommendations. Experience in conducting assessments of veteran's employability. Involvement in the development of appropriate vocational goals and subsequent objects outlined in rehabilitation plans. Providing case management services to veterans while pursuing their rehabilitation plans (e.g. personal contact regarding achievement of vocational goals, referral for medical or ancillary services, and responding efficiently to veteran's concerns. Experience in training; and understanding and clearly explaining to veterans, the benefits, and services available through the VR&E program. Supervisory/Managerial Abilities: Candidates must also demonstrate experience or training they possess, or have the potential to develop, the qualities of successful supervision as follows: Assign to and review work of subordinates, train and work effectively with subordinates from a variety of backgrounds and with different levels/areas of training; Accomplish the quality and quantity of work expected within set limits of cost and time; Plan own work and carry out assignments effectively; Communicate with others effectively both orally and in writing in working solutions to problems or questions relating to the work; Understand and further management goals as these affect day-to-day work operations; AND Develop improvements on, or design new work methods and procedures. Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary although some slight physical effort may be required. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: 1. Vocational Rehabilitation Knowledge. Knowledge of vocational rehabilitation and counseling programs, regulations, requirements and practices. 2. HR Management. Knowledge of human resources management systems. 3. Problem Analysis. Ability to analyze and synthesize complex information, develop viable solutions, and apply sound judgment in assessing the practical implications of alternative solutions. 4. Supervision. Ability to manage and/or supervise 5. Communication. Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing. Supervisory Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, GS-13. (1) Experience. One year of specialized vocational rehabilitation experience in a federal, state and/or private vocational rehabilitation setting equivalent to at least the GS-12 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). 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 http://://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

Education

Basic Education Requirements

To qualify for the Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor 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 (1) supervised internship or (2) post-master's degree experience is described as follows:

Supervised Internship: The education in paragraph 3a 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.

Grandfathering Provision

VRCs employed in VBA on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including certifications that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation.

For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard but met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply:

VRCs who are grandfathered into the GS-0101 occupational series may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance level of a career ladder or changed to a lower grade within the occupation or placed in a supervisory or managerial position.

VRCs who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of this qualification standard may not be extended or reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of this standard.

Awarded/Conferred Master's Degree is required and must be reflected on transcripts. Transcripts (unofficial and/or official) must show evidence of a supervised internship and must also show that the degree has been awarded/conferred and the date awarded.

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 Togus VA Medical/Regional Benefit Office Center 1 VA Center Augusta, ME 04330 US
• Name: Mary Chavez
• Phone: 515-323-7575
• Email: [email protected]