The Supervisory Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor provides leadership and direction the VR&E staff and coordinates activities with the other divisions in the Regional Office and the VA medical Centers. The VREO supports the principles of quality improvement and is committed to assuring timely products of high quality are provided to Servicemembers, Veterans and their families for all types of services proved completed by staff members.

Duties

The Major Duties of the Supervisory Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor are, but not limited to: Directs the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VRE)Program, which performs technical, administrative, and professional work. Serves as the Regional Office's professional and technical expert in conducting, administering, and advising in the areas of education, training, testing, evaluation, counseling, rehabilitation, psychology, job development, job placement, and entitlement. Provides administrative and technical direction and professional leadership to a professional and technical staff of Counseling Psychologists, Rehabilitation Counselors, Vocational Rehabilitation Specialists, Employment/Program Specialists, and support staff as well as providing oversight of contractors. Oversees a team of Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors (VRCs) and other staff 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) locations on military installations. Develops short & Long-term plans to assure work is accomplished in a timely manner, is of acceptable quality, and accomplishes the changing initiatives and emphasis established by VA Central Office managers, as well as local management policy changes and procedural modifications. Ensures that his/her staff provides expert and high-quality services to the Veterans with a service-connected disability such as vocational counseling and consultation; counseling interventions; and superb case management. Responsible for managing allocated budgetary resources and for authorizing and supervising the expenditure of funds such as staff travel, beneficiary travel, tools, supplies, equipment, revolving fund loans, tutoring or reader services, individual instructor fees, tuition, and subsistence allowances. Provides counseling, training, and employment services to all eligible beneficiaries within the State of Indiana through two full-time offices. Activities and services provided by the VR&E Program directly .and significantly impact a wide range of agency activities. The VR&E Program deals with the direct payment of benefits to veterans and dependents as well as providing payment for educational programs which can typically cost many thousands of dollars. Provides the Director's full-time assistant, the Assistant Director, who is authorized, a clear line of authority. Directs the VRE Program, which encompasses between 1650 and 1700 participants at any point in time. The program administers approximately $10 million in expenditures from the Rehabilitation Benefits Account. VR&E Officer exercises significant responsibility in dealing with other Division Chiefs, higher level VR&E program officials, officials of Veterans Service Organizations, officials of other local, state, and federal agencies, officials of institutions of higher learning, and community. based contract service providers. Establishes division goals and objectives as well as related priorities to assure program and RO mission and objectives are accomplished. Meets with senior managers at the RO, State or Labor representatives, focal VA Medical Centers, Outpatient Clinics, and other facilities. Incumbent must frequently contact high-ranking civilian managers, supervisors, and technical staff regarding contracting of services. Other professional contacts are with physicians, psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, social workers, program and administration officials with VA and other local, state, and federal agencies. Decision Making: Develops short- and Long-term plans to assure work is accomplished in a timely manner, is of acceptable quality, and accomplishes the changing initiatives and emphasis established by VA Central Office managers, as well as local management policy changes and procedural modifications. Takes a variety of personnel-related actions such as hearing/resolving grievances or complaints, proposes disciplinary and adverse actions, evaluates performance of rehabilitation professionals; decides on nonroutine training needs, approves expenses relative to employee travel and overtime; recommends within-grade increases, awards, bonuses; and recommends changes in position classification Work Schedule: Monday - Friday Compressed/Flexible: According to Agency Policy Telework: According to Agency Policy Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description: Supervisory Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor/PD#: 38428A Relocation Benefit: Relocation expenses benefit for the Buyer Value Option (BVO) Financial Disclosure Report: Required-Selectee will be required to complete a Public Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-278, under 5 CFR 2634.904(a) prior to entering on duty and annually thereafter. Physical Requirements: The work normally involves mental rather than physical exertion.

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
• Selectees are required to service a one-year supervisory probationary period if not previously completed in a Federal position.
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/24/2023. 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-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13. 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 you are a current VBA employee seeking reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS-14 (or higher) and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least GS-14. Note: To support your claim of time in grade, you must submit your most recent appointment, promotion, or within grade increase SF-50 (not an award or general adjustment SF-50). Some applicants may have to submit more than one SF-50 to demonstrate their eligibility. See the required documents section for more information. You must provide a copy of your most recent SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" showing that you are in the competitive service and the highest grade or promotion potential held. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate that you possess (1) year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates (1) year time-in-grade.General Adjustment and Award SF-50's cannot be used for time-in-grade verification purposes. AND, Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the Basic Requirements and Minimum Qualification requirements as noted below. BASIC REQUIREMENT: BASIC REQUIREMENTS. To qualify for the VRC position, candidates must meet the following basic requirements: a. 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. b. Internship or Experience Requirement. The required (1) supervised internship or (2) post-master's degree experience is described as follows: (1) Supervised Internship: The education 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 (2) Experience: One-year post-master's degree experience in direct delivery of professional vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities. AND, Minimum Qualifications for this GS-0101-14 Supervisory Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor position: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, applicants must possess one of the following: (1) One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-13 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as experience in Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment programs 1) working with employment and vocational rehabilitation programs; 2) possessing knowledge and expertise in the procedures for vocational and rehabilitation law; 3) administering counsel in the areas of rehabilitation, psychology, career development, and job placement entitlements; 4) controlling budgetary resources for approving and monitoring financial expenditures. 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

This position requires specific coursework and/or a degree to meet the basic education requirement. You must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Your transcript(s) must clearly demonstrate the course(s) listed in the qualification requirement section. If the transcript(s) does not clearly demonstrate this you must submit a copy of the course description and/or other documentation demonstrating that the courses are equivalent.

If you are claiming education as any part of your qualifications for this position, you must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. Failure to provide such documentation with your application will result in lost consideration. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Phoenix Regional Benefit Office 3333 North Central Ave Phoenix, AZ 85012 US
• Name: Gena McDaniel
• Phone: 575-323-7575
• Email: [email protected]