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, which provides services under the applicable VR&E programs.

Duties

Provide professional and technical expertise in all phases of rehabilitation activities to include job development, job placement and counseling services. Ensures consistent, correct determinations are accomplished in situations where existing guidelines do not readily yield identical decisions or even somewhat similar. Gathers and interprets a wide range of data addressing service concerns, and recommends appropriate actions based on the data. Communicates with other federal, state, and rehabilitation agencies to coordinate services. Communicates with various schools in resolving training problems. Addresses program issues with contractors and other Veteran Readiness and Employment offices. Resolves veteran issues through in-person, telephone, and written communication. Analyzes and interprets laws, regulations, and rules as they effect the establishment of new policies, procedures, and methods of operation. Plans and assigns work activities for subordinates, with final technical authority over the final work product. Provides advice, counsel, and instructions to individual employees on both technical and administrative matters. Ensure performance plans for all Veterans Readiness and Employment employees are properly created and utilized. Administers personnel actions. Interview and select candidates for appointment, promotion or reassignment are responsibilities of the AVREO. Serve as Regional Office consultant and expert on employment issues for Veterans with disabilities. Provide oversight to leave approval and administration for out-based staff to ensure required coverage. Ensures that professional, technical and administrative quality and timeliness of service meets VBA's organizational goals.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job.
• Selectees are subject to a background/suitability investigation.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• A probationary period may be required for employees and supervisors.
• A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc.
• 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, 08/29/2023. Effective July 28,2023, VA Handbook 5005 was updated to change the VBA qualification standard for Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors (VRCs) in the GS-0101 series. All applicants must meet the Basic Requirement described below, to qualify. Note: Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the Basic Requirement and Specialized Experience requirements as stated below. 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 {MUST SUBMIT TRANSCRIPTS). 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 described 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 (2) Experience: One-year post-master's degree experience in direct delivery of professional vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities. c. Grandfathering Provisions. 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: (1) 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. (2) 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. (3) If VRCs who are grandfathered under this provision leave the occupation, they lose protected status and must meet the full qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re- entry to the occupation. Specialized Experience: To qualify at the grade level of GS-13: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-12) in the federal service. Specialized experience is work experience that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position within the organization. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: Experience that demonstrates the management of a vocational rehabilitation counseling program, while providing case management and workload oversight, involving persons with a wide variety of disability conditions (e.g., mental health, physical, cognitive, visual/auditory, substance abuse). There is no authorized substitution of education, for the specialized experience required at the grade level GS-13. Note: 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 you document, to include volunteer experience.

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.

As a reminder, 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. An unofficial or official copy of your transcripts 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: 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: https://www2.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: HRC-Detroit DEU
• Phone: 313-596-7213
• Email: [email protected]