The position of a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS) assists a wide variety of veterans with multiple diagnoses in meeting their therapeutic and/or vocational goals through the use of therapeutic and vocational modalities and is located within the Vocational Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT) Section of the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation HCG (PM&R HCG).

Duties

Duties: Develop and maintain contact resources at the medical center, other regional medical facilities, Veterans Affairs Central Office (VACO), state, city and community agencies that may be used for Veterans in the rehabilitation process. Ensure that all treatment and rehabilitation services needed by all referred potentially employable Veterans are provided in a comprehensive, coordinated, and timely manner. Serve as referral sources for the Compensated Work Therapy programs and assist in the development and implementation of new programs designed to meet special needs of Veterans. Plan individualized and effective steps in developing vocational behaviors and work skills necessary to function successfully in community work environments. Establish short term and long-term goals, plan and follow through with a treatment program to best benefit the patient using professional techniques in such a way to obtain maximum results. Ensure that all prerequisite accommodations and needs are met for rehabilitation candidates at the employer site, i.e., glasses, adjustments to prosthesis, individualized remedial work, work attitude/adjustment training, vocational evaluations to determine physical work tolerance. Treat patients with multiple diagnoses, including substance abuse, psychiatric disorders, physical disabilities and the problems associated with aging. Perform assessments utilizing interviewing skills and interpersonal relationships with the Veteran. Apply skill, ingenuity and knowledge to increase self-sufficiency, motivation, proper work habits, adjustment to work conditions and independent living skills for job retention. 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. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:45 a.m.- 4:15 p.m. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Vocational Rehab Speclst/PD02755A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved 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, 10/03/2023. 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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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. You may qualify based on your 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 GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: providing support to participants including assistance with submitting resumes, completing applications, and job interview preparation; analyzing any mental and physical disabilities or other handicaps that may require adjustments to training and employment placement; AND forming relationships with community businesses, community resources, and community service providers.. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree or two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B., if related. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED).. 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 1 full year of graduate education with a major study in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position. Preferred Experience: Experience in Ceramics. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)Employee DevelopmentInterpersonal Skills 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: This position will involve walking, standing, sitting and the ability to move freely about the medical center and the community. 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 Long Beach VA Medical Center 5901 East Seventh Street Long Beach, CA 90822 US
• Name: Cara Dover
• Phone: 720-322-3577
• Email: [email protected]