This position supports outpatient Mental Health, under the Behavioral Health section of the Eastern Kansas Health Care System VAMC. The primary purpose of this position is to provide Vocational Rehabilitation Services for Veterans consulted to any of the Compensated Work Therapy (CWT) or Vocational Rehabilitation programs, who have physical, mental or other impediments, in order for them to reach their maximum vocational potential.

Duties

Talking with employers in the community (after signed Release of Information) on behalf of the Veteran, to work towards the goal of employment for the Veteran. Transporting Veterans by using a GOV to job interviews, to a community facility (i.e. library, employment office, etc.) to assist the Veteran with job applications, driving to a Veteran's residence to meet with the Veteran in his/her home and taking Veterans into the community for job searches. Job placement. May develop contract work positions for Veterans within the local community, industry, state and federal agencies. On-the-job supports - checking on the Veteran while at work, if necessary, or mentoring for the Veteran to work out issues that may arise on the job, to help the Veteran maintain employment. As an example, taking the Veteran to a Mental Health appointment to meet with his/her provider might be necessary to help the Veteran. Follow-along supports - Meeting with the Veteran regularly until the Veteran is stable in employment. Even meeting with the Veteran on a semi-regular basis after the Veteran is employed, for support, mentoring, working through issues the Veteran may be having on the job, or to help a Veteran to decide when to leave a job or begin looking for another one. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am -4:30 pm Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: AD HOC Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist/PD09030A Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/19/2023. 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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9 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-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Work that required obtaining and applying occupational information for people with disabilities, knowledge of the interrelationships of the involved professional and specialist services, and skill in employing the methodology and techniques of counseling to motivate and encourage individuals served by the program. Experience that demonstrated knowledge of the vocational rehabilitation problems characteristic of the disabled, including familiarity with available resources and skill in identifying, evaluating, and making effective use of such resources to serve individuals with disabilities; or of the disadvantaged, including knowledge of adjustment problems of the educationally or culturally disadvantaged, familiarity with available adult education and training resources, and ability to recognize problem areas needing special attention. Experience in vocational guidance or teaching in a recognized vocational rehabilitation program or school, developmental or supervisory work in programs of vocational rehabilitation or training programs for the disadvantaged, or personnel or employment placement work that provided extensive knowledge of the training and adjustment requirements necessary to place persons having disabilities or social adjustment problems. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related 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 year equivalent to at least GS-7 You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: CommunicationDecision MakingPlanning and EvaluatingProblem SolvingTherapy and Counseling 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: The physical demands of this job are moderate. Mobility is required to attend meetings throughout the facility and in making contacts within the community. Driving a GOV is part of the physical demands of a VRS. There is stress involved in dealing continually with persons who display a broad variety of psychological problems and/or psychiatric symptoms. 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

Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position.

GS-11

Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related

None

1 year equivalent to at least GS-9

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 VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System 2200 SW Gage Blvd Topeka, KS 66622 US
• Name: Byron Collins
• Phone: 202-679-5573
• Email: [email protected]